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Construction Acrylic Caulks,
Decorators Painters Mate, Prices,
Acrylic Caulks, Decorators
Painters Mate £/m Supply
and Apply Specialist Applicators
Supply and Apply Prices in UK
Construction Industry
Water based general purpose
sealants and decorators caulk. £1.20/m
The above rate does not include
over painting the bead which is required. Generally a decorator will
allow for using a caulk between two painted surfaces for gaps up to
approximately 3mm, however the extra over rate for gaps of 3 to 10mm is
£1.20/m. A gap next to a pre-finished surface should be filled using a
self finished mastic even if on of the surfaces at the junction is painted.
Forming a caulk line that cannot be completely overlapped on both surfaces
is bad practice and should be avoided, as this will cause future cleaning
and maintenance problems. You should note that this produce is
designed to be painted over as are all decorators acrylic sealants.
They cannot be rubbed down and will discolour and pick up dust and dirt if
not over painted, these unpainted caulks can blacken and promote bacterial
growth so it is essential that they are painted over completely. These
sealants and fillers are water based and usually used for gap filling down
the sides of architraves or in the top of skirting boards. Again they are
supplied in many colours and can be over-printed, some can be sanded and the
white ones can sometimes be stained but check on the tube if this is the
case.
How to use and apply Mastic type
sealants and caulks
Using a sealant, mastic or
decorators caulk application gun takes practice to get it right and even the
basics like trimming the nozzle are important. Firstly, using a sharp hobby
knife, place the nozzle on a flat surface which will not be damaged if you
cut into it. Then cut the nozzle at an angle of about 45 degrees. The higher
up the nozzle the smaller the aperture you will leave so start small and
widen, by cutting further down, if required. By cutting small, a very thin,
neat line of mastic can be applied. Wider strips are much harder to get
neat. Applying silicone mastic successfully can depend on so
many criteria. The brick or render surface next to your frame may be ragged
and uneven, in which case you will have to work harder to achieve a neat
finish. The dream scenario is a smooth and straight surface that your mastic
gun will glide over and leave a perfect line twixt frame and wall that needs
no further attention. They always say that you should start from the bottom
and work your way upwards gently squeezing the trigger of your mastic gun so
that the mastic leads into the joint before the nozzle , filling it enough
and self smoothing it as it goes without too much excess and slowing down on
the trigger pressure as it reaches its end cycle. Of course the perfect line
of mastic first time is hardly ever achievable! Most professional window
fitters will find it irresistible to not run a moistened finger down the
line to iron out any imperfections and back again in the opposite direction
to counter any drag lines. Of course for health and safety reasons you
should avoid any skin contact with silicone as it is supposed to be a
carcinogenic material and may possibly do you harm. There are devices on the
market that you can purchase that look very similar to an index finger.
Screw the nozzle onto the end of
the tube and insert into gun. Squeeze the trigger gently until you can see
the mastic appearing in the nozzle. Always have a piece of rag with you.
Place the nozzle onto the job at the same angle as the nozzle cut then lift
the handle end slightly to allow the mastic to be squeezed out. Move the gun
at the same time as pulling the trigger (this is where a little practice is
invaluable) keeping the bead of mastic uniform in thickness. Do not move too
quickly or you will "stretch" the bead, too slowly and it will distort.
The cut size of the end of
the nozzle on the end of your tube of mastic must be a tad larger than the
gap that you wish to fill. Try to cut the nozzle cleanly with a sharp craft
knife as any raggedness will affect the finished line. Gently squeeze the
mastic guns trigger and push the gun before you lightly in an upwards
direction barely making contact between the frame and brick/plaster work,
and keep a steady pressure on the trigger. There is no hurry! You can of
course reverse the way you hold your gun and apply the mastic as you drag
the line behind the nozzle from top to bottom for instance, this may require
a little more practice, but can still be very effective and is the way I
often prefer. On a basic skeleton gun be ready to push the overrun tab to
stop any unwanted flow of mastic as you reach the end of the mastic line.
Some guns do this automatically when you release the trigger pressure.
Low modulus silicone is the
trade standard for exterior applications nowadays and decorators caulk is
for inside use as it can be painted over with emulsion or oil paints as it
is a water based medium unlike silicone that resists most paints and
varnishes,.
Remember that most modern
mastic's start to 'go off' fairly quickly, so do not leave it too long
before you tidy it up wiping any excess off with a cloth or smoothing as
described above. Mastic's come in many colours from clear to white, toffee,
brown and black, so choose the colour you think will complement your
installation best and match the frame colour to suit.
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