Silicone tile junctions in a shower instead of grout?

Discussion in 'Development' started by Perthguy, 21st Feb, 2018.

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  1. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    I've never worked on a commercial office building which wasn't brick inside the wet areas & never not had the junctions finished with anything but silicone. (yes, there's a special on double negatives tonight) .

    Bricks grow over time and some allowances must be made for movement.
     
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  2. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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    What size floor area? AS 3958.1—2007 definitely requires junctions finished with silicone where the floor area is greater than 10m2.
     
  3. bunkai

    bunkai Well-Known Member

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    Fortunately I don't live in an office building but I have rarely seen it in a residence (east coast for clarification) - I get the reasoning but it does seem like "belt and braces".

    10mm wide looks awful, and even worse when it is dirty, then even worse when the replacement silicon doesn't match. If it was replacing the grout only - maybe.
     
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  4. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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    View attachment 22768

    I didn't do this, so the trade is responsible. The question is, how do they rectify this now?
     
  5. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    It's their ....up, they need to solve it in a manner acceptable to you.
     
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  6. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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    I don't know if they can afford what needs to be done. That section of the kitchen, including the granite, needs to be removed, all the cabinets moved 50mm and the the cabinets reinstated. New granite would then need to be cut and installed.

    The builder's proposal to rectify this is for me to tile the laminex.
     
  7. 158

    158 Well-Known Member

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    Replacement is a rectification action.

    If a tradesman cant measure twice and cut once, then they are responsible.

    pinkboy
     
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  8. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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    I would be happy with that.
     
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  9. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    The kitchen guy's problem, not yours. Builder should sort it out with them. Your only involvement is 'unacceptable solution, make it comply in a manner acceptable to me, the client'.
     
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  10. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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    I agree. That's where we are at now. I have asked for some proposals to rectify. The builder is liaising with the kitchen company to see what can be done.
     
  11. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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  12. Arnel

    Arnel Well-Known Member

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    We Leah’s silicone change of directions in waterproofed areas. Tile grout is not flexible and will crack with the house settling. Small extra to save a lot of headache In future. We general grout it then silicone on top :)
     
  13. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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    Good luck replacing the silicone when it goes mouldy. I had that job to do in Adelaide and it is not a job I ever want to do again.
     
  14. CowPat

    CowPat Well-Known Member

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    a bath would hold at least 1/2 of a cubic metre of water
    which weighs 500Kg when full silicon is used where the tiles meet the bath
    because if the bath drops 1/2 a mm the grout cracks

    tile splash backs in the laundry and kitchen usually have silicon where they meet the bench tops

    silicon is used where the tiles meet a poly-marble shower base

    Rarely seen it on shower corners and wall base junctions though
    I always thought it was band aid after thought for leaking showers .
    anyway now I know

    *Antifungal bathroom translucent silicon
     
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  15. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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    That all sounds correct to me. Where our builder wanted to put silicone is in the corner where tiles meet tiles and along the floor where the floor tiles meet the wall tiles. In a domestic application there is literally no point putting silicone in these locations. There is waterproofing under the tiles in case the grout cracks. If silicone was a solution then they wouldn't need waterproofing.
     
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  16. hammer1962

    hammer1962 New Member

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    Housing construction these days are ridiculous compared to the old construction, I had been taught by old school tilers back in the day and no silicone was ever used and never any leaks
    appeared, these days houses are built from soft radiata pine which moves around, metal bathtubs
    were used now fibreglass which is flexible, workmanship is not like it used to be, there is so much to take into account, Corporations can influence changes to suit themselves, Dow Corning, for example, among many that are laughing all the way to the bank.
    I spoke to a man in business all he does is caulks showers, I mentioned to him of silicone was never used and why is he using silicon? he was defending his business of course of using silicone this is how he makes money, this man had never heard of not using silicone, trade people these days don't know any different and all these renovation shows on TV, say no more.
     
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  17. Sortwell

    Sortwell New Member

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    An old post, but interesting reading.

    In terms of silicone, I have had my bathroom done and they used silicone rather than grout in all the corners.

    Over time the silicone degrades, creating gaps between the tiles which water flows through. As the waterproofing underneath is intact, what happens is the water builds up between the tiles and the waterproofing membrane. Eventually in my case the water found the edge of the waterproofing at the door, flowed out under the tiles in the hallway, into an adjoining bedroom and sat under the floating floorboards and above the concrete floor. Mould the started growing which was when we realised we had an issue. We had to cut out the floorboards, and cease using the bathroom for 6 months running a dehumidifier to try and dry the area between the tiles and waterproofing membrane, before we could rectify. We will rectify by putting down grout, applying a grout and tile sealer, and then applying silicone. Even suppliers of silicone for bathrooms in the US state that the silicone degrades over time, especially if you clean the shower regularly, and they recommend annual checks and replacement of the silicone as needed. I have a grouted bathroom with no silicone and in 20 years haven't had an issue. Go the silicone route alone and risk long term damage to your property. Grout and silicone as added insurance after sealing the grout seems the best option.
     
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