Construction Sealant

In my experience with caulk products over many years nothing compares. My regret is that I didn't find it sooner. I was happy to find silicone after watching cheap contractor caulk used in building our new home dry, shrivel, and crack before the home was a year old. And virtually no flex if there is any movement. 100% Silicone has it's merits, if you're satisfied with its color, because its non-paintable. It's also very hard to clean-up and remove now or later, and can be difficult to work with as it can get messy and you have just a few minutes to work it. And even after it dries, it attracts dust and whatever's in the air, regardless of whether it's clear silicone or colored. And it's not cheap. However. it does the job, holds up against the elements for years, works well if you don't want to paint, and it flexes. But the other issues just mentioned sent me on a journey of research and it paid off. Sika has a number of great sealants formulated for various needs. I generally use the PRO Select Construction Sealant around the house. I've also used the product designed for mortar. Some products are "no-sag" and others are self-leveling. It goes on smooth, is easier to work with, is less messy, has a longer working time, and easier to clean up than silicone. If you make a mistake or touch another surface with it you can often remove it with a damp rag. If sitting a while, citric orange solvent generally takes care of it. It also readily takes paint, which is recommended outdoors if you want it to last. Without paint, it doesn't hold up quite as well to UV and the elements as silicone, although much better compared to cheap caulk. This stuff also flexes, reducing the chance of separation in the event there's surface movement. It also doesn't dry up or degrade in the tube as fast as silicone. Another thing I learned recently. I came across a couple tubes 2 years past their expiration date and the product in both tubes performed like new. It's not cheap and some folks complain there's less in a standard tube than other caulks. But this is minor stuff if you want the best sealant for all the reasons I just covered.

Great stuff seals well

This sealant goes on smoothly, seals tightly and is very white. It is tooled easily and seals great. Most of the tubes I used did not have air pockets that caused them to ooze after trigger release. The surface skins over but it feels very rubbery. It sticks to my white plastic windows very nicely. Much better than the acrylic caulks I used prior to finding this caulk.

Polyurethane is the hardest caulk to clean-up because it sticks phenomenally to just about anything. It also has long-life in exterior (UV, water, temperature), and is generally paintable. I particularly use this for masonry projects (which is what Sika is well-known for). It's a great product, with consistent coloring across batches. You can even apply it to pretty green/fresh concrete. Why 4/5 star? I wish it had a removable tip, which would make reuse after storage easier. I also wish the tip was shorter - it's hard to stab the metal seal when the tip is only cut to a fine point.

I've been painting houses for 25 years. This is the only exterior caulk that I use..

I bought this by mistake. I meant to get the self leveling sealant. This stuff is gooey and not self leveling, but it’s OK. It’s intended for use on vertical surfaces. I used it anyhow, it worked out OK. (The self leveling stuff worked much better for my application ) I just wanted to reiterate, somebody in the comments said they automatically assumed that the tube had hardened and then when interacting with customer service, they said you got a poke a hole in the inner foil seal, somebody else in the comments said they’ve got the first tube and it was hard in the second tube was hard also, but I think that person made the same mistake! They didn’t know you’re supposed to puncture the thin foil inner seal down inside the nozzle.

This is a great product, but it would not stick to the plastic walls of my inflatable hot tub. I ended up using non-hardening RV roof sealant, which was just a little better.

As my home ages, things are aging and requiring repair. This certainly applies to the expansion joints around my house. Most specifically where the garage floor meets the drive way is the bane of my existence. As time and the weather have shortly chipped away at the board like material, I found my self having to constantly clean out all the debris that would accumulate from my chores and hobbies that I commonly worked on in my garage. Add insult to injury a beautiful Cactus Wren and it's family have made it their goal in life to pick through the gap now open vacated by the expansion board. Every morning I had to clean the mess that they would make sibling their beaks and dislodging more of the the old board. I finally had enough, I researched the various makers, I found the products at the big box stores had much to be desired with quality, plus when trying to use one of them the ease of use and flow didn't really help as I found myself squeezing the heck out of the caulk gun. Ultimately I removed the other product and got this brand. I found that once it was dried the durability, versatility was second to none. I used this product in the above mentioned area with a great result. The adhesion that this stuff has is awesome, allowing me to use in walls, floors, and even around metal that was anchored in the concrete but had developed cracks around the insertion site. I now keep at least one of these tubes around because I'm always finding another use and I have since noticed the Cactus Wren is now working in my neighbors driveway - which is fine by me.