Sealing a bathtub with a wall consists in processing the joint between them to prevent water from entering the floor and improve the appearance of the bathroom. The concept of "sealing" implies the complete impermeability of the object to gas or liquid. To achieve this result, you will need special materials with the appropriate properties.
Methods for sealing joints in the bathroom
Methods for sealing a bathtub with a wall:
- treatment with silicone sealant (silicone);
- blowing foam;
- cement grouting;
- installation of the corner;
- sealing with border tape;
- combining several methods (for example, a joint treated with silicone can be decorated with a curb tape on top).
Material selection
The main requirement for materials used in the bathroom is thermal and water resistance. For sealants and other insulating materials, an additional requirement is complete watertightness. Sealing the joints of the bathtub with the wall pursues the goal not only technically competentlydecorate the room, but also prevent the appearance of fungal and mold lesions on the surface of walls and floors, prevent the development of other harmful bacteria.
Therefore, when choosing materials, preference should be given to those that have antibacterial and antifungal components in their composition.
Silicone Sealant
How to seal a bathtub with a wall using silicone sealant? Tools needed for the job:
- alcohol or solvent;
- scissors or sharp knife;
- tube with silicone sealant (transparent or matching the color of the walls in the bathroom);
- mounting (construction) gun;
- plastic or ceramic baseboard.
Sealing a bathtub with a wall with silicone involves the following procedure:
- Thoroughly clean the joint and adjacent surfaces from dirt, debris, etc.
- Degrease joint with solvent or alcohol. Dry.
- Cut off the tip on the sealant tube. In this case, it should be borne in mind that the sharper the cut angle, the thinner the line will turn out.
- Apply the sealant with the caulking gun in a continuous line as accurately as possible.
- Wet the applied silicone with soapy water and smooth the line with your finger.
- If desired, a plastic or ceramic border can be glued over the sealant.
Mounting foam
Sealing a bathtub with a wall using mounting foam is one of the easiest waysproblem solving. Tools needed for the job:
- alcohol or solvent;
- construction (dummy) knife;
- gloves;
- spray foam;
- finishing material.
Procedure:
- Thoroughly clean the joint and adjacent surfaces from dirt, debris, etc.
- Degrease joint with solvent or alcohol. Dry.
- Put on gloves.
- Shake the can of mounting foam and apply it evenly to the joint, avoiding getting on the walls and the surface of the bath. When applying, be sure to take into account the fact that after drying, the volume of the foam increases significantly.
- Dry for an hour.
- Use a construction knife to remove excess dried foam.
- Depending on the type of bathroom wall finish, you can putty the seam and then cover it with paint of a suitable color or glue a border made of tiles, plastic, etc.
Solution
How is a bathtub sealed with a wall using cement mortar? Materials and tools to do the job:
- rags;
- plaster spatula;
- solution container;
- quarry sand;
- if only river sand is at hand, then you will need a plasticizer (professional or its replacement: lime, clay or washing powder);
- cement M400 or M500;
- pulverizer;
- water;
- finishing material.
Procedure:
- Thoroughly clean the joint and adjacent surfaces from dirt, debris, etc.
- Prepare a solution of medium density.
- Lay the joint with a rag soaked in a liquid solution. This will help prevent the compound from hitting the floor.
- Moisten the surface of the walls and bath at the junction.
- Apply mortar carefully, being careful not to make the seam too wide.
- After drying, depending on the type of bathroom wall finish, you can putty the seam and then cover it with paint of a suitable color or glue a border made of tiles, plastic, etc.
Preparing the solution:
- If there is river sand, not quarry sand, you first need to add a plasticizer, otherwise the solution will not be dense enough, which means that the seam will be fragile as a result. Instead of a professional plasticizer, you can use lime, clay or washing powder. The ratio of the components of the mixture should be as follows: 4:0, 8 sand/lime; 4:0.5 sand/clay; 4:0, 2 sand/washing powder.
- Add one part of cement to sand or its mixture with a plasticizer in the ratio: 4:1 for M400 cement and 5:1 for M500 composition.
- Stir the mixture thoroughly with a spatula.
- Gradually add water until a solution of medium density is obtained.
Corner
The corner for sealing the bathtub with the wall is another fairly simple and reliable way to solve the problem of sealing the joint. Its other names are plastic plinth, PVC border forbaths. For tiles, a ceramic border is more suitable. Materials and tools for mounting the corner:
- transparent quick-drying glue (tile glue for tiles);
- alcohol or solvent;
- plastic or ceramic skirting (border) for bath;
- construction knife;
- painting tape;
- mounting gun;
- transparent silicone sealant.
There are skirting boards with a layer of glue already applied. It is better not to use them, since this glue does not have moisture resistance. If such a corner is acquired by mistake, then the layer of glue must be carefully peeled off from it. To do this, you need a knife and a solvent. Stronger compounds are not recommended, as they can seriously damage the surface of the baseboard.
Procedure:
- Thoroughly clean the joint and adjacent surfaces from dirt, debris, etc.
- Degrease joint with solvent or alcohol. Dry.
- Cut the border with a construction knife into strips of the desired length at an angle of 45 degrees.
- Apply the curb pieces to the seam.
- Apply masking tape along the edges of each piece to prevent the adhesive from getting on the wall and tub surfaces.
- Remove border.
- Apply glue to the joint.
- Reattach and firmly glue the border pieces.
- Let the glue dry and then remove the masking tape.
- Treat the junction of the border with the wall with a thin layer of transparentsilicone sealant.
Border Tape
For those who do not have experience in construction work, even such a simple task as sealing a bathtub with a wall will become a problem. Sealing the joint with self-adhesive border tape is the easiest and least time-consuming way to solve this problem. On the reverse side of such material there is an adhesive layer based on butanol. Types of border tape: angular and curly. It is sold in rolls. The curly tape differs from the angular one by the presence of an additional sector (in the center) without glue. The kit usually includes an applicator, corners, and sometimes a construction knife. When choosing a bath tape, it is recommended to give preference to products with antifungal components.
When buying a self-adhesive border tape, you need to pay attention to the fact that this product has a limited shelf life. It refers to the adhesive layer. On sale, there is mainly a white ribbon, but you can, if necessary, choose a border of the desired shade in companies that work to order. The length of a standard roll is 3.5 m. It is linked to the perimeter of a regular-sized bath, but just in case, it is better to measure the actual length of the joint. The width of the tape can also be different: the narrower it is, the better. It is recommended to use a wide tape only when the width of the joint itself requires it.
Materials and tools for work:
- alcohol or solvent;
- border tape;
- construction tape;
- applicator;
- construction knife;
- sanitary bath sealant.
Procedure:
- Thoroughly clean the joint and adjacent surfaces from dirt, debris, etc.
- Degrease joint with solvent or alcohol. Dry.
- Cut the tape with a construction knife into pieces of the desired length with a margin of 2-3 cm on each side.
- At the junction of the piece of tape and the corner, leave its upper part straight, and cut the lower part at an angle of 45 degrees.
- Apply the curb pieces to the seam.
- Apply masking tape along the edges of each piece to mark where the tape fits against the wall and bathtub and ensure it is even.
- Remove border.
- Bend the tape along the fold line and heat with hot air, this will improve the adhesion of the adhesive layer to the surfaces of the walls and bathtub.
- Starting from the corner, glue each piece along the basting made with adhesive tape. Carefully remove the protective layer on the reverse side of the tape in 15 cm increments and, smoothing, stick it, pressing firmly with the applicator.
- Fix the corners with sanitary sealant.
Features of working with acrylic coatings
Sealing an acrylic bath with a wall requires taking into account some of the features of working with such coatings.
- Do not use any adhesive as there is a high risk of damaging the surface of the tub.
- You need to choose adhesives for plastic and vinyl.
- Do not use strong solvents.
Tub sealing cost and reviews
If notdesire or time to repair the joint yourself, you can invite a plumbing specialist. The list of services provided by him includes sealing the bathtub with a wall. The price of work, depending on the method chosen by the customer, will be from 350 to 3000 rubles. This usually does not include the cost of materials.
Feedback on some sealing methods:
- Some people did not like the result of independent work. It turned out that without skill it is difficult to level the sealant in one motion, and if you interrupt, flaws are visible.
- The joint of the bathtub with a tile with a plastic corner is very neat. Silicone sealant is applied so as to completely fill the space under the corner, and then the baseboard is attached to it. We get a silicone seam, completely closed with a corner.
