I recently changed my kitchen and am in need of tips on the right sealant. I went to a well-known hardware store that gave me TEC 7 sealant, which apparently was the only one to use for kitchen sealants.
Unfortunately, this sealant was quite useless. It was sticky and hard to get right. After it dried, it attracted dirt directly since it easily stuck due to being so sticky.
Question 1: How do I remove the existing sealant?
Question 2: Which sealant should I use instead?
I'm hesitant to ask in-store anymore as I don't trust the staff, so I'm turning to you.
I have used that one outdoors. It has held up well for several years despite sun and cold. I thought it was okay to work with as I remember, but as you say, a bit sticky and a long time to become tack-free/drying time. I have also glued some small things with it, I know. Painted over it afterwards, but that was also the plan. I probably wouldn't choose it in the kitchen and would opt for silicone instead.
I found instructions on how to remove it on Relekta's website. I copied the following.
"A. Cut through the sealant with a knife or thin wire (e.g., piano wire). Remaining sealant can then be dissolved with REMOVE ALL and then removed or sanded away. A brass brush is suitable for removing sealant residues from tiles and glass.
B. Heat up the adhesive/sealant with a powerful hairdryer or heat gun to dismantle bonded materials and remove adhesive residues. NOTE! Test that the surface is not damaged by hot air. This method should not be used on polyurethane-based sealants as heat can release harmful gases."
They want you to use their own product "Remove all", which seems to be something called acetal (an unknown substance to me). I remember I most likely cleaned up the mess with regular acetone, so that might be an alternative.
I've used that one outdoors. It's held up well for several years despite sun and cold. I thought it was okay to work with as I remember, but as you said, a bit sticky and long time to tack-free/drying time. I've also glued some small things with it. Painted over it afterwards, which was the plan. I probably wouldn't choose it for the kitchen and would instead go for silicone.
I found an instruction on how to remove it on Relekta's website. Copied the following.
"A. Cut through the sealant with a knife or thin steel wire (e.g., piano wire). The remaining sealant can then be dissolved with REMOVE ALL and then removed or sanded off. A brass brush is suitable for removing sealant residues from tiles and glass.
B. Heat up adhesive/sealant with a powerful hairdryer or heat gun to dismantle glued materials and remove adhesive residues. NOTE! Test that the surface is not damaged by hot air. This method must not be used on polyurethane-based sealants as heat may release harmful gases."
They want you to use their own product "Remove all" which seems to be something called acetal (an unknown substance for me). I remember that I most likely cleaned up the mess with ordinary acetone, so that might be an alternative.
Good luck.
Thank you very much for the tips, I'll go and check out their removal product and hopefully that will solve it.
Regarding silicone for the kitchen, will any white silicone do, or are there types one should avoid?
Fulkemisten said: