Weatherproof Sealant VS. Structural Sealant:
What’s the Difference?
This guide will discuss the difference between silicone weatherproof sealant and structural sealant. What are they? And how performance and economical are these silicone sealants ? Our guide will help you choose the best plan for your project.
Table of Contents
What is Weatherproof Silicone Sealant?
Weatherproof silicone sealant refers to the low modulus neutral silicone sealing material used for curtain wall caulking, which has good bonding performance. Weather-resistant sealant can also be said to be a general-purpose sealant, which is mainly resistant to extreme weather such as ultraviolet, acid rain, and snow.
What is Silicone Structural Sealant?
Silicone structural sealant not only has the characteristics of weather-resistant sealant but also has stronger bonding performance than weather-resistant sealant, manifested in strong tear strength, break elongation, and tensile strength. The tensile strength is mainly used in places with pre-stress.
What is the difference?
Structural silicone sealant is mainly used for structural or non-structural bonding assembly between metal and glass of glass curtain wall.
Their application ranges are different. Weather-resistant sealant is mainly used for sealing and caulking between materials, while structural adhesive is mainly used for bonding. They are not used in the same place.
Main applications of weatherproof silicone sealant:
- Weatherproof sealing of various curtain walls, especially recommended for weatherproof sealing of glass curtain walls, aluminum-plastic plate curtain walls, and stone dry hanging.
- Joint sealing between metal, glass, aluminum, ceramic tile, plexiglass, and coated glass.
- Joint sealing of concrete, cement, masonry, rock, marble, steel, wood, anodized aluminum, and painted aluminum surfaces. Primer is not required in most cases.
- It has superior weather resistance such as ozone resistance and ultraviolet resistance, giving it long service life.
Main applications of structural silicone sealant:
- It can directly connect the glass with the surface of metal components to form a single assembly component, which can meet the design requirements of a full hidden or semi-hidden frame curtain wall.
- Structural bonding and sealing of insulating glass.
- Bonding and sealing porous stone, laminated glass, insulating glass, mirror glass, coated glass, zinc, copper, and iron materials.
Conclusion
The modulus, hardness, strength, and price of silicone structural adhesive are higher than those of weather-resistant sealant of the same grade, but the elasticity of weather-resistant sealant is higher than that of structural adhesive.
Silicone structural sealant and silicone weather-resistant sealant cannot be mixed to use. It mainly depends on where you use them. The structural sealant is not recommended to use for sealing places, as the cost is high, and it is not conducive to the displacement change of the joint. Where structural sealant is needed to use, the weatherproof is forbidden to use.
