Polyseamseal EST Speed Seal Henkel Corporation's new Polyseamseal EST Speed Seal is a 100-percent silicone kitchen and bath sealant that is shower-ready only two hours after application. Featuring enhanced silicone technology (EST), the ultra-fast-dry system is ideal when quick use of bathrooms and kitchens is essential, such as in the 53 percent of U.S. homes with 1-1/2 bathrooms or less. Many competitive sealants require a 4- to 36-hour waiting period before water exposure (www.polyseamseal.com <http://www.polyseamseal.com/> ).
DAP 3.0 Advanced Sealants The new line of DAP 3.0 Advanced Sealants features DAP's Kwik Dry Technology enabling the sealants to be exposed to water in just three hours without washing out. For outdoor applications, this also means not having to wait for ideal weather conditions to undertake a project. The DAP 3.0 lineup includes five distinct options for concrete, gutters, roofs, kitchens and more. Mold and mildew resistant, the 3.0 sealants offer superior paintability and are easier to tool and less stringy than silicone. GE Silicone II The new GE Silicone II product line is made of 100-percent premium silicone and, like the DAP 3.0 sealants, the Silicone II sealants are water-ready in only three hours. Plus, a paintable formula is ready for paint in just 30 minutes. The permanent flexibility of the silicone keeps it from breaking down so it can protect a home as the seasons change and joints expand and contract. The new GE sealants come with 5-year mold-free product protection that helps keep the cured caulk mold- and mildew-free and looking clean for five years, with regular cleaning. At the time of publication, the Silicone II sealant was the first and only caulk to attain the NAHB Research Center National Green Building Certification. The SMART Prime and Repair System The SMART Prime and Repair System from Gardner-Gibson provides a healthier solution for priming, caulking and patching walls with a new zero-VOC, virtually odorless formula. The three products in the system include SMART Elastomeric Caulk & Sealant, SMART Stain-Hide Primer/Sealer and SMART Non-Shrink Wall Fix Spackling. The new family of products helps preserve healthy indoor air quality with no harmful chemicals or noxious odors. In doing so, the SMART products also address the growing trend of people with asthma, allergies and other breathing conditions at home and in the workplace. "SMART products are perfect to prepare walls while people are still working or living in the spaces," says Morton Jones, director of research and development for Gardner-Gibson. "It's almost turned painting into an 'invisible process' with no odors." EcoGlue Extreme Adhesive & Sealant For the green-minded handyman, EcoGlue Extreme from Eclectic Products is a high-performance polyether with moisture-cure technology that is 100-percent solids, solvent-free and contains less than 2-percent VOC. It's environmentally friendly without sacrificing strength, providing "instant grab" adhesion on a wide variety of substrates for a lasting weather-tight seal, even in difficult wet-application conditions. EcoGlue Extreme is suitable for both vertical and overhead applications and can be painted after 24 hours. It contains no odor and is safe to use indoors or in confined spaces. Eclectic Products also offers EcoGlue Premium Wood Adhesive. Gorilla Glue Impact-Tough Epoxy The makers of Gorilla Glue now offer a new Gorilla Epoxy with high impact resistance and an uncommonly strong bond in a formula that takes only five minutes to set. Many quick-setting epoxies create a brittle bond, requiring jobs to be re-done. The new epoxy formula utilizes urethane hybrid technology to improve overall strength and flexibility for a permanent fix the first time. The low-VOC two-part epoxy comes in a single-plunger, dual-tube applicator to easily extrude equal parts of the product so the user can easily mix them together to begin the curing process. The Gorilla formula bonds steel, wood, aluminum, ceramic and more. DAP Pro Caulk Tool Kit Applying caulks and sealants is typically messy and time consuming. But with the new DAP Pro Caulk caulking tools you can seal like a professional in minutes. The kit contains four tools with a variety of edge sizes and shapes. There's a tool for smoothing larger joints and a tool for smaller joints and grouting tile. Also included is a mini-tool for smoothing joints in hard to reach places, as well as a caulk-removal tool. To use the Pro Caulk system, simply select the tool according to the size of the joint being sealed and the finish desired. Applying even pressure, quickly slide the tool along the joint for a perfect finish. DAP Pro Caulk tools are made from DuraFlex and are easy to clean with water or mild dishwashing detergent. Amazing Goop Anti-Skid Epoxy with Grit Amazing Goop is a line of high-performance adhesives for a wide array of uses. Now available is the Amazing Goop Anti-Skid Epoxy with Grit, which comes in an aerosol spray can for easy application to anything that needs extra grip. the product on a ladder, but it's suitable for interior or exterior use on wood, concrete, metal, fiberglass, tile and other surfaces. It dries quickly, offers firm footing even in wet conditions and is even friendly on bare feet. Famocrete Instant Concrete Repair Famocrete Instant Concrete Repair is a rigid, sag-resistant polyurethane repair product for broken or spalled concrete. This two-part product comes in a ready-to-use universal cartridge tube, which mixes the product at the point of application. Famocrete is easy to apply, consists of 100-percent solids and cures quickly to form a strong bond to concrete sidewalks, driveways, curbs, pillars and more. The repairs set quickly, and once cured the product is sandable, grindable and paintable. Big Stretch As far as workability and stretchability, it's hard to top the Big Stretch caulk from Sashco. It spreads as easily as mayonnaise and is ideal for filling large gaps where acrylic latex would normally shrink and pull away from the joint. In fact, Big Stretch can be used to span gaps as wide as 2 inches (with use of a backer rod) and its superior adhesion and flexibility means it will stay in place, capable of stretching more than twice its original size. Green Glue Noiseproofing Compound The Green Glue Noiseproofing System is designed to substantially reduce noise transmission between rooms. The system consists of Green Glue Noiseproofing Compound, Clips, Sealant and Joist Tape. When applied between two sheets of drywall, plywood or other building substrate, Green Glue Noiseproofing Compound drastically reduces noise transfer from one room to the next by as much as 90 percent, including low frequency sounds that are normally resistant to soundproofing. Green Glue Noiseproofing Sealant plugs up easily overlooked gaps and leaks in walls and ceilings that contribute significantly to noise transfer. Both the Green Glue Compound and Sealant are non-toxic, environmentally responsible and contain no VOCs or hazardous odors. (www.greengluecompany.com <http://www.greengluecompany.com/> .) Prep Steps for Sealant Success Don't skip the preparation for your caulking job, or you'll likely be revisiting it for a clean-out and reapplication. This "zipping" bead of silicone sealant drooping off a window at the EHT office was most likely applied to a dirty surface. This is an example of caulking done the wrong way. Before you begin your project, remove all dust and debris from the substrate and use a cleaner on smooth surfaces to eliminate any oils or other residues. Make sure the substrate is dry before applying. When tooling the bead, work the product down into the joint. Temperature can also affect the size of the joint. According to the experts at Henkel, it's best to apply caulk between 50 and 90 degrees F. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
