At the joint, the different building elements, materials and trades meet. A joint occurs where two components meet and may occur within an element of construction or at part of an interface between two elements. Joint sealing facilitates construction, as a number of components made of different materials are used. Joints allow for needed movement of the materials but must remain water, air, heat, cold and vapor tight. Avoid making mistakes where your building is most vulnerable to leakage – the joint.
Sika Joint Sealing Solutions
The building blocks of your construction - like the concrete slab, the glass facade element, the roofing membrane, the metal cover - generally do not let water, moisture or air enter the building or structure. It is at the joints where a building is weakest to leakage. Only correctly specified and professionally applied high quality joint sealants will manage to keep your building or structure sustainably tight during its entire lifespan.
- Sika’s sealants show good adhesion to a wide range of materials including concrete, masonry, painted wood, coated or galvanized aluminium, steel or PVC. This is namely important for window, door and other installations.
- Sealants are applied to the facade and also inside the building, where volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other sealant components like phthalates, tin catalysts and isocyanates may become an issue, depending on the local regulations or green building requirements. Sika has sealants and primers that meet all these requirements.
- Sika installation sealants are widely used for interior sealing as they have a much higher movement capability and better adhesion than acrylics and can be overpainted. Especially in wood construction, joints are exposed to higher movement due to seasonal humidity variations.
- For construction joints, movement joints and connection joints, Sika waterproof joint sealing solutions including hydrophilic gaskets, thermoplastic waterbars and tape systems stand up to the unique demands.
Facade Joints
Air and weathertight construction joints are critical when ensuring durable and energy saving joints for any building, both old and new. A wide range of materials and techniques are employed in the construction of modern facades as well as traditional construction. Therefore elastic joint sealants must be able to accommodate movement between a variety of substrates as well as ensuring a permanent bond. Effective thermal insulation and air-tightness afforded by high performance façade joint sealants are critical aspects to be considered as part of the total building energy consumption.
Floor Joints
Floors joints especially those found within the manufacturing industry, retail environments, warehousing as well as multi storey car park decks, are exposed to very high degree of stress many of which require high performance floor joint sealants capable of offering long term resistance to mechanical movement, abrasion, chemical and UV exposure.
Roof Joints
Air and weathertight construction joints are critical when ensuring durable and energy saving joints for any building, both old and new. A wide range of materials and techniques are employed in the construction of modern facades as well as traditional construction. Therefore elastic joint sealants must be able to accommodate movement between a variety of substrates as well as ensuring a permanent bond. Effective thermal insulation and air-tightness afforded by high performance façade joint sealants are critical aspects to be considered as part of the total building energy consumption.