It's the sort of job that's easy to keep putting off: the silicone around the bath or shower has gone black and mouldy at the edges, or it's started to peel away from the wall. It looks a bit tired, but it still seems to be doing its job — so it waits. The trouble is that failing sealant is one of the most common ways water quietly gets behind tiles and into the wall, and winter, when homes are shut up and condensation is at its worst, is exactly when that does the most damage. Building repair and maintenance is already the single biggest thing UK households spend on keeping their homes right — and a lot of it is preventable damage like this.
Why old sealant is a winter problem
Silicone sealant is what stops splashing water running down the gap between your bath or shower and the wall. Over a few years it shrinks, cracks and lifts, and mould gets into it. Once there's a gap, every shower sends a little water behind the tiles. In winter that's compounded: windows stay shut, bathrooms are steamy, and there's far less ventilation to dry things out. Water that gets in has nowhere to go, so it sits in the wall — and the first you often know about it is a damp patch, loose tiles, or a musty smell.
Where it's worth checking
Have a quick look at the sealant and grout around:
- The join where the bath or shower tray meets the wall — the most important seal in the room
- Around the edges of the shower screen or enclosure
- The gap behind kitchen worktops where they meet the wall and around the sink
- Window sills and reveals in bathrooms and kitchens, where condensation collects
- Any grout between tiles that's cracked, crumbling or missing — another easy route for water
A small job that prevents a big one
Re-sealing is quick and inexpensive when it's just the silicone — the old sealant is cut out, the surface cleaned and dried properly, and fresh mould-resistant silicone applied in a clean line. The part people tend to get wrong doing it themselves is preparation: new silicone over old, or onto a damp or dirty surface, simply fails again within months. Done properly it should last for years. Refreshing cracked grout at the same time closes the other common gap.
"Fresh sealant costs a few pounds and an hour. Water behind the tiles costs re-tiling, a plasterer, and sometimes a lot more. This is the cheapest insurance in the house."
Get it done before the damp season
If your bathroom sealant is black, cracked or peeling, now — before the house is shut up for winter — is the sensible time to sort it. It's a classic handyman job: quick, inexpensive, and exactly the kind of small maintenance that saves a far bigger repair down the line. We cover Derby and Derbyshire and can reseal a bathroom or kitchen, and refresh tired grout, in a single visit.
Reseal before the damp sets in
Our Derby and Derbyshire handymen re-seal baths, showers and worktops and refresh tired grout — neatly, and to last. Book a quick visit.
Published by Kirk Group Editorial
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