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Water is as much an enemy of your home as fire but it attacks in stealth. Without you realising it water can seep into your walls from leaking roofs and from leaking bathrooms. Once inside walls or on the beams of your roof it will enable rot to take a foothold and this can devastate your home. Replacing a roof or a supporting wall can be extremely costly and it is something that you should avoid at all costs. This means making sure your roof is sealed and importantly sealing your bathrooms correctly. Here are some simple steps to the all-important sealing of your bathroom:

Bathtub Sealants

The bathtub, the sink and the basin of showers are perhaps the areas that are most likely to and which do most frequently leak. Fixing leaks in these areas is difficult but it can be done effectively and efficiently with patience and care.

To seal a bathtub you will need only hand tools and a silicone sealant. Begin by stripping away any existing sealant around the edges of the shower with your Milwaukee tools. Take care not to damage the enamel of the sink, bath or shower and be careful not to chip the tiles along the wall.

Once the original sealant has been removed you can begin resealing the feature. Begin at one edge and move slowly around the tub. Take care that all gaps are filled in and smooth the sealant as you move along the edge. Use your hand for this as metal tools can scratch away at the enamel and cause breaks in the sealant you have just laid down. Once you have made it all the way around the tub and ensured that there are no gaps, take a break and allow this to set.

Return several hours later with some corner tape. This is readily available from hardware stores and should be placed over the corners to strengthen the seal. Be very careful when completing this task because removing the tape after a mistake will ruin all seals created and you will need to start again. Once this is complete, lock the bathroom and leave it for 48 hours. The longer you give the sealant to dry naturally the better the seal will be so be patient with the process and ask a friend if you can use their shower for a day or two.

Sealing the Floors

Tiles are very watertight but the grouting between them will quickly deteriorate in a high moisture environment like a bathroom. To re-grout you will need to follow a similar process of removing the existing grout from between the tiles and replacing it with a new sealant. Take your time with this process and ensure all grout is removed before you begin. This is a very time consuming process but it is one that is worth the wait.

It is also wise to utilise bathroom mats to absorb water from bodies once you have got out of the shower. This will prevent water from collecting on the floor and damaging your grouting. Make sure you clean your bathmat regularly to avoid risks to hygiene and mould.

Treating the Walls and Ceiling

Bathrooms often produce mould if they are not ventilated properly and this needs to be dealt with efficiently and quickly. Bleaching the walls and ceiling is the best way to deal with this, but a more permanent fix is to improve your extraction system. Opening a window whilst you shower or installing a stronger fan will help you to remove steam more effectively and prevent mould from occurring.