5 Handy Home Fixes

What are the five most useful repairs to know around a rented or older home?

Move into an older house — or a rental — and something will leak, drip or need fixing. Five of the most common are below, with the products and the timings for each. None needs a trade, and four of the five are reversible enough to do in a rental without risk.

1. Re-seal your shower

Tool kit

• Selleys No Mould
• Selleys Sealant Remover
• Secateurs, painters tape, spatula
• Mineral turpentine

Steps

1. Using a sharp blade, remove the existing sealant and clean the area with mineral turpentine, making sure all traces of silicone have been removed. Allow it to dry completely.
2. For really stubborn silicone, use Selleys Sealant Remover. Scrape or cut the old bead back to a thin layer under 5mm deep, then spread at least a 5mm layer of remover evenly over what is left. Selleys' current technical data gives a removal time of 10 minutes, and notes that a second application may be needed in some cases. Then scrape the softened material away with a scraper or sealant remover tool, and clean residue and tools with mineral turpentine.
3. Run painter's tape along the glass or tiled wall to protect adjacent surfaces, keeping the joint itself well exposed.
4. Cut the tip of the Selleys No Mould tube. Starting from the top of the screen, apply silicone evenly to the joint, making sure it is pushed deeply into the joint.
5. Clean up uneven areas with a spatula dipped in soapy water. Remove the tape from the surfaces and wipe the area with a cloth dampened with mineral turps.
6. Allow 48 hours to set.

What the timings mean: Selleys No Mould has a skin time of 20 minutes and a cure rate of 2mm per 24 hours. It is shower ready one hour after application, but it needs at least 48 hours to cure fully, and the semi-cured bead must not be touched during that time. Tool it within 10 minutes of application — after that the surface begins to skin and tooling tears it.

Do not seal over the old bead. Fresh silicone does not bond well to cured silicone, and an established mould colony can penetrate a new seal even when the new product contains mould inhibitors. Full sequence in how to replace old silicone.

No Mould's limitations: not paintable — complete any painting seven days before sealing; not suitable for aquariums; not for food or drinking water contact; not for permanent water immersion; and not for metals other than aluminium and stainless steel.

2. Drip proof your tap

If a tap is dripping, it is most likely the washer or the O-ring, and that is a DIY job on a standard tap.

1. Turn off the mains supply, then turn the tap fully open and let any remaining water run out.
2. Remove the lock nut or button holding the handle, then remove the handle and plate cover.
3. Using a wrench, loosen and unwind the tap body or spindle.
4. Carefully pull out the spindle and remove the existing washer.
5. Fully unwind the spindle until the O-ring appears, replace the O-ring and wind it back up.
6. Replace the washer, reinstall the spindle and tighten with the wrench.
7. Reassemble the tap, turn the mains back on and gently open the tap.

This is not suitable for mixer taps, which use a cartridge rather than a washer and spindle.

3. Mind the window gap

Tool kit

• Selleys No More Gaps Multi Purpose and/or Selleys No More Gaps Exterior
• Caulking gun, painters tape, secateurs

Steps

1. Clean the area, making sure it is free of dust, debris, grease and paint.
2. Cut the No More Gaps Multi Purpose cartridge tip, place it in the caulking gun, attach the nozzle and snip it at a 45 degree angle.
3. Run painter's tape along the wall and window to protect adjacent surfaces and get a clean finish, keeping the gap well exposed.
4. Starting from the top, apply the filler into the area, making sure it goes deeply into the gap, then smooth it with a wet finger or spatula.
5. Clean the area with a damp cloth and allow it to dry.
6. To seal around exterior frames, use No More Gaps Exterior instead.

Both products have a maximum gap of 10mm wide by 5mm deep. Interior Multipurpose is paintable at 60 minutes for gloss and sheen paints and 180 minutes for flat and ceiling paints. No More Gaps Exterior gives ±25% movement capability (ISO 9046) and is paintable once skinned at around 30 minutes, though oil-based paints want 24 to 48 hours. Do not store or apply No More Gaps Exterior below 10°C.

4. Nail head holes

Tool kit

• Selleys Spakfilla Rapid
• Sandpaper, cloth, sample paint pot, paintbrush

Steps

1. Gently sand over the hole, making sure the edges are smooth. Wipe with a cloth to remove dust.
2. Using the supplied spatula, scoop a small amount of Spakfilla Rapid, press it firmly into the hole and smooth it off. It exhibits virtually no shrinkage, so there is no need to overfill.
3. Let it dry for about 30 minutes for thin applications.
4. Lightly sand back any excess filler and wipe away loose dust.
5. To paint, apply light layers over the repair and the surrounding area, feathering the strokes to blend with the existing wall. Allow to dry between coats.

This covers little holes up to 20mm in diameter from picture hooks and frames — small, but worth fixing, especially in a rental. For anything larger, the Spakfilla Wall Repair Kit handles interior wall holes up to 8cm wide with a self-adhesive patch.

Timing: 30 minutes for thin applications under 2mm; more than 2mm deep, or in cold or humid conditions, takes longer — allow 24 hours. For oil-based paints, allow 24 hours before painting.

Spakfilla Rapid's limitations: do not use it on plastic, metal, or exterior timber likely to swell or shrink with water. Avoid using it below 5°C or in wet conditions. Do not nail into it, and do not use it for load bearing applications or anywhere load or compression occurs — behind a door where the knob touches the wall, for instance, where the filler will simply be crushed. Where movement occurs, use No More Gaps instead.

5. Loose pool tile

Tool kit

• Selleys Marine Flex
• Caulking gun, cloth

A loose pool tile can be re-fixed without draining the pool — even underwater. Marine Flex is a high performance adhesive sealant for boats, pools and spas that can be applied and will cure under water.

1. Chip away as much of the old adhesive as possible.
2. Make sure the surface is clean and free from oil, grease and loose particles.
3. Apply Marine Flex to the back of the tile.
4. Position it in place and press down firmly.
5. Remove any excess with a cloth.

The figures: Marine Flex has a skin formation time of approximately 40 minutes and a curing rate of approximately 2mm per 24 hours. Expect shorter skin times and faster curing in wet conditions or submersion, and longer times in cold. Its service temperature in water is 0°C to 40°C for continual exposure, and 40°C to 70°C short term. Smooth it off with a spatula within 15 minutes of applying.

It can be used on aluminium, galvanised steel, ceramic tiles, fibreglass/FRP, gelcoat, polycarbonate, glass and most plastics without a primer — pre-test plastics, and lightly sand gelcoat and plastic surfaces first. Timber and concrete need to be sealed, primed and painted first.

Marine Flex limitations: it cannot be used to repair flexible vinyl pool liners or inflatable pools. Avoid subjecting the repair to water pressure or movement until it is fully cured, and check critical underwater seals regularly, repairing them if required.

Safety: one product here is not like the others

Four of the five fixes use products with mild classifications. No Mould and Marine Flex carry Warning — serious eye irritation, with skin irritation and skin sensitisation on the No Mould. Spakfilla Rapid carries Warning — H317 and H319. No More Gaps Interior Multipurpose is not classified as hazardous at all.

Selleys Sealant Remover is a different order of product. It is classified Danger, Poison Schedule S5, and it is more than sixty per cent petroleum naphtha:

• H304 — may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways (aspiration hazard, Category 1)
• H226 — flammable liquid and vapour; Dangerous Goods Class 3, UN 1133, Packing Group II
• H336 — may cause drowsiness or dizziness
• H315 — causes skin irritation

H304 is the one that changes how you store it, not how you apply it. Aspiration Category 1 means that if the material is swallowed and any reaches the airways it can cause chemical pneumonitis that is potentially fatal — light hydrocarbons flow rather than being coughed back out. The product is a beige paste in a screw-top tub that looks like ordinary filler, and fix number one puts it in a bathroom, which is where children are. Lid on between applications, and the tub goes up high. If it is ever swallowed, do not induce vomiting — vomiting is the mechanism that gets swallowed solvent into the lungs. Rinse the mouth, give water, and get medical advice immediately.

H226 and H336 both point at the shower recess. Re-sealing means spreading solvent paste along a whole bead, waiting ten minutes, often applying a second coat, and cleaning up with mineral turpentine — all in a small tiled room with the door shut. A gas hot-water pilot, a bathroom fan heater or a cigarette are all plausible ignition sources for a Packing Group II flammable liquid, and the turps is flammable too. H336 drowsiness is what accumulated vapour in that volume does to you. Open the window and the door, leave the exhaust fan running, and give the room air between applications.

You do not always need it. The method above removes most cured silicone with a sharp blade and mineral turps; Sealant Remover is reserved for what will not come away. Gloves and safety glasses for it either way — you are scraping back toward your own face at close range.

Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand.

Common questions about these home fixes

How long does Sealant Remover need to work?

Its current technical data sheet gives 10 minutes, with a second application sometimes required. Cutting away as much old sealant as possible first helps the remover penetrate.

How soon can I use the shower after resealing?

Selleys No Mould is shower ready one hour after application, but it needs at least 48 hours to cure fully and must not be touched during that time.

How long do I have to smooth the silicone?

Ten minutes from application, with a spatula dipped in soapy or detergent water.

Can I fix a dripping mixer tap this way?

No. The washer and O-ring method applies to standard taps, not mixer taps.

How big a hole can Spakfilla Rapid fill on its own?

Little holes up to 20mm in diameter. For cracks or dents under 25mm wide you can use the filler without a patch; the patch in the repair kit is for deeper and larger holes, up to 8cm wide.

How long before I can sand and paint the filler?

About 30 minutes for thin applications. Anything over 2mm deep, or cold or humid conditions, takes 24 hours — as do oil-based paints.

Do I need to overfill the hole?

No. Spakfilla Rapid exhibits virtually no shrinking, so press it in flush and smooth it off.

Can I really fix a pool tile without draining the pool?

Yes. Marine Flex can be applied and will cure under water. Chip out the old adhesive, clean the surface, apply to the back of the tile and press it firmly into place.

Will Marine Flex fix a vinyl pool liner?

No. It cannot be used to repair flexible vinyl pool liners or inflatable pools.

Which gap filler for around a window?

No More Gaps Multi Purpose internally, No More Gaps Exterior for exterior frames. Do not apply the exterior product below 10°C.

What if the filled crack keeps reopening?

That is movement. Spakfilla's own guidance is that where movement occurs, use No More Gaps — a flexible filler rather than a rigid one.

What cleans up wet silicone?

Mineral turpentine, before the product skins. Cured silicone has to be cut and scraped, or softened with Selleys Sealant Remover.