Sealing shower enclosure - Tile Advice

[teecee90]

Sorry if this is the incorrect forum for this question. I've searched everywhere and can't find an answer for this.

I'm refurbing our en-suite including re-tiling all walls and floor. Most of the tiling is done and I'm about to turn my attention to fitting the shower tray and enclosure. The instructions that come with the enclosure say to seal the outside only. Fine.... I understand the reason for that and it seems perfectly reasonable. What I'm not clear about is exactly what joints I should seal!

I guess the enclosure is fairly standard - it uses a U shaped profile screwed to the wall and then the enclosure panels slot into the channel of the of the wall U profile and are then drilled and screwed to the wall profile. That means that I have two outside joints .... a joint between the wall profile piece and the tiled wall, and a joint between the enclosure panels and the wall profile.

I assume that it is the joint between the wall profile and the tiled wall that I need to seal with silicone but do I also need to seal the joint between the enclosure panel and the wall profile or is the friction fit enough to prevent any leaks?

Thanks

 

[Alan.P]

Just where it meets the wall, inside and out, and down the centre, belt and braces.

 

[SJPurdy]

The reason many makes advise to seal the outside is because water that gets into the framework finds its way to the bottom and then needs to drain into the shower tray. I would still seal to the wall inside and out though to stop the dirty water getting behind the wall profiles and going yuk! But at the shower tray seal the outside only if it says to so that the frame can drain - then clean the inside joint frequently to stop dirt build up. They are not brilliant designs really that's why I prefer a wet room in suitable locations.