We had a company out in december 2020 to do some work in our house, replace a shower, toilet and our radiators. As part of this job we asked them to reseal our bathtub as it had bad mould in some parts.
The 21 year old and the apprentice were left to do the majority of the work. At the time we were happy with the work done, however recently our bath has started getting mould again and when trying to clean it the sealant has started coming away.
It turns out they just put a fresh coat of sealant over the old mouldy stuff. I can peel the top layer of sealant off to reveal the older stuff with mould in all the same spots as before.
This might seem very small and trivial to raise with them 2 years down the line however in the past week or so water has started leaking from the bathroom down into the kitchen ceiling. This water is leaking through all the sealant at the top of the bath.
If they turn around and deny it and say they resealed the bath completely and properly its still not good that its leaking 2 years down the line.
Is it worth contacting them or do I just move on and deal with someone else?
19 comments
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I would remove the old silicone and reseal the bath myself tbh.
Deal with someone else. There is no warranty after two years.
After 2 years, it’s quite normal to get mould on the sealant.
After 2 years they’d probably laugh at you or tell you to piss off.
2 years of use is way past a warranty IMO
Use forever white silicone next time. Will never go mouldy
I had a “plumber” resilicone my kitchen work surfaces & bath for me as I didn’t feel I could do a neat job myself. He applied it an inch thick, I kid you not. Got it all up the walls & over the floors. Took me forever to scrape off the damage he caused. He did not get paid.
With siliconing you’re better off learning to do it yourself, that way you won’t be disappointed if it needs redoing 2 years later…
Get someone else in, lesson learnt
I believe the statute of limitation for a contract dispute/professional negligence claim like this would be 6 years. If that’s the case you’re totally within your right to pursue. You’ll be better posting on r/LegalAdviceUK though and they can give proper advice.
I’d recommend you fix it yourself. You need one of [these](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silicone-Remover-caulking-Finishing-Painting/dp/B091B5TL5Q/r) (with the metal blade, the all plastic ones aren’t as good).
Then get yourself a couple of tubes of good quality silicon sealant, a [sealant gun](https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-sealant-gun/988hp) and some [wipes](https://www.screwfix.com/p/big-wipes-scrub-clean-wipes-blue-100-pack/6488f).
Use the scraper and the wipes to clear it all out, then let it dry if you can manage without the bath for a day or two.
Then apply the silicon, use the wipes to wet your finger and smooth it out. It’ll be messy at first, but remember to release the tension on the sealant gun when you put it down.
Don’t be tempted to wet your finger with spit, it’ll get mouldy much sooner (you dirty mouthed git), the wipes are much better.
Then let the sealant dry and sit back with a cup of tea and a self-satisfied grin at a job well done.
Just remember that every time you use the bath it’s going to move a small amount. This is why sealant doesn’t last long and can’t really be avoided. You can usually get more life out of it if you fill the bath before applying the sealant though.
They did a shit job the first time, why would you want them to come back and do it again?
Ahahaha
You’ve got to be fucking joking right?
Baths need resealing every couple of years anyway. Just cut it out and reseal it
2 years isn’t a ridiculous time for sealant to wear out, especially if you’re not cleaning and drying the areas after each shower. Also, it’s one of the quickest and cheapest DIY jobs to do yourself.
It’s extremely ‘cowboy’ of them to not just properly reseal the bath. But it’s really hard for you to prove anything -how do they know that you didn’t just add more sealant on top of the existing one when it started to go mouldy?
2 years isn’t a ridiculous time for sealant to wear out, especially if you’re not cleaning and drying the areas after each shower. Also, it’s one of the quickest and cheapest DIY jobs to do yourself.
It’s extremely ‘cowboy’ of them to not just properly reseal the bath. But it’s really hard for you to prove anything -how do they know that you didn’t just add more sealant on top of the existing one when it started to go mouldy?
Definitely get in touch with the plumber – it’s worth checking to see whether they’d be willing to rectify the situation. Good luck!
They will laugh at you and I cannot see legal action going anywhere due to how long you left it.
Sealants need replaced every few years. If you dont want it to go mouldy, dont let it get wet or dry it after it got wet.