New, modern window delight their owners with attractive looks, they are comfortable and easy to use.
Their main properties are airtight design, sound insulation, and durability. And all of these depend from window sealants, which are used not only in the manufacture, installation and professional restoration of window but also in the window repair, which integrity is broken.
Minor repairs can be done quickly but for bigger ones, you will need to choose a suitable sealant that matches material and has the necessary specifications.
Of course, all basic properties and applications for each sealant are indicated on the labels. But in order to make the right choice easier and faster, you need to know the main types of sealants and in what cases their use is most appropriate. So, let's get acquainted with the main types of sealants and their specifications.
Acrylic sealants
Acrylic sealants do not contain toxic substances, resistant to atmospheric influences and low temperatures. Therefore they can be used both for internal work and for external use. They have good adhesion with most building materials brick, wood, metal, glass. Such sealants for wooden window are well suited and are most often used for work with glass joints, and window frames. Since it’s had high elasticity and is amenable to staining, they are widely used in the old window repair for repairing cracks in the wood. However, such sealants are unsuitable for working with surfaces exposed to constant moisture.
Types of silicone sealants
Silicone sealants are divided into neutral and acetate. Both of them can be used for external, and for internal works. However, when working with acetate sealants, acetic acid is released therefore it requires intensive ventilation of the room during operation. Acetate sealants are most effective for smooth surfaces, while neutral ones are used on smooth (window frame) and porous (concrete, brick) surfaces. This allows the use of neutral sealants to seal outer joints. Silicone sealants are resistant to high and low temperatures, moisture, have good adhesion to various materials. All this makes them the most popular for installing new and repairing old window. However, it should be remembered that silicone sealants are not susceptible to staining, so they must be selected in advance by color from commercially available colors.
Polyurethane sealants are distinguished by a long service life and high strength of compounds with various materials that can be painted. They are resistant to water, acids, oils, and weathering.