Joint Sealing

Joints are essential features of modern buildings and structures. They allow for shrinkage, contraction, expansion and other movements which cause tensile or compressive stress. Shear movements, design tolerances and breaks between phases of construction are also accommodated by joints.

Joints cannot be left open. Any kind of joint that might be penetrated by wind, dirt, water or other undesirable material needs to be sealed.

After a building has been completed, joints are a small, usually unnoticed part of the whole. But if joints are not properly designed and sealed against wind and weather, the result can lead to total failure of the structure- larger the project, the greater the disaster.

If the sealing of exterior joints is concerned with keeping the elements out, interior joint sealing fulfills rather different functions. In addition to ensuring a joint impenetrable to moisture, there are many other important considerations: hygiene, acoustics, interior décor and finishes-there are even aspects of safety.