Sealant removal

[motor nut]

Hi ,i am new to this site and would like to kick of with this question ,,,how to remove sealant put on by the previous owner which is spread to about half an inch both sides off the joins and looks naff and discoloured i want to get it back to a neat bead all round at the moment not pretty any idea,s which could make life easier..TU.

 

[Lenny HB]

If its a PU sealant it will be a right pig to remove. Silicone remover will soften it slightly but it will still need lots of work with a blunt scraper. Difficult to do without damage.
If it's silicone which it shouldn't be, it will be very easy to remove with silicone remover.

 

[motor nut]

If its a PU sealant it will be a right pig to remove. Silicone remover will soften it slightly but it will still need lots of work with a blunt scraper. Difficult to do without damage.
If it's silicone which it shouldn't be, it will be very easy to remove with silicone remover.

I think it is Silicone as its flakey and rubbery on the edges ,will check it out get some cleaner, looks like a long haul as it has been done at every seam !!

 

[Lenny HB]

I think it is Silicone as its flakey and rubbery on the edges ,will check it out get some cleaner, looks like a long haul as it has been done at every seam !!

Yep that sounds like silicone which should never be used for sealing a van.
Screwfix silicone remover is very good and cheap also works better than a lot of the branded ones.

 

[motor nut]

Yep that sounds like silicone which should never be used for sealing a van.
Screwfix silicone remover is very good and cheap also works better than a lot of the branded ones.

Thanks for that ,what sealant do you think is best when i get round to resealing?

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[Googlebot]

Thanks for that ,what sealant do you think is best when i get round to resealing?

Are you taking the joint apart then resealing?

If not, you might find it won’t last long at all.

What sealant does depend on what joint you are trying to seal.

 

[motor nut]

Are you taking the joint apart then resealing?

If not, you might find it won’t last long at all.

What sealant does depend on what joint you are trying to seal.

Yep that sounds like silicone which should never be used for sealing a van.
Screwfix silicone remover is very good and cheap also works better than a lot of the branded ones.

Used the Screwfix remover after i also bought the tooling from Screwfix as you recommended and removed the silicone first ,whoever done it went over the spotty mould with silicone to hide it and the mould was mainly over the mudguard area,taken it all off and now left with neat joints all round so will leave as is and address the black spots.in the past with another motorhome i had i have used cellelose white colour thinly painted over with an artist brush tidied it up but really on this one will try other ways?? Thanks for your input...

 

[motor nut]

Used the Screwfix remover after i also bought the tooling from Screwfix as you recommended and removed the silicone first ,whoever done it went over the spotty mould with silicone to hide it and the mould was mainly over the mudguard area,taken it all off and now left with neat joints all round so will leave as is and address the black spots.in the past with another motorhome i had i have used cellelose white colour thinly painted over with an artist brush tidied it up but really on this one will try other ways?? Thanks for your input...

Are you taking the joint apart then resealing?

If not, you might find it won’t last long at all.

What sealant does depend on what joint you are trying to seal.

Cleaned away silicone underneath was the original sealant in good condition with the dreaded mould discoloration so just have to remedy and get rid of it,,,its plastic to plastic sealant which is pliable so hopefully will clean??

 

[PsychoticBadger]

WD40 is fantastic at removing sealants...spray...wait 30-60 mins...peel off. Just remember to clean very well before re-applying.