EXPERT ADVICE BROUGHT TO YOU BY GEOFFREY HUNT BUILDING SURVEYING SERVICES LTD

If you have a specific problem you want to talk to us about please contact us for further information.

Selecting the right sealant

Use	Latex	Acrylic Solvent or water based	Butyl	Polysulfide. One component (cartridge) or two component (pre mix)	Silicone	Polyurethanes
Life Expectancy	1-10 yrs	15-20 yrs	20yrs	20yrs	25yrs	15yrs
Commercial products	Xtra seal MC- 800. Tremco	Painters caulk. Flooring sealant Tremco Mono or tremfil	Tremco JS 800 or JS 770	Tremco Webbseal	General builders' sealants. eg Jewsons / Screwfix Vallance building silicone Tremco Tremsil, Proglaze. Acetory silicone	Tremco Dymonic NT
Application	Light use Interior and exterior. Can be painted	Light use Interior mainly. Kitchen and bathroom. Around windows inside. Can be painted. Often blended with latex. Prone to shrink and crack	Excellent adhesion. Limited movement Excellent weathering Used in curtain walling where adhesion to rubber is needed. Not really a general building sealant.	High performance. Industrial uses. General building and glazing. One part: good for compression joints on brick infill panels and concrete frames and window perimeters. Goes off slowly after forming a skin. Two parts can be built up to fill large joints.	The main category used in construction. Good joint movement. Blended into High, medium and low modulus. High modulus = hard, stiff fill. Low Modulus = flexible, soft fill. Acetory is the most popular type in UK. Caution: some products like dpc's leach through silicone staining the surface. The amount of polymer and the type compounding ingredients directly influences cost and performance. E.g. cheap is generally poorer quality.	Good elasticity but many need primers put on the surface to adhere. Good on light weight claddings. Good for general building and facades.
Interior	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Excellent		Excellent
Exterior		Poor		Good	Excellent	Excellent
Window perimeter		Poor		Good	Excellent	Excellent
Expansion Joints				Poor	Excellent	Excellent
Wide Joints					Poor	Good
Paintable	Excellent	Good	Poor			Excellent
Brickwork				Poor	Poor	Excellent

© Geoff hunt 2010

Sealant Joints