Sealants

Why it is important in construction?

Water is discharged away from the interior surfaces of a conventional structure by water barriers and drainage systems. Instead of just relying only on sealing gaps to allow building movements like settlement, thermal expansion, sway, creep, and differential deflections at slab edge, modern buildings rely on sealing to provide air, dust, noise and liquid protection while allowing motions. They also act as a fire stopping component.

Excessive wear on these gaps is always the result of poor design and/or installation. To ensure the efficacy of joint seals, they should be maintained on a regular basis.

Is it Cost-effective?

A sealant joint failure may damage the building’s façade, structure, and furnishings. It can damage even decorative elements also. Gaps should be more difficult to repair. This is why designers and specifiers must exercise extreme caution when designing and specifying.

Typically, the cost reductions associated with joint sealing failure and repeated cleaning labour offset the resulting expenses connected with remedial work.

Modern sealants are formed of a rubber-like material and a filler. Flexible materials, like polymers, may fill in the gaps and bridge the gap, thus decreasing movement and resistance.

Sealants can be use on a wide range of construction types, including structural glazing and adhesives for components like façades.

Although sealants account for such a tiny percentage of the total cost of a construction project, their performance is critical to the integrity of any construction.As is true of most building items, cheaper does not always imply superior quality.

Products with a higher price tag also have a great performance. It is nearly always more costly to replace failing sealants than it is to choose the appropriate sealant in the initial place to begin with. Consider your options carefully before making a purchase, and focus your efforts on meeting performance criteria.

What are the types?

In the construction industry, the most popular kinds of sealants are as follows:

• Polysulfide:

This sealant has excellent flexibility even at low temperatures, and it has minimal shrinkage or UV deterioration. It may also be used in underwater applications. Polysulfides are more costly than comparable sealants, and they have a propensity to contain greater amounts of volatile organic compounds than equivalent sealants (VOCs). Although, a life expectancy of 10 to 20 years makes up for part of the cost, it is still prohibitively expensive.

• Polyurethane:

Polyurethane adhesives adhere effectively to a wide range of surfaces and need minimal substrate preparation, making them the preferred option for many contractors. These materials offer high resistance to abrasion and shear pressures, as well as good adhesion and movement capabilities.

Silkon has extensive experience in joint design as well as expertise in sealant technology, which allows us to assist you in selecting the most appropriate sealant for your particular application.

 

Silkon manufactures and supplies:

• Pouring grade sealants are intended for use only in horizontal joints in floors and pavements, and are not suitable for use in vertical joints.
• Gun grade sealants are suited for use in both vertical and horizontal joints and are available in various colours.

 

The appropriate sealant for the job is determined by the characteristics required for the job, which include the anticipated movement of the joint, what the joint must retain or keep out water, dust/dirt, sewage, etc., and how fast the sealant must function once it is applied to the joint.

Silkon PS-500, for example, was designed exclusively as a revolutionary quick curing airfield pavement sealer that, since its introduction, has already saved several of our clients significant time and money as a result of its speedy return to service and long-lasting performance.