25/07/2016
It might not figure among headline concerns when it comes to the construction or refurbishment of a building or structure, but the importance of selecting the correct joint sealant for commercial flooring projects should not be underestimated.
Although of little significance in terms of expense (approx. 0.5% of the building costs), sealants play a significant role in the performance of a building during its lifetime, so ignore sealant at your peril - it could lead to a multitude of unforeseeable costs.
Sealants play a vital role in:
- Keeping a building or construction air and watertight
- Providing sound insulation at connection joints between floor and wall
- Allows the structure to accommodate the thermal movement of the structure
- Improving a building’s visual appearance
Which Sealant and Why?
A building contains innumerable types of sealant joints, such as concrete-to-concrete slabs joints, façade joints, bund walls, storage tanks or at the connection between floors and walls. Floor joint sealants are specialty-joint sealants, having to meet various requirements depending on the location or function of the joint.
Sika offers a range of sealing solutions for a host of applications including building facades, car parks, clean rooms, industrial floors and swimming pools, so let’s take a look at a few:
Sealants for Aggressive Factory Environments
Sealants for joints in industrial floors and areas involving heavy machinery need to contain high mechanical strength, abrasion and chemical resistance, as well as superb adhesion properties. Dependent on the joint’s location the sealant will also need to withstand high pressure cleaning and compatibility with foodstuffs. Sika has ideal sealant solutions with the necessary components to cater for the aforementioned challenges:
- Sikaflex Floor (robust sealant with high mechanical and intensive cleaning resistance)
- Sikaflex PRO 3 SL (a unique one-part, self-leveling product specifically designed for flooring joint applications)
Sealants for Swimming Pool Applications
Unsurprisingly water presents the biggest challenge to a sealant’s performance. The consequences of a poorly sealed swimming pool, for example, could lead to catastrophic costs and the health and safety of its users being compromised. So it’s worth bearing in mind Sika’s watertight solution for potential poolside peril:
- Sikasil Pool (high tear resistance, flexibility and stable in chlorinated water for applications around swimming pools and has resistance to fungal attack. The product should only be used in applications around a swimming pool. It should not be used for continuous water immersion applications )
- Everbuild Stayseal 75 (can be used to provide seals in continuous water immersion applications such as the swimming pool)
Steering a path to a solid car park seal
Specifying the correct joint sealant for a car park is deck dependent. The top deck of a car park acts as a roof, meaning its joint construction and floor coating requirements are appreciably higher than the decks below. High resistance to fuel, oil and road salts are the must-have properties of any floor sealant in areas involving heavy traffic. For that reason, we recommend:
- Sikaflex PRO-3 SL (Trafficable, bubble-free curing; high resistance to motor fuel, etc; (25% Movement Accommodation Factor)
Small Detail Pays Big Dividends
The list of building materials required for construction projects large or small is seemingly endless - every beam, slab and bolt requires exact specification. To ensure your project not only gets off the ground, but retains its long-term safety and functionality, selecting the right floor joint sealant should never be considered immaterial.