Adhesive & Sealant for Floors

Grouting and sealing the floor – An idea further thought!

Whether tile, natural stone, parquet, PVC, concrete, plastic flooring or other floor coverings, we want to offer you the right products for sealing and waterproofing in the floor connection area in the long term. Contact us and we will be happy to help you choose the right products in the floor area.

With our products you can seal and grout any floor area easily and quickly. The biggest challenge for us is to meet the different materials and requirements. Therefore, we always work with our floor and parquet joint compounds with our highest quality standards and continue to develop our products.

Elastic sealants should be used for floor and near-floor joints in interior and exterior areas with stationary loads or moving traffic (e.g. warehouses, production halls, parking decks or underground garages). Traffic and temperature-dependent component movements place high demands on the sealant's mechanical load-bearing capacity, abrasion resistance, and often also its chemical resistance. We offer a wide range of waterproofing solutions for industrial and commercial areas, parking decks, sewage treatment plants, and the food industry.

The joint between floor and wall is called an expansion joint. Expansion joints absorb movement of structural members and prevent stress cracks in the overall structure. The building components are usually made of concrete, screed or slab coverings of ceramic or natural stone.

How to joint correctly – our expert tips

To close floor joints, follow these steps:

1. Preparation: new construction or renovation
   1. Surfaces must be dry, free of dust and grease and free of non-adhering parts (rust, paint, ...) so that the sealant can adhere to them
   2. In the case of surface coatings, apply these before sealing the joints
   3. If necessary, pre-treat joint edges with Primer for better adhesion of the sealant
2. Restoration: remove old sealing material
   1. Remove old sealing material and old round cord (backfill material) thoroughly and completely, e.g. with a cutter knife or joint cutter and then clean with a vacuum Cleaner or blow out with compressed air
   2. Cleaning agents used should not leave any residue on the sealing surfaces, must be compatible with the substrates, and solvents in cleaners must flash off completely, otherwise they may affect the newly installed sealant (influencing the curing and functionality of the new sealant)
3. Placement of the sealing compounds
   1. Select and insert round cord (e.g. PE) according to the joint dimensions (approx. 20 % larger than the joint width) to avoid three-flank adhesion
   2. Do not damage backfill material during insertion
   3. Joint depth should correspond to joint width
   4. The dimensions of the joints are determined by the joint spacing, the mechanical stress and the thermal linear expansion of the building materials and should generally be at least 10 mm and max. 20 mm for expansion joints
   5. Floor joints that have been walked on should be slightly chamfered or provided with an edge protection profile to protect the concrete/screed edges, and sealant should be applied in a recessed manner
   6. For floor joints that have been walked on: choose flat flush jointing to avoid tripping hazards and unwanted absorption of liquids
   7. Protect sensitive surfaces by masking if necessary
   8. Apply sealant evenly and bubble-free into the joint
4. Apply smoothing agent
   1. Wet the smoothing tool with a suitable smoothing agent and then pull off the joint
   2. Use only suitable smoothing agent according to manufacturer's recommendations
   3. Smoothing agent residues on the joint sealant surface or on adjacent materials must be avoided
   4. When applying with a brush, wet the joint sealant only selectively and with a small amount of smoothing agent, then remove and smooth with a smoothing tool
   5. Remove excess smoothing agent immediately
   6. Remove adhesive tape if necessary
   7. Allow sealant to cure according to manufacturer's instructions / protect joint
5. Maintenance
   1. Regular control
   2. Different physical, mechanical and chemical loads can lead to defects that result in consequential damage
   3. Maintenance joints: Maintenance intervals individually depending on the area of application and the expected load
   4. Defects that can occur: chipping in the flank area, cracks in the sealant, damage to the sealant, mold, discoloration, abrasion/wear

Physical loads on floor joints

• Expansion of the sealant: cracks or tears on the bonding surfaces, tearing of the expansion joint
• Compression of the sealant: Compression of the sealant can cause the sealant to "burst". In addition, fractures may occur at the edges of the components.
• Shearing of the sealant: The bonding surfaces are displaced parallel to each other; this can also lead to tearing or cracking in the bonding surfaces, as well as cracking of the expansion joint.
• Peeling of the sealant: In this case, the components tilt apart in a trapezoidal shape
• Mechanical loads due to walking, driving and cleaning

Chemical loads in floor joints

• Type of chemical
• Concentration of the chemical
• Temperature
• Exposure time

Floor joints for PVC floors

Even though PVC is not a natural material like wood, this flooring will expand after installation or gluing. The expansion joint provides enough distance from the walls to avoid unsightly ripples. Also, to prevent moisture from getting under the floor, the expansion joint must be carefully sealed with silicone.