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The Importance of Proper Application When Using Sealants and Tapes

  • Posted by: Kim M
  • Category: Article

A multitude of benefits have been tied to sealants and tapes. They’re excellent isolators. They block heat and sound, keeping rooms warm and quiet. Top sealants can accomplish miracles thanks to their advanced compositions. Space-age formulations form open cell architectures within curing foam, adhering to walls and fixtures to form an inviolable barrier. In fact, we’d quickly exhaust our vocabulary on the subject if we were to list the many virtues of sealants. Unfortunately, all of this praise would be built on a house of cards if we didn’t apply a professional installation ethic. In other words, even the best sealing product will fail if it’s not applied properly.

What Happen When Sealants and Tapes are Improperly Applied?

All of the above characteristics become compromised. It’s a short and curt statement, but there’s much truth here. If an outdoor sealant is added to an expensive roof, the contractor expects the compound to work with the cutting-edge roofing material and keep out the rain. A substandard installation practice puts this guaranteed seal in jeopardy. And so it is with any other type of barrier. A poorly seated gasket on a bathroom tap will leak, no matter how beautiful the tap. Acoustic noise proofing depends on state-of-the-art foam solutions, but these too will leak, though it’s sound and not moisture that flows through the weak spot.

Call on a Professional Installer

In the case of tape, an expert solves application issues by preparing surfaces. Rust and grime is cleared from rounded pipes and flat facades. The tape is then able to adhere properly to the cleaned area. Additionally, the professional difference is seen in the details. Some pipes and complex fixtures are covered in weird contours and strange extrusions. An expert takes account of this eventuality by cutting and shaping the tape to the contours, thus removing the gaps and wrinkles that would otherwise leak. This practice applies to thermal conductivity just as much as it does to sound leakage and moisture intrusion. In safety terms, the same stringent requirements should also be observed when applying electrical tape because the tape is covering a potential safety issue, one that could result in a serious electrical shock.

Sealants and tapes are typically fitted as high-quality barriers, meaning a failure scenario only comes to mind when the application technique has floundered. In the case of tape, this two-dimensional seal is fairly easy to correct, but foams are three-dimensional in aspect. They fill voids. Ensure the filling is uniformly applied. This move eliminates bubbles and leakage pockets. Similarly, check adhesion and allow the structure to ventilate, a practice that helps the foam cure and adhere. And, finally, opt for a professional installer, an expert team that knows how to apply these sealant mediums properly.