Are your house doors chipping away due to extreme weather conditions? Looking up ways to keep the damp out of the walls arising from your bathtubs, window cracks, or leaky roofs? Even in an industrial or construction world, if you are struggling to keep up with the conventional methods or DIYs to seal the pits and holes, you have landed in the right place for guidance. We have assembled a comprehensive buying guide for you to evaluate the Best Sealants in 2021 before you purchase any.
The sealant is the most effective and convenient method to combat issues ranging from water seepage, air leakage to almost any minor auto body repairs. It does not require prior knowledge for its usage, hence manageable even by an ordinary, unskilled individual; reading the instructions that come with it is sufficient to get the job done.
Our team has put together a buying guide to help you gauge the features best suited to your application. Before you buy any sealant, make sure you know everything there is to know about it.
SPECIFICATIONS: WHAT NOT TO MISS
Temperature Resistance
Knowing the heat tolerance capacity of a sealant is of utmost importance. You would not want your sealant melting away from the spaces in the engine, rooftop, or furnace where it was meant to sit intact, owing to the extremely high temperatures they are exposed to. The sealants with automotive or industrial purposes must be able to withstand the heat at 700F up to 2400F, depending on your application precisely. However, for regular household practices, as long as the heat resistance is beyond the room temperature, you have got your ideal sealant on hand.
Oil Resistance
This option fits particularly perfectly well for individuals aiming at automotive procedures. Oil spills and greasy surfaces are what automobiles are all about. Look for the oil-resisting feature in your sealant to fill in the gaps and fissures in your car engines or even surfaces. The same idea corresponds with oil-based factories or operations.
Water Resistance
Air escaping through slits in the walls or hidden spaces in the attics and water slipping through cracks in a shower cubicle or damaged windows are some of the most commonly discussed household issues. A water-resistant sealant is all you need to make your day. Not only would it retain its flexibility when exposed to water and keep the moisture from invading, but it would also make a suitable material to be painted on after it is cured. Using these sealants will not let you compromise on the looks of your house!
Type
You must know which type of sealant (composition) to get in line with your requirements. This part of the selection is the most vital of all steps. The characteristics discussed above are reliant upon the type we choose thus offer varying degrees of flexibility (constant expansion and contraction) and oil, water, heat, or chemical resistance. Jump to the next section to learn more about the types.
‘AM I SEALING IT OFF WITH THE RIGHT SEALANT’: KNOW YOUR TYPE
Though with a vast array of alternatives, you might not find an all-in-one solution to your problems, you can find ones that fulfill most of your needs. Some of the common types include;
Acoustic Sealant
You just got your room soundproofed! Without altering much of the interior and reducing air or moisture transmission, this sealant also markedly decreases sound transmission.
Adhesive Sealant
While it might sound vague to the readers, this substance lacks rigidity thus focuses on holding the two materials together in a flexible state. Being more of a structural sealant, it is ideal to be used on skirting boards or lighter windows.
Elastic Sealant
It is a rubbery liquid that dries down to retain its flexibility and effectively create a watertight barrier. The option is most suitable in larger spaces that require filling such as curtain walls in a building, cuts down on construction costs, and efficiently keeps the indoor and outdoor environment from merging.
Silicone Sealants
This one is your true hero! With a wide range of applications, silicone sealants make the most impactful water-resistant option for windows and door frames particularly. Owing to its ability to counter adverse weather conditions, it is equally useful and compatible with automobiles, electronically driven sensors, appliances, and cables. It typically offers high heat, UV, and kinetic (high motion capacity) tolerance. Its application extends to commercial uses as well; glass panels are often put together using a silicone-based sealant.
A downside to this variant is that it is relatively costlier than its contemporaries and cannot be painted unless admixed with some other paintable material. It carries a strong odor that needs proper ventilation to protect human health. Despite that, it is quality for the money!
Latex Sealants
This one is the go-to option for many of us looking to fix household troubles. This variant is often tailored with other sealant substances to produce a composition with optimal features. It is because latex sealant is waterproof, making it paintable thus does not mess up your interior. Like we said earlier, this type will not let you compromise on the looks of your house! It is not highly temperature-resistant but it can much effectively ward off the UV rays from destroying it.
It is much easier and cleaner to apply and work with. With the least amount of odor, this option suits many because of its low price-point as well.
Floor Sealant
A floor sealant makes a thin, transparent protective coating that can be placed on a variety of flooring surfaces, rather than a thick foam or paste. If your flooring is porous, just ensure to layer it up twice to preserve it from stains, bacteria, dampness, and other signs of wear.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Q: How to store a silicone sealant?
A: It is important to get rid of any air before covering the sealant tube or container. In the case of a tube, squeezing the sealant up to the tip of the nozzle would help. If it is a silicone-based sealant, squash a small amount of silicone out of the tip; this helps in removing the cured silicone plug. The sealants should be stored in a cool and dry place.
Q: Are all the sealants paintable?
A: Pure silicone is a non-paintable material unless it is admixed with acrylic latex. The acrylic latex helps in making the substance waterproof, long-lasting, and paintable after it is cured.
Q: Is there any DIY to make the sealant last longer?
A: A lot of people attempt to make the sealant sustainable by thinning it. However, we do not recommend any DIYs to alter the composition or consistency of the sealing substance unless you are a professional. You must lookout for the right product that suits your application the best beforehand.
Q: Where can I locate air leak sources in my household?
A: Most of the air leaks are easy to detect and locate, typically adjacent to doors and windows. While usually around 10% of your overall energy costs can be linked with the energy seeping away from the leaking locations; attics, basements, and chimneys are also one of the major contributors.