Friday 11 July 2014

Making Sense of Caulks and Sealants

    A trip to the home center for a tube of silicone caulk can be a befuddling experience. Water-based caulks boast eleven performance capabilities only available in silicone. Silicone caulks advertise paintability and water cleanup. And new synthetic-rubber-modified silicone polymers and claim to do it all, adding to the confusion.

To make matters worse, caulks and sealants are heavily marketed with flashy labels and fancy names. The good news Is that caulks and sealants today's perform better than ever. Still, each family has its own caulk of unique qualities. Although it is important to read labels and follow manufacturers' specifications and instructions Whenever using sealants, you still need to know a few Things That you will not find on the label.


Caulk is an old boat-building term; Originated in home building sealant. Today, some manufacturers use caulk as an all-purpose term to describe Their sealant and high-performance products. Most Often, though, the terms are used interchangeably, and the products serve the same purpose: to fill gaps Between building materials and to keep water and air at bay.

Just do the same Peak Gust job, caulks and sealants fail for the same reasons. There are three types of caulk failure: adhesive, cohesive, and substrate. Simply put, the bond Between the caulk and the substrate can fail, the caulk can tear itself, or the substrate can break. However, problems with joints are caulked Commonly due to one of two errors. Either the substrate was not Effectively prepared, or the wrong product was selected. So before choosing a product, sizable how it will be used.

First, sizable what materials the joint is made ​​of and how much movement it is likely to encounter. Silicone, for example, adheres well to glass and tile to wood but poorly. Products with different chemistries Although claim to be resilient, some are better suited for frequent joint movement. Remember, too, That Generally caulk is not recommended for gaps That Exceed 1/2 in. Their wide at midpoint. 

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