How to stop silicone turning yellow?

[SelinaKyle]

My shower screen has rubber underneath between the metal and tiles. I previously used clear silicone that was not for wet areas and it turned orange over the years. 

Recently (a month ago), I paid caulking specialists to replace it for me. The silicone along the shower screen on both the inside and outside has already started turning yellow. I read that this is most likely due to the rubber leaching g chemicals into the silicone. 
The caulking specialists used Durosil DS100. 

If I remove the silicone, is there a product I can apply to the rubber before I put down new silicone to stop it turning yellow? 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @SelinaKyle,

Unfortunately, there isn’t a specific product I’m aware of that you can apply over the rubber to stop it from leaching chemicals into the silicone. Even without any interaction with the rubber, silicone can naturally yellow over time, especially in wet areas and with exposure to heat, soap, and cleaning products.

One potential workaround is to use silicone to glue a thin plastic or PVC moulding over the rubber. That way, the moulding would conceal any yellowing of the silicone.

It does sound a bit unusual that the professional-grade product has yellowed so quickly, so you might also consider uploading a photo of the area. Our members may have additional ideas or alternative barrier methods that could work. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[SelinaKyle]

 

Hi Mitchell, thank you for your reply. 

This bathroom actually does not get used and had not been cleaned before the yellowing was noticed. 

I will have a look for something I can glue over the rubber as you suggested but I will add photos of the yellowing silicone as well. 

the first photo is of the outside and the second photo is the inside and you can see the yellow on the left of the shower screen, on the right is the wall joint that is still white

 

[MitchellMc]

Thanks for sharing the extra photos @SelinaKyle. A good option here would be to cover the yellowed section with a PVC quad moulding. To get the best result, you would want to have the existing silicone cut back so you’re left with a neat square edge. From there, apply a small bead of wet-area silicone such as Selleys and then press the quad moulding into place over the joint.

That way, you’re not relying on the old discoloured silicone for appearance, and the moulding will give you a clean, long-lasting finish.

Mitchell

[SelinaKyle]

Thank you Mitchell