OEMs: Ensure Your Windows are Installed with the Right Sealant Technology 

As a window manufacturer, it is essential to develop products that supply strong, long-lasting protection to a home or building. However, a manufacturer must also ensure their windows are able to be properly installed so the windows reach their full end-use performance potential. 

One way to ensure this is to provide the right installation sealant. This allows a manufacturer to build trust with installers by guiding them to a product the manufacturer knows will efficiently seal the window and provide long lasting performance. Therefore, to ensure the window installation sealant is the right one for a manufactured window, it’s important the sealant technology can: 

• Protect against seasonal weather conditions  
• Offer compatibility with surrounding building materials 
• Mitigate air seepage  

However, while all window sealant technologies should offer these capabilities, their specifics vary. Learn about different sealant technologies and the value each provide to ensure you’re able to select the right kind for your windows, enabling them to achieve their end-use performance potential upon installation.  

#1: Protect against seasonal weather conditions 

When manufacturers choose a sealant for window installation, it’s important for them to think about its ability to maintain performance in fluctuating environments. While most sealants will hold during initial application, they may not last long if their technologies are vulnerable to certain weather conditions.  Therefore, manufacturers need to consider which sealant technology is best equipped to handle the conditions at hand. Here are some examples of weather conditions and which technologies work best:  

• Acrylic sealant technology can reduce surface heat, making this installation sealant a useful option for warm climates. It also can prevent cracking from high temperatures due to its flexible, rubber material. Additionally, acrylic sealants can rely on UV light for curing rather than an extra heat source, which improves curing time and requires less energy consumption. 
• Silicone sealant technology is helpful and reliable in places where moisture is a constant concern. Silicone is water-resistant and a popular choice for both residential and commercial construction due to its durability and ease of use. It also can easily prevent leaks and mildew as a flexible material. 
• Polymer sealant technology is useful in areas where temperatures may cause expansion or contracting, including colder climates. Polymers create a flexible seal and use environmental moisture for curing. Further, it can be applied in freezing temperatures if necessary. 

#2: Offer compatibility with building materials surrounding the window 

Along with considering the seasonal weather conditions, the window sealant must also be compatible with the building materials around it. Different substrates can require different sealant technologies for a reliable end-use performance that protects against factors such as moisture and extreme temperatures. When choosing a sealant for window installation, consider how key technologies perform depending on certain building materials: 

• Acrylic sealants are ideal for interior building materials surrounding the window, because they have low VOCs and no strong odor. Acrylics can also be painted to match indoor finishes and are easy to clean due to their water-based formula if there is excess caulking. They are also compatible with indoor and outdoor plastics, concrete, wood and metal substrates. 

• Silicone sealants are among the most popular choices for exterior or interior building materials surrounding the windows, because they can withstand hot or cold temperatures and cure fast. Silicones are also compatible with many building material substrates, including plastic, metal and glass. While many options are clear, some are available in white, black or gray to match window finishes, providing a fast option for builders to provide a completed design aesthetic to the project.  
• Polyurethane sealants work well on wood or aluminum building materials that surround the window and are known for weatherproofing window exteriors. Additionally, they can be painted while still providing a strong seal, which increases design and style options. 

#3: Mitigate air seepage 

Windows play an important role in how much air seepage occurs. The right sealant during installation can help mitigate this, improving energy efficiency and reducing heating and cooling costs. Consider how different technologies address this: 

• Acrylic technology provides a flexible seal that is resistant to cold and hot temperatures. This helps protect porous surfaces, such as brick and concrete, that may not resist cold air well. Additionally, it blocks possible nooks or cracks around windows where dust and other debris can enter.   
• Silicone technology offers pliable, temperature resistance to thermal expansion and contraction, making it one of the go-to choices for insulating windows. Silicone also provides better durability with both high and low temperatures compared to rubber sealants, lowering chances of cracking or breakage over time.  
• Hybrid polymer technology offers benefits of both silicone and polyurethane sealants to protect windows from air seepage. Also known as modified silicone technology, it possesses flexibility to expand and contract, which prevents cracking from temperature changes as well as shrinkage. Further, it offers improved UV resistance, which means it resists discoloration, cracking and loss of elasticity over time, which protects the window from leaking. Hybrid polymer technology is also isocyanate and solvent free, which improves worker and occupant safety.  

How Bostik Can Help You Find the Right Sealant for Your Products  

Our Bostik team understands you have a variety of needs when choosing the right window installation sealant products. Our sealants provide weather protection and substrate compatibility to many common building materials, such as glass, vinyl, metals, plastics, aluminum and wood. Additionally, our sealants offer high green strength with a fast-curing rate and maintain performance even under extreme temperatures, wind and barometric pressure.  

Want to learn about these sealant technologies and test them with your windows? Contact a Bostik representative today! 

Learn more about our construction sealants here, and check out this relevant content:  

Are Your Window and Door Sealants Meeting Performance Needs? 

How Modified Silicone Sealants Make Window and Door Manufacturing Easy 

5 Advantages to Using Modified Silicone Backbedding Sealants