Drying time for silicone sealant - how to speed up the process?

Most construction and repair work cannot be done without sealant. This adhesive composition is especially often used in the bathroom: it is necessary for installing plumbing, sealing joints, seams. How much the silicone sealant dries will depend on the specific variety of the product, the conditions for its application. If desired, the drying period can be accelerated by the simplest methods.

Content:

• What is sealant
• Scope of application
• Varieties of sealants
• How much does the sealant dry?
• Acid and Neutral Compounds
• Drying by application
• Features of drying of sanitary sealant
• Characteristics and drying speed of the Moment sealant
• Drying speed of silicone sealant neutral "Moment Germent"
• How to speed up drying
• How to accelerate the polymerization

What is sealant

This is a viscous or pasty mass based on polymers, which is applied to various compounds to prevent leakage or penetration of moisture, air. Despite the existence of different types of sealants in composition, silicone is the most popular and popular everywhere. They are based on artificial rubber (silicone) and contain additional substances:

• plasticizers - increase elasticity;
• vulcanizers - are responsible for the curing of the composition;
• fillers - optimize the properties of the material, including adhesion.

Silicone sealants cure at room temperature. Thanks to the special texture, they easily fill cracks, crevices, microdamages. Sealants are moisture resistant, tolerate temperature extremes, therefore, are widely used for waterproofing various rooms.

Scope of application

Silicone-based products are considered universal, therefore they are used to protect and seal completely different surfaces and structures. Most formulations are suitable for both outdoor and indoor use, although some are recommended for indoor use only. Silicone is especially suitable for bathtubs with the purpose of sealing the joints between the bathtub, shower, sink and wall or installing plumbing.

Sealants also have other applications:

• assembly of plastic and metal products;
• various works in mechanical engineering, machine tool industry;
• construction, overhaul and cosmetic repairs;
• closing cracks when installing windows, doors;
• gluing tiles, stone blocks;
• various installation actions;
• hardening of mirrors;
• work with sewer pipes, water supply;
• wiring installation.

Varieties of sealants

Depending on the type of curing, all silicone products are divided into two groups:

1. Acidic (vinegar). The composition includes acetic or other acid, so they have a characteristic pungent odor. These products can not be used on metal, as they cause rapid rusting of this material.Also, most acidic sealants are able to spoil marble, other types of stone are harmful to concrete surfaces. Such products are well suited for ceramics, glass, wood, plastic.
2. Neutral More expensive in price, but completely safe for materials and humans. Vulcanizers in them are alcohols, amines or amides. They are odorless, non-toxic, suitable for any reason, without exception. Some formulations are suitable even for aquariums.

Separately, indicate sanitary sealant - a tool with the addition of fungicides (antifungal additives). Most of them have a neutral reaction, although acid formulations are also available. Such tools are recommended for use in the bathroom, because they prevent the growth of mold, waterproof, do not darken over time.

How much does the sealant dry?

So that the result of the repair work is excellent, you can not start using the surfaces until the sealant has completely dried. The exact polymerization time of the composition depends on many factors. The curing process proceeds in stages:

• in 15-25 minutes, the topmost layer sets, a thin film forms, while the sealant ceases to adhere to the skin when touched;
• the deeper layers of the product solidify at a speed of about 2-3 mm per day.

Thus, the time of complete polymerization strongly depends on the thickness of the layer: the larger it is, the longer should be the period before the start of operation. Knowing the thickness of the seam, you can roughly calculate the drying time. During the drying period, the surface must be protected from dust, temperature changes, mechanical stress.

Acid and Neutral Compounds

Acidic compounds quickly seize under the influence of water, steam. When sealing a small product, you can put it in a bag, put a piece of damp cloth in the same place, place it on the battery or in another warm place. The vulcanization of the acid sealant in this case will occur in a couple of hours. In standard situations, it takes 4–9 hours to dry the acid composition.

Neutral sealants dry longer. If the room has a positive temperature, and the surface has been previously cleaned of dirt, dust, grease, then drying will last about a day. When the air temperature rises above +40 degrees, the seam structure may be violated, since the evaporation of alcohol from a neutral sealant in such conditions occurs too quickly.

Drying by application

To sealant dried faster, you need to choose the composition according to the manufacturer's recommendations - it must comply with the operating conditions. All funds can be classified into the following groups:

• for rooms with high humidity;
• for outdoor work;
• for internal work.

Different sealants contain different additives, plasticizers and modifiers that can change the drying speed. In hard-to-reach areas where there is no free movement of air, the joints dry longer. Most sealants can be used at + 5 ... + 40 degrees, and the drying time at + 30 ... + 40 degrees will be much less than at +20. In winter, it is better not to work with sealants on the street - most products are not able to form a high-quality seam in such conditions.

Features of drying of sanitary sealant

In the bathroom, it makes sense to use only sanitary sealant - a composition in which fungicidal additives are added to prevent mold. When closing the joint between the wall and the bathroom, the sealing joint is usually made thick and wide, so it will take a long time to dry.Despite the manufacturer's instructions that the composition dries for about a day, it is better to wait at least 48 hours - only during this period the product will undergo complete polymerization.

Characteristics and drying speed of the Moment sealant

The transparent sealing agent of the Moment brand is made on the basis of silicone and is used to repair windows, plastic and glass doors, and when tiling the bathroom and kitchen. This tool is very resistant to temperature extremes, moisture, atmospheric factors, and hardens under the influence of air.

The main technical characteristics of the composition are as follows:

• specific gravity - 0.99 g / ml;
• extrusion rate - 320 g / min;
• drying time to the third degree (on tack) - 15 minutes at +23 degrees, humidity 50%;
• recommended operating temperature –40 ... + 150 degrees;
• the approximate polymerization rate for a layer of 2 mm is 24 hours.

To understand whether the “Moment” has dried up or not, you can use the feature of this product to give off a light specific smell, which disappears after polymerization. If there are no extraneous “aromas” in the seam area, then it is likely to dry out well.

Drying speed of silicone sealant neutral "Moment Germent"

This tool is a one-component neutral sealant, which is made on the basis of silicone polymer. It can be used for external and internal works, it is suitable for gluing products and sealing any joints, crevices. The manufacturer notes that a layer of 3 mm dries for about a day, if the temperature is close to +23 degrees, humidity - to 50%. The surface film appears in 10–20 minutes, and the top layer of sealant stops sticking. In order not to damage the seam, you can not expose it to any mechanical stress until the complete polymerization.

How to speed up drying

If there is no time to wait for the sealant to dry, you can use the methods of accelerating its polymerization:

• Temperature rise. To make the room warmer, they include a household heater, a heat gun. It is only important to monitor the temperature rise, because with its growth over +40 degrees, the composition may deteriorate.
• Activation of air movement. Airing or turning on the fan speeds up the freezing of the composition.
• Humidity increase. From direct contact with water, the properties of the sealant may change, so only lightly spraying an already dried seam from an aerosol and spraying water vapor in the room are allowed. Acid sealants react especially well to such actions. Neutral formulations are best dried with enhanced room ventilation.

How to accelerate the polymerization

Some methods of accelerating the drying of the sealant can cause damage to it. These include:

• blowing with a hairdryer;
• exposure to a gas burner;
• immersion of the product in water;
• decrease in temperature in the room.

In order not to redo the work anew, it is better to use only proven methods to accelerate the polymerization or wait for the sealant to dry naturally. The silicone compound will reliably protect the seams and joints, will serve for a long time without darkening and rid the bathroom and other rooms of the fungus.