Sealant and Caulking

The terms are often used together, but project work is selected by joint movement, substrate, exposure, and performance. Commercial sealants are engineered elastomeric materials such as silicone, polyurethane, or hybrids. Harrowgate treats every bead as a designed joint with preparation, backer, primer, geometry, and cure, rather than relying on a generic tube product.

Backer rod sets sealant depth, supports tooling, and prevents adhesion to the joint bottom. That creates two-sided bond so the sealant can stretch between faces. Closed-cell rod also resists water absorption. Harrowgate selects an oversize diameter, installs it without puncture, and keeps splices and corners continuous before priming.

No reliable replacement leaves failed material and residue in the bond line. Harrowgate cuts out the old bead, removes residue to sound substrate, repairs weak edges, and confirms compatibility. A thin cap over aged sealant inherits its poor adhesion, unknown chemistry, dirt, and geometry, and it usually fails at the same interface.

A representative field joint is prepared with the planned cleaner, primer, backer, and sealant. After the required cure, a controlled pull exposes whether failure is adhesive at the substrate or cohesive within the sealant. Results are recorded and preparation is adjusted until the system bonds properly before large production areas proceed.

There is no universal best product. Silicone often performs well under ultraviolet exposure and at glazing or metal, while polyurethane and hybrid materials suit many concrete and traffic-adjacent joints. Movement, immersion, paint, chemicals, substrate, primer, colour, and adjacent membrane compatibility determine the approved selection for each joint type.

Splitting can come from movement beyond capacity, a narrow or deep joint, three-sided adhesion, early movement, or aged material. Pull-away points to contamination, moisture, weak substrate, missed primer, or incompatibility. Harrowgate opens the joint and identifies the failure surface before choosing material and rebuilding the geometry.

Yes. Elevations and facade bays are divided by access, weather, joint continuity, and cure. Interior or floor work is phased around production, cleaning, and traffic. Harrowgate protects open joints from rain and debris, keeps unfinished terminations watertight, and reopens each area only after the sealant and repaired substrate can accept service.