Technical Articles

Dry shake aggregate floor hardeners are commonly applied to the surface of freshly placed concrete to improve wear resistance and occasionally to color a concrete surface. They decrease typical plain concrete negative properties like dusting and liquid absorption by improving the abrasion resistance and reducing surface permeability.

Cool roofs are one of the most effective and easiest solutions to increase the thermal comfort of buildings and reduce cooling costs in hot climate countries with high solar radiation and outdoor temperatures. Brunel University London, in cooperation with the European Cool Roofs Council, Sika Services AG and the University of Technology in Kingston, evaluated a project in Jamaica to study how the application of a solar roof can affect the thermal comfort of residential buildings in hot climates.

Many urban and suburban areas have higher temperatures than their rural surroundings. This temperature difference indicates that they are urban heat islands. The annual mean air temperature in a city of a million or more people can easily be 1 to 4°C warmer than in the rural surroundings. On a clear, calm night the difference can measure even 12°C or more. The main cause of urban heat island effect is the modification of the land surface in cities. Natural vegetation is replaced by the built environment. Most surfaces of new structures are characterized by low solar reflectance and high impermeability. Additionally, they are often built with high-density materials which absorb great amounts of thermal energy and release it as heat.

Leaks in concrete, masonry and natural stone structures can often be securely sealed and waterproofed by injection. However, to make leaking structures watertight for the long term, it’s essential to select the right injection system. On the basis of our extensive technical and practical experience, we have prepared a guide which will help you choose the optimal injection solution for your project requirements.

Concrete is in many ways an ideal building material – locally available, cheap, perfect composite material when combined with steel and highly durable and easy-to-work-with when used with Sika products. However, it is not so perfect ecologically - it is the second most used substance on earth after water consuming many resources. Its most important ingredient, cement, is responsible for roughly 8% of global CO₂ emissions, whereby production is an energy intensive process.

All insulated glass units that are used as part of a structurally glazed façade system must be manufactured with a silicone secondary sealant that conforms to EOTA ETAG 002 and EN 15434. Silicone sealants have excellent resistance to ultra-violet light, meaning the energy from sunlight is insufficient to significantly break down the silicone polymers.

For every structurally glazed project, calculations for bonding the glass to the subframe must be undertaken in advance of any production and installation work taking place. These calculations must be based on the information provided by the curtain walling façade contractor.

For every structurally glazed facade, it is critical to request project-specific substrate adhesion testing, in advance of any bonding taking place. Sika offer this service to support their customers.

Sealants play a pivotal role in adding to glass capabilities and can provide added strength and value to complex glass creations. Structural silicone glazing is a technique of attaching glass to a metal frame using structural silicone sealants and gives the architectural design freedom for commercial building structures. However, choosing the right sealant and ensuring compatibility can affect the total outcome of the structural glazing system.

A prerequisite for a sustainable and beautiful wood floor is a strong and dry screed. Therefore this screed has to be carefully accessed. The first source of information is the architect, engineer, or main contractor who will have all of the information about the build-up and nature of the floor. The second source is the screed contractor who can provide the screed details and if appropriate, any subfloor heating protocols. If, as so often in renovation projects most of this information is not available, there are a few simple methods that can be used to evaluate the screed.