The small details often make the most significant difference—the same is true with property construction and maintenance. One example of this is joint sealing, a crucial process often overlooked yet vital for the longevity and safety of buildings.
Remember, whether you own a residential or commercial property, the integrity of the building relies heavily on its protection from harmful elements, such as water and moisture. This is where joint sealants and fillers come into play.
Read this blog as we dig deeper into this method and its importance in different types of buildings.
What Is Joint Sealing?
Joint sealing is one of the methods used in construction involving the application of specialised materials to fill and seal joints or gaps. Service providers in the construction industry usually use this method for several structural elements, such as concrete slabs, pavements, or building components.
The primary purpose of joint sealing is to prevent moisture, air, and other harmful elements from entering the joints. This way, the structure becomes more durable. Moreover, it provides thermal and sound insulation, accommodating movement between building materials and enhancing the structure’s aesthetic appeal.
Joint Sealants and Their Different Types
Joint sealants are materials used for concrete joint sealing and other applications. Essentially, they are used to seal joints and openings between two or more substrates. Sealing substances are flexible and resilient, which accommodates the natural movements and expansions of interconnected elements.
Here are the different types of joint sealants and their common applications:
Silicone Sealants
Silicone sealants have outstanding flexibility, durability, and resilience to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Let’s talk about the advantages of these features in joint sealing jobs one by one.
⦁ Flexibility: This property allows sealants to handle various movements and expansions without compromising their structural integrity. It is particularly crucial in exterior applications where temperature variations and structural movements are common.
- Durability: This property ensures long-term performance, making silicone sealants suitable for applications that require long-term results.
- UV-Resistant: This property maintains the sealant and surface’s aesthetic properties when exposed to sunlight. Hence, they are beneficial for outdoor applications.
Applications:
- window joints
- curtain wall joints
- exterior applications
Polyurethane Sealants
Polyurethane sealants are renowned for their exceptional adhesion, making them well-suited for areas that demand strong bonding capabilities. The essential properties of polyurethane sealants include high flexibility, durability, and resistance to weathering and chemicals.
Applications:
- expansion joints
- floor joints
- facade and cladding systems
- high-traffic areas
Acrylic Sealants
Acrylic sealants are versatile choices for crack and joint sealing because of their quick-drying and easily paintable properties. They are usually water-based but can dry quickly, making them advantageous for projects that need quick turnaround.
Additionally, the ability to paint over acrylic sealants facilitates seamless integration with the surrounding surfaces, providing aesthetic flexibility.
Applications:
- interior joints
- non-exposed applications
- paintable surfaces
- DIY projects
Looking Into the Importance of Joint Sealing
⦁ It helps prevent water infiltration and moisture.
One of the primary reasons for joint sealing is to avoid water penetration in buildings and surfaces. As you already know, water infiltration can lead to problems such as concrete reinforcement corrosion, building material deterioration, and mould growth.
With that, properly sealed joints can help maintain the building’s structural integrity by keeping water out.
⦁ It can handle movement.
Structures, especially buildings, are subject to various kinds of movement because of thermal expansion and contraction, wind, seismic activity, and other forces and elements. That is why professional contractors use joints to accommodate this movement.
However, not sealing these joints may lead to cracks, gaps, and structural failures—therefore, there is a need for concrete expansion joint sealing.
⦁ It helps reduce energy use.
Electricity is essential in our lives, especially in a fast-paced world. However, energy costs may get too high when we don’t implement precautions. One thing that can help us reduce energy consumption is joint sealing.
How?
Unsealed or poorly sealed joints may result in air leakage, making your heating and cooling systems work more. Remember, too much use of these systems will lead to higher energy costs.
Sealing these joints makes maintaining a controlled interior environment possible, reducing energy consumption and costs.
⦁ It enhances the durability of the building.
Joint sealing helps protect the edges of joints from wear and tear as well as environmental degradation. This level of protection can enhance the strength of the joint and, by extension, the overall structure.
Therefore, you won’t need to pay for frequent repairs and maintenance.
⦁ It makes your property look better.
Unsealed or improperly sealed joints won’t look good in any structure. That is why proper joint sealing is essential to ensure a clean, finished look in both interior and exterior applications. Ultimately, it contributes to the structure’s aesthetic appeal.
⦁ It helps insulate sound.
Do you want to be free from the deafening noise outside? Joint sealing may help you with that!
Joint sealing can provide sound insulation in buildings, particularly in densely populated areas. This helps to reduce noise from outside to inside or between different parts of a building, contributing to a more comfortable living or working environment.
⦁ It is fire resistant.
Joint sealing can also play a role in fire resistance, especially in commercial and industrial buildings. There are special fire-rated sealants that can prevent the spread of fire and smoke through joint openings, which is crucial for the safety of the building occupants.
⦁ It complies with building codes and standards.
Lastly, proper joint sealing is often a requirement to comply with building codes and standards. These regulations are in place to ensure safety, durability, and efficiency, and non-compliance can lead to legal and financial repercussions.
Protect Your Properties with Superior Waterproofing
Choosing the right joint sealants and fillers is crucial in ensuring a successful sealing project with lasting results. However, proper application is equally crucial. That is why you must hire a professional to get the job done correctly.
So, if you’re unsure how to seal your building’s joints, hiring our joint sealing contractors in Brisbane is the best choice! Our team of experts have the knowledge and experience to effectively and quickly complete waterproofing jobs, including joint sealing.