Author Topic: Painting over Silicone?  (Read 37585 times)

Offline Stever

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Painting over Silicone?
« on: April 25, 2007, 01:00:58 AM »
How do you guy's deal with existing silicone around cabinets and shower stalls in bathrooms or in kitchens when doing a repaint? Full silicone, not the paintable variety.

If the silicone caulk is in good shape (and it usually is) I don't want to waste time digging it out. I sometimes cut a coat of a shellac based primer, like Zinnser BIN, along the silicone bead. Then after that dries I can cut my paint in without getting blotches of paint wicking away from the silicone surface. It does not bead away from the silicone like the latex paint would. It appears to adhere ok, though I've never had the opportunity to check after a couple months to see how well it is going to hold up.

Anyone have any suggestions, or other techniques?

the PAINTSMITH

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Re: Painting over Silicone?
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2007, 06:55:35 AM »
Stever, you've touched on a very sensitive bruise...Being a painters' board, the topic comes up on occasion. Plumbers (and even some carpenters) have all cursed us at one time (or every) by not only gooping up a fixture/wall gap with white or clear unpaintable silicone JUNK, but by oftentimes smearing the stuff far and wide on the walls, instead of on their faces where it belongs... >:(

I remember darn near 20 years ago I was on a crew repairng holes in a domed sports arena at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, using (I believe) either GE Silproof or Dow 790 or 795...It's been too long...But anyway we had to make the silicone patches paintable, so we used a specialized primer specifically made for silicone...The stuff cost over $100/quart, however, and could NOT make contact with the skin...It was clear and had the consistancy of cyanoacrylate (superglue)...

I sometimes get lucky and with enough coats a silicone bead will cover--Not bond, mind you, but cover. Our best course is to educate plumbers to change their choice of material...The problem is that I've usually ruined every opportunity by telling them how stupid it is for them to use unpaintable sealants...You can tell that I'm not a big fan of plumbers...

Another course of action, one that I've resorted to more often than not, is to simply cut out the silicone and lay a new bead of paintable sealant. My work always looks better than theirs in the first place, and it does't take me too awful far out of my way, in most cases...

« Last Edit: April 25, 2007, 06:57:36 AM by the PAINTSMITH »

Offline BrushJockey

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Re: Painting over Silicone?
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2007, 07:37:38 AM »
Yup, gets me all worked up.  I even let em know they are about to get a lecture. Then I give them the lecture.  They should licence the stuff with mandatory classroom.

The worst for me is when I am asked to enamel out a previously stained, usually large multi pane window that some rocket surgeon has totally hit every crack with 100% silicone.

Usually I do cut out as much as I can, because , as PSmitty said, they are usually poor applications, then used paintable caulk over that, then cover with white shellac (Bin).  Then I might have a chance.
"It would be ludicrous to think I'm new to this, I know this, this is what I do"  ( Prince and Geo Clinton..)

Jared

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Re: Painting over Silicone?
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2007, 11:07:55 AM »
Stever -

if you can lay down a thin bead of acrylic caulk right on top of the existing silicone, it will act as a bridge between the old silicone and the new paint.

and FYI, there ARE now some true paintable silicones for those very rare situations where acrylic caulk just won't cut it.

the PAINTSMITH

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Re: Painting over Silicone?
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2007, 03:30:27 PM »
Remember Jared that there's a good chance that that acrylic bead may bond no better than the paint. Yes, if you bridge the joint and get a bond on either side of the silicone joint you can swing it, but it may not be bonded to the original caulkjoint.

And yeah, there are a precious few plumbers here who have gotten the clue on paintable silicone...But they're just as ham-handed at tooling a bead as your basic plumber....

Offline Lynjowoman

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Re: Painting over Silicone?
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2007, 03:32:36 PM »
It's not just the plumbers, Electricians are just as bad, although they don't have to use caulk as often as plumbers, but they will cut up your walls with their tool belts in a heart beat.   ::)  We use the same technique as Jared.

Lynjo
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Charlotte Whitton

the PAINTSMITH

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Re: Painting over Silicone?
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2007, 04:28:40 PM »
Is it just me, or do ALL electricians feel compelled to change their oil before trimming outlets?... :o ;D

Offline brushworks

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Re: Painting over Silicone?
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2007, 07:35:35 PM »
I've had success using Coverstain primer over the silicone caulk. It's a remedy, but not the answer to a big problem.

Clean it first with acetone.

Michael
When asked, "what do you do for a living?" I reply, "I market the world's best windows and doors."

Offline Nicggdepo

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Re: Painting over Silicone?
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2015, 06:51:29 AM »
Many thanks for sharing good info…!!!)

 

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