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Removal of Old Sealant

Removal of old sealant is the first part of a bathroom reseal for UK homes where silicone is hard, painted, mouldy, or already smeared over. The failed bead is cut back to a clean edge so a new one can bond. Send the quote form or WhatsApp with a photo and the postcode.

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Who it is for

It is for showers, baths, basins and toilet bases where someone has already tried to smear a fresh bead on top, or where the old bead is hard, painted or full of mould.

Soft mouldy beads

These cut out quickly but leave a stain on the tile shoulder that has to be cleaned before the new silicone will hold.

Painted or hard beads

Paint and old acrylic sealant take longer. The quote allows for that instead of rushing a smear over the top.

Silicone in a channel

Framed showers and wet-room drains hide old silicone in a groove. The groove is cleared, not bridged.

Included, and what this visit is not

Included

Cutting and scraping the old bead on the lines that were quoted
Cleaning the edge so it is ready for sanitary silicone
The new bead, unless you have asked for removal only

Not this visit

We do not rake grout out of a whole tiled wall.
We do not remove tile adhesive or a failed tanking membrane.
We do not lift a bath or a tray to chase silicone that has gone under it.

How the visit runs

Send a photo that shows the thickness of the old bead, and the postcode.

The quote includes the strip-out, not a separate call-out for it.

On the day the old silicone is cut back to a sound edge.

Sanitary silicone is tooled on that edge and left to cure.

What the quote is based on

Removal is part of the reseal price, not an extra sprayed on at the end. Shower work is usually about £90 to £180 and a bath rim about £70 to £150, with hard or painted beads at the top of the band. A removal-only visit, with no new bead, is quoted from the same joint length. The written quote is the price.

How thick or painted the old silicone is

Corners and channels

Whether a new bead is included

Access in a small room

When people book

A bead that was “done last year” and is already peeling, or a joint so thick you can see the layers, is a removal job first.

Before the visit

Do not add another tube of silicone before the visit. Clear the tray or rim.

After the bead is tooled

If a new bead was tooled, leave it for about 24 hours. Loose scrap silicone is taken away with the rubbish from the cut-out.

Questions on this job

Can you seal over the old silicone to save time?

No. The new bead will let go where it sits on old silicone. The old bead comes out first.

Do you remove grout as well?

Only the silicone joint that was quoted. Raking a whole wall of grout is a different job.

How long does the cut-out take?

A soft mouldy shower bead is often out within the hour. Painted or layered silicone takes longer and is priced at the top of the band. The new bead is tooled in the same visit unless you asked for removal only.

Acrylic sealant or sanitary silicone?

Wet bathroom joints need sanitary silicone. Acrylic and decorator’s caulk shrink and crack when they stay damp. If that is what is on the joint now, it is cut out rather than coated.