Tips for fixing a leaking bathtub

A seal between the sides of your bath and the surrounding tiles is essential to stop water leakage. Silicone sealant is commonly used to make the seal, as it's flexible and long-lasting, but over time it will degrade and come away.Time needed to fix a sealant leak: about one hour. You will need: craft knife, soft cloth, silicone sealant and sealant gun, kitchen roll, spoon.

1. Use a sharp knife to cut through any old sealant to remove as much as possible. Take care not to scratch the surface of the bath or tiles.
2. Remove any stubborn sealant by rubbing it vigorously with a dry cloth, or use a proprietary sealant remover, which you can buy from a DIY store.
3. Before you start filling the gap with fresh sealant, run a bath of cold water. If you apply sealant around an empty bath, the weight of the water when you subsequently fill and use the tub will tend to break the seal.
4. Fill any gaps over eight ml (1/3 in) wide with twisted plastic wrap or newspaper before injecting the silicone sealant.
5. Use your knife to cut the nozzle on the sealant tube at a 45-degree angle so that the opening is slightly wider than the gap you're trying to fill. Fit the tube in a sealant gun, and squeeze the trigger until you see sealant at the end of the nozzle.
6. Hold the tube at an angle to the gap and pull it slowly and evenly along the gap, squeezing out just enough sealant to fill the gap without squeezing round the sides. Try to complete the joint in one smooth movement for best results.
7. If the bead of silicone sealant is uneven, smooth it with a dedicated caulking tool, which is available from DIY stores. If you don't have a caulking tool, the rounded end of a teaspoon will do the job just as well. Don't delay as the silicone starts to set quite quickly. Don't use your finger to smooth the joint — this tends to make the silicone very thin at the edges and so more likely to peel off in use.