Leaking bath, water coming through kitchen ceiling

Zzippy

Looking for some expert opinions here. We had a leak the other day, the silicone sealant around the upstairs bath seems to have cracked and when herself took a shower the other day we started getting water coming through the kitchen ceiling. Just a heavy drip, the ceiling hasn't collapsed or anything, and we've stopped using the bath since, just using the other shower for the moment.

First things first, I was planning to remove the existing silicone and replace it to seal the bath again. But what to do about the downstairs ceiling? Will stopping the source of the leak by resealing the bath be enough, is it ok to let the ceiling dry out and repaint it, or do we need to get someone in to look at it and do something (replace ceiling? replaster?)

Also, how easy is it to remove old silicone and apply a new bead?

Cheers for any advice!

DoneDL

Stanley knife and stanley knife blade, wear gloves and take your time. If you`re lucky once you get it started it should peel off in strips, dry the area with a hair drier before redoing the silicone as any damp will stop it sealing properly. Fill the bath with water before you apply the new seal and only pull the plug when it has dried. Cut the nozzle to the right size before applying the bead, don`t overwork the silicone ie one wipe with a wet finger will finish it off. Plenty of kitchen roll to wipe the excess silicone onto then bin it.

Tom Joad

DoneDL wrote: »

Stanley knife and stanley knife blade, wear gloves and take your time. If you`re lucky once you get it started it should peel off in strips, dry the area with a hair drier before redoing the silicone as any damp will stop it sealing properly. Fill the bath with water before you apply the new seal and only pull the plug when it has dried. Cut the nozzle to the right size before applying the bead, don`t overwork the silicone ie one wipe with a wet finger will finish it off. Plenty of kitchen roll to wipe the excess silicone onto then bin it.

+1 on this - have also found for a neat finish use a small bit of liquid soap/fairy liquid on your finger when you are finishing off.

In terms of your ceiling allow it to dry out for a few days. Then you can get a spray in an aerosol can (I've used one for this job which is very good - it's called cover-up) in any hardware store, that covers over the stain - just make sure to take some precautions if where you are spraying close to the wall or kitchen units etc - cover up any of these to avoid splash. After you use the spray you can touch up the area with ceiling paint if required (allow to dry for a day before painting) and it will be as good as new.

Unless it was a torrent of water through the ceiling it will be as good as new!!

Sparkpea

spit on your finger is also a good lucubration to stop it sticking to ur finger when spreading silicone. not the nicest thing to do but works

theboybrown

Check any tile work around that area as well. Water can find its way in behind the tiles and down that way. make sure the grout looks good. be sure its sound. no movement or hollow noise when you push or tap the tiles. If things sound a bit hollow you might need to do a bit of retiling because they'll fall away from the wall sooner or later. Silicone is no fix if the integrity of the grout has been comprimised. As for the ceiling let it dry properly and then if it looks level and no movement when you push on it, then plasterboard is probably ok. paintjob.

Joey the lips

i would use silicone and for safety if your worried i would use a bath seal that goes over the tile. Be sure to stick the seal to the tile and not to the bath. This is a common mistake and what happens is the flexing of the bath causes the seal to come away from the wall.

Off course all this said if the adhesive on the tiles is compramised you will have a bigger job to do.

wait4me

Tom Joad wrote: »

Then you can get a spray in an aerosol can (I've used one for this job which is very good - it's called cover-up) in any hardware store, that covers over the stain

In the past I have used white undercoat paint to cover over the stain and then repainted with ceiling paint. That concealed the stain and the ceiling looks as new.

Hopefully I don't need to do it again too soon.:)