silicone removal

[Zsteve]

I am grappling with some old silicone around the edge of tiles at the moment,

Any ideas about the best way to remove remains of it without leaving little bits behind?

Thanks Stephen.

[ubeaut]

Try petrol. It works on fresh stuff.

If that doesn't work try a heat gun - the type used for stripping paint.

If that doesn't work combine the two and burn the place down, then start all over. Mwahahahahahaha

Hope this helps.

Cheers - Neil

PS Only kidding about using the two together. If you do you are sillier than the answers you are sure to get for this post.

[Zsteve]

THanks for the suggestions fellas, I have decided to use a (very) large hammer to remove the tiles and then apply liberal quantities of jet fuel and burn it all and start again.

Regards
Stephen.

[Eastie]

Getting rid of surface silicones is most easily done by mechanical removal with chisels and scrapers followed by the application of chemicals.

Common chemicals to use (in order of effectiveness) include enamel paint thinners, petrol (it contains toluene and xylene), acetone. It is best to apply the chemical and leave it overnight to penetrate before scraping/wiping the residue away.

However, for the more adventurous DIY expert willing to risk life, limb and a dose of carcinoma, more complex chemicals might be able to do the job


Silicone (depending on the composition) can be decomposed by strong acids, such as hydrochloric acid (ie acids used for cleaning tiles and bricks). For this to be effective it is recommended the offending product be pre-treated with a solvent like enamel thinners, petrol or acetone (if you can get your gloved hands on some toluene this would be ideal


Ideally the weekend DIY expert would also have obtained a PhD in Organic Chemistry or similar , then one might be able to explore the uses of more effective chemicals including alkylbenzenesulfonic acid, dichloromethan, toluene and xylene


On the other hand, burning the place down and starting again may cause less environmental impact

&

OBATIN THE MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET BEFORE USING VOLATILES !


[This message has been edited by Eastie (edited 01 March 2002).]