Caulks

Looking at alternative caulks. I am trying to dig up Solar Seal info, but their website stinks!

How is your experience with Solar Seal 900 Clear? How does it perform on hot surfaces...and in cold weather? Rain? Is it paintable?

any product that comes in muskrat brown is ok by me........

it is rated for 4 seasons,,,,,,(not as cold as Michigan in WA)
It is printable but comes in may colors.........

There are pros cons to every caulk. Have you tried other products and how did this one excell?

Dave, the only thing I have found even close to the same zip code as Solar Seal is geo seal. I don't like it as well but it does come in a plastic tube instead of cardboard like SS. For fixing concrete cracks I prefer Nova Link. I get my SS at Reese Wholesale or I have Fastenal get it in for me. Yes it is paintable. Try it and you will love it, I promise.

Dave,

I've got an article coming out in the Nov/Dec WCT about this. Really quick, Solar Seal is a chemical cure (outdoor only use), self leveling (no tooling) product that in most cases requires bond breaker installation before application especially with larger gaps. In my experience it cures to a milky clear color. It is highly adhesive which makes it difficult, from my perspective, to work with with small or large gaps.

WCT - Any alternatives? PM me...if you don't want to spoil your article...or put a teaser out.

Dave,

It's currently at the printers so it won't be that long before it is delivered. Although I don't recommend a specific product in the article, in my classes I recommend CWS (Contractor Weatherproof Sealant) from Dow Corning. It belongs with the 790 series which is considered the best adhesive sealant in the business. It doesn't come in clear, but you can color match most common colored structures.

You can find out more by going to dow corning and looking at it under the products tab.

If you prefer a thinner product, but still want good adhesion and cohesion, look at NovaFelx. The translucent dries to a chalky white, but the other colors work very well. According to their sales rep, the only difference between the metal roof sealant and the door & trim sealant is more colors with the door & trim. They will do custom colors as well with a very minimal order of two cases (24 cartridges).

However, if you're looking at using sausages versus cartridges, then you'd be limited to the CWS. In future issues, I'll be reviewing the Cox Powered Sausage gun. It isn't an everyday tool, especially when doing a lot of ladder work, but I was able to run 16 sausages (32 cartridges equivalent) through it on a single charge multiple times with output per sausage based on speed control running from 3 minutes to 20 minutes.

How about a clear paintable caulk?

Travis - Thanks for the vote of confidence in Solar Seal. I ordered some to test.

Your very welcome Dave. I use a ton of the stuff and love it.

Geo-cell, or pro-seal are very good, paintable caulks. Good adhesion, and minimal shrinkage. Wide latitude as to temperature, as well.

How do you guys like lexel? I like the way that It cures and
Bonds but I don't like the way it applies that much.
Osi on the other hand has a very nice texture for applying
But i don't like how it will get a grayish color to
It after a few months.

Alaska Viking - I will check them out. Actually, I am looking to replace my hot weather caulk.

Yeah - Lexel is nice. We are using a sister product...through the roof. Same chemistry...different label...and pricing. Chemical companies like to sell the same product to different markets...at different price points.

We like it when rain is in forcast. We have trouble when the substrate temperature is hot...or in direct sun. In this case, we just apply and spray the bead with water. The manufacturer's chemist says that it is fine to do. However, it takes extra time.....so I am looking for summer alternative.

How is OSI quad in the summer? Any sagging? We have used it....I just forget the issue.

Geocell looks promising!

In the middle of summer I switch to maxima
Instead of the lexel because it is too runny in extreme
Heat. It's fine in heat once it cures but it's too thin to use
In the middle of summer.

maxima caulk not showing up on google. Got more info? Manufacturer?

Sorry just realized I wrote maxima instead of
Ultima

We use geo cell, it is not great when it rains! Also a big fan of NP1 for colors

We have tried thru a referral the lexel product but we didnt like it or will purchase it again.

What does it do in the rain? Seems like the chemistry would be fine...

Solar Seal has to be ordered here making it to much hassle. (I did like it for log/type structures.....

NP1 does not hold up under direct sunlight (2 years on a roof in Arizona)

pro-seal is messy

Geo-cell I don't like,,,,hard for me to get a nice bead.....

Quad has a longer tip making it beneficial on log homes

I have been using loctite Polyseamseal since it came out with great results. I tool it always

How did quad handle (application) in your heat?

Do you guys use hand guns or electric?

my humble option says,,,,,,,,,,,, that all sealants should be maintained at a temperature of no less then 10 degrees below ambient temperature,,,,,,, unless you are below a certain parallel it goes up from there.............

70 degree caulk is the bomb...........

70 degree substrate is the bomb too.

I asked about electric guns, because the gentleman that said he cant get a good head with geocell, that would make sense if you are using tradition hand gun, the stuff is so darn thick nearly impossible to pump

So how long does it take for solar seal to dry clear? It's been a week and it is still milky color on my sample. The through the roof is crystal clear and cured.

Just saw lexel first time in lowes this morning. (~$9 per tube)

Looking forward to Eric's article! Good discussion I've used quad the last few years.

I do think that while I never would have thought so before entering this exclusion arena how important the types of sealants,
hardware and other accessories essential to the job as well as how to properly employ them would be so crucial.

Lately on some follow behind bat work I'm seeing where folks tried to fill massive gaps with no backer rod or other modification
and the caulk shows that this wasn't its intended purpose.

While many learn what works on he job over time and filter their options based on that it is awesome to see an intelligent discussion
based on a variety of regions about these products pretty sure knowing the posters we are covered coast to coast.

Justin

See, this reverts back to what I said about farmers and their offspring. When Justin said, $9 a tube, I felt a cold shiver go up my spine!