You should also try lightly sanding or grinding before you try applying more pressure. Only use as much pressure as is necessary to remove the mastic. I'd highly recommend this product, especially for all DIY sealant jobs around the home. Easily cleaned. Reduces silicone waste too. Really no mess...and hassle free to use. Handy box to keep profile tools clean, accessible and damage free! The only thing that I would caution against is using the saw tooth tool to remove old silicone because if, like me, you are not in complete control of it you can scratch other surfaces very easily. I resorted to using a sharp wood chisel to remove the rest of the old silicone. Hand-held concrete floor grinders are small and portable options. Less powerful models sand and polish, but don't do well with grinding. They usually have connections for a water source to allow for wet sanding, and they come with different speed options.

On the other hand, versatile models can switch from grinding to sanding and polishing, which will leave your concrete looking new. If you’ve never used a mastic gun before, go and practice somewhere else, perhaps under the sink in your kitchen or under the stairs, anywhere where it’s hidden from view. If elbow grease and heat weren't enough to pull up the mastic, you might need to resort to chemicals. Make sure you are equipped with goggles, gloves, and masks so that you are safe from chemical splashes, fumes, and burns. Spending hours kneeling on a floor and manually scraping is certainly not the least taxing way to remove mastic. Professionals arm themselves with commercial-grade tools that save their joints and make jobs go faster.

You can smooth off the mastic with saliva on your finger, the more saliva the better but make sure you don’t put your finger in your mouth as the silicone may be harmful if swallowed. Ensure the edge of the bath is bone dry and will remain so for at least the next 24 hours (that means no bathing or showering for 24 hours).

Don't forget to wear safety gear such as goggles, masks, and respirators before you begin. This method might not use chemicals, but grinding up mastic into dust can create dangerous particles to breathe. Using commercial-grade tools can risk bodily harm as well. Walk-behind models are more expensive and less portable than hand-held models, but gas-powered models can be used anywhere. They work with larger disks and therefore are more efficient. Acetone is flammable and gives off toxic fumes, so handle with care. Unlike ammonia, you don't have to mix acetone with water. Instead, pour acetone into a tray for dipping your coarse bristle brush. You can try laying down newspaper and ironing over the area until it has been sufficiently heated. Then, pull up the paper and start scraping away.Walk-behind concrete floor grinders will help you do the job standing up rather than all your knees all day. They'll also wield considerably more power than hand-held models. Some models are meant more for sanding and polishing rather than grinding. If you have a tougher job with mastic, you'll want to consider choosing grinders that are meant for grinding specifically. When removing mastic seal from metal, less care may be required compared to when working on plastic surfaces. You can use silicone remover products since there is less worry over causing damage to the metal. You can also use elbow grease to substitute the use of special products in the removal of old silicone sealant. After scrubbing off the old sealant using a sharp tool, get a nylon scrubber or a bristle brush to get rid of any remaining sealant. You can also use abrasive cleaning chemicals when removing old mastic sealant from metal but have to be careful to avoid causing damage to the surrounding surfaces. Removing old mastic seal from shower cubicles A mastic sealant comes handy when sealing your windows, waterproofing your bathroom among other uses. However, the sealant can become ineffective due to old age, which is why it has to be changed from time to time. Removing old mastic sealant might seem an easy DIY task, but you can end up damaging the shower, sink or bathtub you are trying to reseal. This is why such work should be left to professional mastic sealant contractors. Start scrubbing an area of the concrete with the ammonia solution and a coarse bristle brush.As you go, remove the pieces of mastic that come up.

Extremely competitively priced at Plumbworld. A must have for a very professional finish. Various profiles and sizes. Results were remarkable! It can be challenging to remove old mastic sealant from plastic. However, using a silicone sealant remover together with a remover tool can make the task less demanding. You first need to use a remover tool for scrubbing before you can use the sealant remover. The chemical works by breaking down the sealant to enable you to deal with stubborn bits. Use mild cleaning products on plastics since harsh cleaning compounds can easily damage the latter. Removing old mastic seal from metal Commercial flooring contractors working with concrete will have floor sanders and floor grinders at their disposal. There are also floor grinding attachments that can be used with floor buffers or auto scrubbers. You'll want to work in small sections to keep yourself safe from burns. Put a small pot of water on the stove or in an electric kettle and pour the boiled water on a select area. Make sure you're pouring the water very close to the floor so that you don't get burns from splashes.

Before you begin the job, you should be aware that removing mastic can be dangerous. If the carpet you are pulling up is older than the 1980s, there's a good chance that the mastic has asbestos. In that case, you must take the appropriate measures to contain the hazardous material and protect your health. One of my friends is a double glazier of 20 years and even he was surprised how easy Fui's are to use and the qualtiy of the finish! Fill the bath with cold water up to the halfway point. This is ESSENTIAL if you have a flimsy plastic bath that flexes. If you don’t do this, when you go to fill the bath for the first time, the mastic may tear or split as the bath flexes under the weight of all the water. Not all hand-held grinders can handle the tough job of bringing up mastic. They also are not as durable and might not last as long as bigger and more powerful models. Unlike with the other methods, it's important to use grinders and sanders evenly across the whole floor. Instead of focusing on one area, you should travel evenly around the room as to not grind down one area further than others. Mistakes like that are costly.