04/11/2016
With such a variety of jointing sealants available in the construction marketplace, choosing the right one for your building project can prove difficult. To help with the all-important specification process, here is some advice on products in Sika’s quality range.
Joint Sealant: Sikaflex® Pro 3
Sikaflex Pro 3 is a jointing sealant with a reputation for providing excellent adhesion to porous substrates and superb abrasion resistance. Its durability and reliability, along with its high chemical resistance, has made it the product of choice for a range of high-profile, public projects involving areas of heavy traffic where fuel spillages are commonplace such as garage forecourts, airport aprons and bund walls.
Sikaflex Pro 3 is ideal for the following indoor and outdoor applications:
- Movement and connection joints in floors
- Pedestrian and traffic areas (eg: parking decks, car parks)
- Warehouses and production areas
- Applications in the food industry
- Joints in waste water and sewage treatment plants
- Floor joints in tunnel construction
- Applications in cleanrooms
A Quality Joint Sealing Product
A quality product was made even better when three years ago Sika developed a new polyurethane technology which maintained the excellent adhesion and chemical resistance of Sikaflex Pro 3 whilst making it even safer to use. The new system is the patented Sika i-Cure Technology which prevents the release of carbon dioxide during cure and as a result, prevents bubbling within the body of the sealant.
In addition to Sika i-Cure Technology, Sika developed a self-levelling version of the Sikaflex Pro 3: Sikaflex Pro 3 SL. This product has similar performance characteristics to the Sikaflex Pro 3 but is easier to install in floor joints. Sikaflex Pro 3 SL can be applied from a 600ml foil or via a 20-litre pail using a transfer pump.
As well as offering long-term protection against elements natural and synthetic, Sikaflex Pro 3 SL is incredibly easy to apply. Its installation saves the user a significant amount of time and effort as it flows easily into the joint and requires no tooling, due to the self-levelling nature of the product. The 20-litre pail ensures a cost-effective installation as the larger pack size reduces downtime during installation, negating the need to continually replace the 600ml foils.
Sikaflex Pro 3 SL offers the following properties:
- Movement capability of 25% (ISO 9047)
- Bubble-free curing
- Self-levelling
- Excellent adhesion to most construction materials
- Solvent-free and odourless
- Extremely low emission
Tried and Tested Sealant Technology
The Sikaflex Pro 3 can also be used to seal vertical joints in facades, curtain-walling and precast panel applications. It has been tested to ISO 11600, the Global Classification standard for sealants, and is ISO 11600 - F - Class - 25HM, the F standing for Façade applications.
Contractors or architects may not lose any sleep over its specification, but those who underestimate the importance of jointing sealant for a new or existing building project run the risk of coming unstuck.