Acrylic bath rim
A flexible rim that moves when someone sits in the bath. The bead has to stay stuck while the acrylic shifts slightly.
Bath resealing
Bath resealing replaces the silicone along the rim where an acrylic, steel, or cast-iron bath meets the tiles or the panel. Book it when the bead is mouldy, missing at a corner, or letting water down the outside of the bath. Send a photo on the quote form, or WhatsApp the same details.
Who it is for
Who books a bath reseal
Households whose bath bead has gone black at the tap end. Anyone who finds a damp patch on the floor after a bath. Landlords who need the rim watertight before a new tenancy. Plastic baths and steel baths are both in scope. The panel void and the overflow are a separate visit if that is where the water is going.
Variants
The fittings this page covers
Steel and cast iron
A stiffer rim. The joint still fails at the corners and under the taps if the old silicone was never fully removed.
Tiled wall joint
The long edges and the two corners where the rim disappears behind the tile.
Tap deck
The short beads around a deck-mounted tap or a built-in mixer, quoted with the rim if they have split.
Scope
Included, and the jobs we will not call a reseal
Included in the visit
- Check along the rim, both corners, and the tap deck
- Cut-out of failed silicone
- Dry joint and a sanitary silicone bead
- Advice on the 24 hour wait before the bath is filled
Outside this visit
- A bath that has dropped on its feet and left a gap no bead can bridge
- Replacing the bath, taps, or tiles
- Sealing behind the panel, which is the bath panel visit
- Filling the bath the same evening
How it is done
On the day
- 1
Read the rim
We see whether the gap is a failed bead or a bath that has settled away from the wall.
- 2
Remove the old bead
Silicone is cut out of the rim and corners, including the piece that hides under the tile lip.
- 3
Reseal
Sanitary silicone is applied and tooled so water runs back into the bath.
- 4
Cure
Do not fill or splash the bath for 24 hours.
Symptoms
What you can see before you book
Black line at the tap end
Steam sits there. The mould is in the silicone, not only on the tile.
Gap at the corner
A split corner lets bath water behind the rim and into the floor or the panel void.
Soft silicone
A bead that has gone slimy has broken down and should be cut out, not painted.
Damp outside the bath
If the panel floor is wet but the rim bead looks intact, look at the overflow and the pipes as well.
Quote
What changes the price
The job is quoted. These are the factors, not a menu of fixed prices.
Three edges or one
A bath against one wall is less bead than a bath with two tiled ends and a tap deck.
Corner build-up
Layers of old silicone in the corners add time.
Bath movement
An acrylic rim that has dropped may need the gap discussed before a bead is promised.
Colour match
White is standard. A sanitaryware colour is quoted from the cartridge.
After the visit
Prep, cure, and how long it lasts
Take bottles off the rim before the visit. After sealing, do not use the bath or wipe the new bead for 24 hours. Wipe the rim dry after later baths so water does not sit in the corner.
The rim joint lasts while the silicone stays bonded and the bath does not pull away from the wall. Acrylic that rocks on loose feet will open a new bead. A sound, supported bath with a clean joint is the one that stays tidy.
DIY
When a tube is the wrong tool
The rim looks like an easy tube job. The corner under the tile lip is where DIY beads are left thick, and that is where they split. If the bath rocks, silicone will not pull it back to the wall.
Questions
Questions about bath resealing
Do you reseal acrylic baths?
Yes. Acrylic, steel, and cast-iron rims are resealed where they meet the wall. The quote assumes the bath still sits against that wall. A bath that has dropped needs that said up front.
Can you reseal only the mouldy corner?
A corner can be the failed part, but silicone bonds badly to a half-removed bead. The quote usually covers the whole rim that shares that joint so the new silicone has a clean edge.
Is bath resealing the same as sealing the panel?
No. The rim is the joint you see. The panel, overflow, and pipes behind it are a different visit. Book bath panel sealing if the floor inside the panel is wet and the rim looks sound.
When can the bath be used?
Twenty-four hours after the bead is finished. Filling it sooner marks the silicone and can open the joint.
How is the bath quote worked out?
From the edges, the corners, any tap-deck beads, the colour, and how much old silicone has to come out. Photos on the quote form or WhatsApp are enough to price the usual rim.
Related work
Other joints
Areas we cover
Where this visit runs
Quote this bath resealing
Send the photo and the postcode on the form, or WhatsApp the same details. Water stays off the new bead for 24 hours.
Tell us which edge has failed
Name the room and the joint. If a ceiling below is stained, say when the water appears.