# Forum Home Renovation Waterproofing  silicone caulk not curing?? why??

## shauck

Hi all. 
Having a minor melt down.  
Just noticed that the wall to floor join (silicon caulk) in shower area is soft and coming away in pieces. I wiped up the mess with a cloth!  
I've been using a coloured caulk that was supposed to match the grout colour (hmmm) that I found online. It comes from the Uk and is Fixology - FCS Coloured Sealant.   Fixology Ral Coloured Silicones 
The expiry date is 04/15 so should be ok.  
I am wondering if it's faulty stuff or do I have another problem? 
The floor is concrete with waterproofing additive and power float finish (although not floated hard up against the walls) and the walls are tiled.  
Beneath the waterproofing membrane is an aluminium angle (floor to wall joint) which was fixed in place with Sikaflex 11FC.  
The plumbing is all new (arrgh, please don't say it's a leak!!), everything is all new.  
Any help greatly appreciated and I'm pretty busy at the moment so  should I find someone to fix this for me or is that just crazy. I really  dread making the problem worse by not fixing it properly and if this  can be done by a pro, maybe I should just let them do it. Would a  waterproofer be the best person for the job?  
Some stuff about the product..... BTW, on the tube it says compatible with concrete. It also says not for aquarium or natural stone.     
Premium Quality Silicone Sealant made to Ral Colour. Get the perfect colour match finish. 
 Suitable for indoor or outdoor use. Bonds to many types of surfaces such as Metal, Plastic, Brick and Wood. *Contains Anti-Mould Properties, ideal for Kitchen, Bathroom and Showers.* 
 Low Modulus, Neutral Curing Silicone Sealant which has excellent adhesion to many surfaces. 
 Unaffected by water, sun, and in general, by the weather. It does not contract or crack, neither is there any sweating.    *Product Features List:*   Made to Ral ColourWaterproofUV StableEasy to useSuitable to Wet areas (Kitchen, Shower, Bathroom)300mlSpecially designed for applications requiring sealants with RAL colour chart or  special custom colours.Application in expansion joint in buildings, glazing, windows installation (lacquered aluminium frames, PVC, wood metal, etc),Suitable for sanitary applications in Kitchens, Bathrooms and Showers76 Fixology Ral Colours held in stock.  
this link to a TDS seems to contradict whats on the tube regarding paintability??? Not that that matters in my case. Point being it may be different product?? Anyway link may be useful.  http://www.abbuildingproducts.com.au...rs_FCS_tds.pdf

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## Uncle Bob

Might be a bad batch.

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## Godzilla73

Maybe shoot them an email and asking if they've had any issues...

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## Oldsaltoz

Hi Shauck, 
There are a few good reasons not to use a Silicone based sealer anywhere, the main problem being that it will normally stick to almost anything, however, almost nothing will stick to it. 
You often hear people saying they had some discolouration in Silicon and re did the whole area only to find it looked grubby again soon after. This is because the new Silicon has not stuck to the old layer.
To get to stick you must first remove all traces of the original lay-up, this often means using hazardous chemical cleaners. 
My advice would be clean the old material off completely and use a polyurethyne based sealant. 
Good luck and fair winds.   :Smilie:  
PS Toss that stuff in the bin.

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## shauck

I've sent an email to the company. No reply as yet. Definitely bin for what I have left. Would love to hold them accountable for the job it's created. (yeah, right) 
What I'm worried about is that it's a problem to get it off. The floor being a finished concrete surface, I'm concerned that chemical cleaners will affect the surface. Is this going to be the case? Also, what about the waterproofing underneath? 
Still wondering who might be the best person for the job? Waterproofing company?  
We are holding off using the shower at the moment to let it all dry out. Should we bother or keep showering until the old caulk gets removed and then let it dry out. I'd hate to deprive my partner of showers unnecessarily.

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## shauck

Any recommendations for a polyurethane caulk that would match a greyish brown grout?

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## shauck

Also, should I do a check for leak? Let everything dry, turn off water main, remove shower head, plug up shower outlet, turn on taps for (how long?) 
The wall was dry when the caulk was done. Being all new.  
I waited at least a day (maybe two, can't remember) before using the shower. That should be plenty of time.  
I also checked everything several times before installing wall sheets (I was not confident in plumber as there were a few leaks to attend to in various places before getting it right).  
My vote is bad caulk but could this be related to a new leak since walls are up?

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## Oldsaltoz

Removing all traces of the old sealant will not be a quick job, but is well within DIY type work. 
Paying someone else to do this is perhaps a waste, as it only requires a blade, a brush and some solvent, also a good eye for detail. 
I very much doubt you will damage your waterproofing or the concrete addative used, as both designed to get wet and resist 'most' chemicals. 
The video below is a bit suspect but will give you an idea of what is involved. Use a chemical cleaner last, or even just prior to adding the new caulking. 
Methylated spirits might be a good starting point after the first stage of cleaning is completed. 
Good luck and fair winds.   :Smilie:   Remove & replace moldy shower caulk - YouTube

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## ChocDog

Its probably because its so bl00dy cold up your way! We were up there (Radio Springs hotel @ Lyonville) for the weekend and it was freezing - and snowed Thurs morning. Not sure how you do any work outside during this time of year...

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## shauck

Cheers Oldsaltoz. I may just get someone to do it anyway. I have so much work at the moment. Good to know solvent won't damage concrete. That would be real bad.  
ChocDog, yes it's cold. Radio Springs is a cool venue.  
I was in the middle of setting out for a deck when the snow came down like a small blizzard. Packed up, went home, dried off clothes in front of heater and put my jammies on. Within half hour it was sunny so went back to work.  
I've got heaps of work on so I just have to suck it up. 
I'm orchestrating a bunch of trades (excavator, concrete, paving, labourer, materials, etc) and building three decks and about 80m of retaining walls and landscaping. All with weather constraints, tradies lining up with each other, keeping myself working at a pace. My head is full.  
It's actually the best weather to work outside, so long as it's not raining. Within a few minutes you end up removing layers. Hate summer heat for working. Can't get as much done and have to knock off early and you can't always start earlier or you'll wake people up.

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## METRIX

Too cold where you are, I hate working in the Winter, nothing dries quick enough and you always seem to hit your hands with the hammer or something.
I love the summer and working outdoors, except when it gets to around 35+ then it's not soo good. 
I have used the Maxisil range of coloured SIlicons without any problems, you canget these at Green Monster, not as many colours as Ral. Search - Our range | Bunnings Warehouse

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## intertd6

Usually there should be no problem with temperatures & curing, I've used sealants & caulking products in - 15C' with no problems at all. Moisture & contaminants are the problem causers.
regards inter

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## shauck

It looks like Sikaflex Pro (dark grey) may be a fairly good match, albeit slight compromise. It doesn't have the beige in the grey but at least I've seen a sample chart and it's not a bad match as the grout is fairly grey. It is supposed to be coffee or mocha. I think the tile adhesive which was dark grey, affected the grout colour. Also, I trust Sikaflex products.  
I'm fairly confident that moisture at time of application/curing was not a cause. I suppose I can't be certain a contaminant is not responsible but I can't see what type of contaminant would have caused it to go soft when wet. It really does seem to be a product failure.  
I'm going to get a guy out on Tuesday to remove all the floor to wall and wall to wall caulking (poor guy) and replace the lot. I'll be somewhere else, building decks in the cold weather. I'd prefer that any day.

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