Caulking and Sealants! What to use and where to use it.

There are many types of caulking and sealants out there. I would like to guide you through the most common types and where you would use them.

First off, what's the difference between a caulk and a sealant. Caulk is usually water based, latex or/and acrylic and is primarily used for indoor use. Sealants are more expensive and have a higher performance with movement, water resistance, ultraviolet resistance, and are more durable. However sealants are harder to clean up if you make a mess, and they are harder to work with.

Caulk is primarily used to fill unsightly gaps, and also can be used around windows inside your home. You can paint caulk so its preferable to use around trim work to hide unsightly gaps. You can even hide nail holes and cracks in wood quite easily with caulking. It doesn't matter that the caulk is a different colour than what you put it on because you can paint it. You would typically caulk before you paint.

100% Silicone is a sealant. You can not paint silicone so be cautious using it in areas you might be painting because it will be unsightly. Silicone is water resistant, UV resistant, and sticks quite well to smooth surfaces. It also performs quite well in joints or cracks with movement. On the inside of your home you would use silicone in your shower for its resistance to water but also because its mold and mildew resistant. On the exterior of your home you can use silicone on smoother surfaces.

Polyurethane sealant in my opinion is the best product to use on the exterior of your home, especially when you need to stick to wood, brick, or concrete. It has all the good characteristics of silicone such as high resistance to movement, resistance to UV, but it also sticks better to porous materials. It is more abrasion resistant than silicone as well. Of all the different types of sealants discussed polyurethane is the worst for your health. It is worth wearing gloves when handling it. Another slight draw back of polyurethane is, you will have a hard time finding a clear polyurethane sealant. You can put a clear coating of urethane on your floor, but you can't find a clear polyurethane sealant, a little weird!

Rest assured when there is sealing to do on the exterior of your home Tundra Masonry will do it right!Type your paragraph here.

A sill joint caulked with polyurethane sealant