Manufacturer source check

Manufacturer sources checked 24 September 2026.

• Service Temperature: The linked TDS repeats 10–35°C for both application and service temperature. The application value is stated; the service field needs manufacturer confirmation. No wider service rating has been inferred.
• Tooling Time: TDS table: 5 minutes; directions: within 5–10 minutes. Work to the shorter stated tooling period and matching label.
• Limitations: Not paintable; finish painting seven days before application. Not for permanent immersion or metals other than aluminium and stainless steel. Prepare concrete/cement with suitable paint and allow to dry.

Manufacturer source 1

What is Selleys White For Life Silicone Sealant, and where should you use it?

Selleys White For Life® Silicone Sealant is a 100% acetic cure silicone sealant that forms part of the White For Life® Tiling System. It resists yellowing, staining and blackening — but with an important condition attached: when used as a system and as per pack directions. That qualifier is the single most important thing to understand about this product, because the guarantees behind it depend on it.

It is intended for bathroom, shower, toilet, laundry and kitchen joints, and carries a 5 year mould resistance guarantee and a 25 year guarantee against cracking and peeling. Both are conditional, and the conditions are set out below rather than buried.

Technical specification

Property	Typical result
Technology	Acetic cure silicone
Colour	White
Density	1.05
Application temperature	10°C to 35°C
Tooling time	5 minutes
Skin time	10 minutes
Tack-free time	17 minutes
Cure rate	6mm in 24 hours at 23°C; 12mm in 72 hours at 23°C
Tensile strength (ASTM D412 at 100% extension)	0.43 MPa
Shore A hardness	21
Elongation at break (ASTM D412)	290%
Service temperature	The linked TDS repeats 10–35°C for both application and service temperature. The application value is stated; the service field needs manufacturer confirmation. No wider service rating has been inferred.
Slump at 10 minutes	2.5mm
Packaging	300 gram cartridge, white

These are indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.

What the key numbers mean in practice

The cure rate is quoted twice, and the two figures are not proportional: 6mm in the first 24 hours, but 12mm in 72 hours. That tells you something useful — the cure slows as it goes deeper, because the moisture that drives it has further to travel. Doubling the depth takes three times as long, not twice as long. If you have filled a genuinely deep joint, allow more time than a simple per-day calculation suggests.

Three separate timings govern the work itself, and they are worth keeping straight:

• Tooling time: 5 minutes. This is your window to shape the bead. The directions describe tooling within 5 to 10 minutes of application; the technical table gives 5 minutes, which is the safer figure to work to.
• Skin time: 10 minutes. After this, tooling tears the surface, and masking tape pulled off will drag the bead edge.
• Tack-free: 17 minutes. The bead stops picking up dust and lint.

A slump of 2.5mm at 10 minutes is the figure to note when sealing a vertical joint — the bead will move a small amount before it sets, so avoid over-filling a vertical run and expecting it to hold a sharp profile.

Shore A hardness of 21 with 290% elongation at break describes a notably soft, flexible cured bead. That softness is what lets a shower or bath joint move without the seal tearing away from either face.

Acetic cure — what it means for your surfaces

White For Life is an acetic cure silicone. That chemistry bonds strongly to the glazed ceramic, porcelain and glass a wet area is made from, and it is also the source of its main restriction: it is not suitable for metals other than aluminium and stainless steel, because the acid released during cure can corrode susceptible metals. Where your joint involves other metals, choose a neutral cure product instead.

Where to use it

It is ideal for bathroom, shower, toilet, laundry and kitchen joints, and will work on:

• Ceramic and porcelain tiles and fixtures
• Plastic
• Rubber
• Glass
• Aluminium
• Laminates
• Stainless steel
• Painted surfaces

How to apply it

1. Clean the surface with turps and dry it.
2. Coat cement or concrete surfaces with a suitable paint and allow it to dry before applying the sealant. This is a stated requirement, not an optional step.
3. Cut the nozzle at a 45 degree angle, cut the cartridge tip and fit the nozzle.
4. Place the cartridge in a caulking gun and apply with steady pressure, ensuring the sealant is pushed into the joint rather than laid across the surface.
5. Tool with a spatula dipped in detergent water within 5 to 10 minutes of application. For neater joints, mask both sides beforehand and remove the tape before the sealant skins.
6. Clean up with turps before the product skins.
7. Allow 72 hours for the sealant to cure.

Limitations — where White For Life Silicone should not be used

These are the manufacturer's stated limits:

• Not paintable. Complete painting 7 days before applying the sealant.
• Not suitable for permanent immersion.
• Not suitable for metals other than aluminium and stainless steel.
• Cement and concrete surfaces must be coated with a suitable paint and allowed to dry before the sealant is applied.

The product page adds that the product must be used as part of the White For Life® Tiling System for the guarantees to apply.

Clean up and removal

Uncured product may be removed with mineral turpentine. Cured product can be removed with Selleys Sealant Remover or by cutting and scraping.

The guarantees and what they require

The 25 year and 5 year guarantees apply when the product is used as directed, for private use, and within 6 months of purchase. It is guaranteed for 25 years against cracking, crumbling or peeling away, and for 5 years against mould growth.

There is a maintenance condition attached: the product must be cleaned regularly with Selleys® White For Life® Tile & Grout Cleaner to avoid build-up of soap scum. That is not incidental — soap scum is what mould feeds on, and the mould resistance guarantee is written around keeping it off.

If the product does not perform as specified within the relevant warranty period, Selleys will replace it free of charge. To claim, contact Selleys with details, show proof of purchase, and bear the expenses incurred in making the claim. These benefits are in addition to rights and remedies under Australian Consumer Law, which cannot be excluded.

Hazard classification

Classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7, with the signal word Danger.

• Eye damage — Category 1. Causes serious eye damage.
• Skin irritation — Category 2.

What is in it

Chemical entity	CAS number	Proportion (w/w)
Acetoxysilane	4253-34-3	1–10%
Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4)	556-67-2	<1%
Non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	Balance

Note the signal word: Danger, and eye damage at Category 1 — a step more severe than Glass Silicone or No Mould, which are Category 2A irritants. Uncured acetoxysilane sealant in the eye can cause permanent damage, so this is a 15-minute flush and a call to the Poisons Information Centre, not a rinse.

The acetoxysilane is the acetic cure system: it reacts with atmospheric moisture and releases acetic acid, which is the vinegar smell over the first day. That is also why this sealant must not go on copper-bearing metals, zinc, concrete or cement products, mirror backing or natural stone — acetic acid corrodes all of them.

Ventilate while it cures. A freshly sealed shower recess is a small enclosed space, and acetic acid vapour irritates eyes and airways.

Protection

• Eye protection — safety glasses or goggles.
• Gloves — nitrile rubber for intermittent contact.
• Ventilation — use in a well-ventilated area.
• Wash hands after use, and wash contaminated clothing before reuse.

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Eyes	Rinse immediately and continuously with water for at least 15 minutes, holding the eyelids apart. Remove contact lenses if present and easy to do, then keep rinsing. Immediately call a Poisons Information Centre or doctor. This product causes serious eye damage, and the injury is not always obvious at first.
Skin	Wash with plenty of water. Remove contaminated clothing and wash it before reuse. If irritation develops, get medical advice.
Inhalation	Move to fresh air. If irritation persists, seek medical advice.
Swallowed	Do not induce vomiting. Rinse the mouth and seek medical advice immediately.

If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or the Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand — with the container to hand. Selleys emergency line: 1800 220 770 in Australia, 0800 220 770 in New Zealand.