Removing Silicone Caulk

ron schenker

What do you use to get some smudged silicone caulk off tiles in a kitchen or bathroom. Not the actual bead, just the thin excess. I always blue tape upper and lower to avoid this mess, but when I come across silicone on tile I always have a hard time getting it off

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Don't worry, the baseboard will hide it!

ProWallGuy

Try mineral spirits, a rag, an elbow grease.

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Wallpaper Hanger St. Louis
Digital Murals Installation

ron schenker

Which brings another question to mind.
What's the difference between mineral spirits, laquer thinner, and turpentine? They all clean stuff good

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Don't worry, the baseboard will hide it!

metomeya

nothing really gets silicone up except time, thats why its used as a sealer for tiles

a solvent will clean it as much as a possibly can

Teetorbilt

You can shave the stuff off with a razor blade. Be certain to bevel the edges so that they can't hang up during routine cleaning.

There are a few chemicals that will work, they also trash it all and you're not going to find them at the hardware store.

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

troubleseeker

My procedure is to CAREFULLY scrape as much as possible off with a new razor blade, then I use a very coarse rag to rub it. This will cause some of the remaining film to ball up and roll off. I then wipe the area with a "hot" solvent such as xylene or touleune. If not available, use denatured alcohol. They will not dissolve any remaining silicone, but will remove any surface contaminants such as oils or soap film as prep for the new sealant. These products are extremely flammable, and also should not be used on any type of man made plastics or acrylics. Then reseal.

DesPro

Mineral spirits & elbow grease. It actually does work.

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"We are continually faced with great opportunities which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems."
Margaret Mead

troubleseeker

They are all "paint thinners", the difference is in how "hot" they are. While mineral spirits and turpentine are pretty safe to use for cleaning on most things, except fresh paint or varnish, lacquer thinner is in the range of products that can do serious damage to many plastic and acrylic products and should not be used as a general cleaner. It is also much more flammable/explosive, and very harsh on your skin. Turpentine and mineral spirits are general thinners for oil based products, whereas lacquer thinner is specific to lacquer based products. Some of the other commonly found "hot" products are xylene, touleune, and MEK. They are best left alone unless you are familiar with their safe use.

Paintpimp

SW just got a new product. Not sure of brand name. But it says silicone caulk remover. It will not harm most surfaces. Miracle stuff.