You don’t have to be an expert to get a professional-looking seal on your bathtub. All you need is a few handy hints and top tools to get this easy DIY job done.
What you need to seal around your bath
All you need to get an effective, water-tight seal around your bath is a sharp-edged tool, such as a Stanley knife, some cleaning materials, and a bathroom-ready sealant. The ultimate sealant and adhesive for bathrooms is BT1. Its water and mould-resistant properties make it the most durable choice for sealing a bathroom and the go-to option for professionals.
What’s more, BT1 is formulated to be brilliant white for up to 25 years. It doesn’t just make a powerful and long-lasting bond – it does it all while looking good too.
How to seal your bathtub like a pro
Replacing the sealant around your bathtub is a job that anyone – even a DIY novice – can do at home. You don’t need to call for professional help. All you need is to follow this simple method.
Preparation is vital to success, so before you crack open the BT1, make sure all the old sealant is removed first. Here’s where your sharp tool comes in. Poor-grade silicone sealant should easily come away from your bathtub, tiles, and other areas, especially if it’s already begun to crack and fail. If it’s too stubborn to be pulled away by hand, take your Stanley knife or sharp-edged scraper and use it to cut through the remaining sealant and lift it away from the surface. Then give the area a good clean with warm soapy water and dry.
You can prepare the area with masking tape to ensure flawlessly clean lines once you’ve applied the sealant if you like. More experienced DIYers may bypass this step. A top tip to ensure you’re not applying too much sealant is to cut the nozzle of your BT1 tube, so you only have a small hole in the tip. A large hole will result in lots of product, which is much harder to distribute evenly without a caulking gun and may give you a less finessed final result.
You do not need a caulking gun to apply BT1. But, if this is your first time applying sealant, you may find it easier to apply evenly with one.
Once you’ve prepared your tube, squeeze down to distribute a bead of BT1 to your desired area. Work your way around the tub one length at a time, smoothing down the bead with a soapy finger after application. Start with the shorter edge, and if you struggle to do the longer edges in one go, start from each corner and meet in the middle to avoid too much product buildup.
Clean the edges with a cloth and soapy water promptly, as BT1 cures fast. And voila! Your bathtub has a brand-new professional-grade seal!
Where to find BT1
Visit our trusted retail partner, one of the best-known suppliers of tools, accessories and building supplies to the trade, home improvers and self-builders, Toolstation to find BT1. Toolstation stocks C-Tec products at its 500+ stores across the UK, so head to your nearest one to pick up your BT1 today.
