Commercial Caulking and Sealing
We recently provided caulking services as a phase of a building restoration that we performed in the Dallas, Texas metro area. On this particular phase, we are removing the old caulk around the cast stone cornice and replacing it with new NP1 caulk.
This building had failing cast stone on virtually every wall. The building owner did not have the budget to remove the stone and install new so we patched the cast stone that was chipping, removed the stone that was failing and replaced it with a plaster look-alike, we then replaced all the caulk joints around the building with NP1 caulk and painted the stone so it was uniform in color.
Caulking cracks in buildings, parking lots, and parking garages prevents damage from water and prolongs the life of the structure.
Vertical Expansion Joint Caulking
Vertical caulking is a calking application that occurs on building walls, often in masonry, concrete or tilt wall. Many construction materials such as concrete and brick expand and contract with temperature variations. Expansion joints must be cut into the building to allow the building envelope to expand without causing cracking or bowing and allow it to contract while still remaining watertight. These expansion joints must be maintained to ensure the building stays watertight.
As buildings get older, the caulk around the expansion joints, windows and other cuts starts to crack, usually on the west and south facing walls first because they receive the most sun and heat. Failing caulk usually results in water getting behind the building envelope can cause all kinds of damage and can result in mold, which requires expensive remediation. Once the building reaches 15 years, old start checking the caulk joints. If you need new caulk, we can come out and provide you with guidance on how much needs to be replaced, and provide you with an estimate to remove the old caulk and replace with new BASF MasterSeal NP1 or NP2 urethane sealant.
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Horizontal Concrete Caulking – Cracks
Horizontal caulking refers to caulking cracks in concrete on roadways, side walks, parking lots and parking garages. Cracks in a concrete surface allow water to get underneath the slab. As this happens on an open lot, it tends to wash out the sub base underneath, eventually creating a pot hole or causing the slab to move up or down. Cracks in a parking garage surface cause water leaks into the lower floors, causing mildew issues and possibly electrical problems. In addition these cracks get larger over time as water within the cracks freezes and thaws, causing the concrete to break apart.
We will saw cut (chase) the cracks out with a concrete saw, apply a primer to ensure that the caulk sticks and apply BASF Master Seal SL1 or SL2 self leveling urethane sealant. This will keep the cracks from expanding and keep water from getting underneath the concrete slab.
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Concrete Expansion Joint Caulking and Sealing
Concrete pavement will expand when it gets hot and will contract when it gets cold. For these reason the concrete slab has to be cut into sections with gaps between the sections to allow for the expansion without cracking. Contractors will often fill these cracks with red cedar or a plastic spacer in place of caulking to save money. This is a problem because it doesn’t take long for the wood to rot out and the sun will cause the plastic to disintegrate. This method also allows water to get underneath the concrete slab, potentially washing out the sub-base underneath.
We caulk concrete expansion joints with BASF Master Seal SL1 or SL2 self-leveling urethane sealant. We first prep the expansion joints with a primer to ensure the sealant adheres to the concrete. For wide expansion joints, we will add a backer rod. We then apply caulk to the expansion joint effectively sealing it off from the elements.
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