A glazing sealant is a sealant used in the process of glazing. Glazing which derives from the Middle English for ‘glass’ is a part of a wall or window, made of glass. There are a wide variety of products that can be used to suit the wide variety of applications. There is the traditional applications including the glazing of single glass, these have developed through the years to double and triple glazed units used in homes and even in structural aluminium systems that dominate city skylines. Choosing the right product for the right application is imperative to the success of each different window system.
In traditional single glass systems, the panes are bedded and beaded with putty systems. This traditional glazing method is certainly waning with advances in window technology and the drive for greater thermal efficiency in housing. However, there are certain properties where modern glazing is not aesthetically possible. For these applications the best option is often a ‘bedded system’ this is where the base of the window unit or edge sealant is completely immersed in silicone. This is to stop water gathering and damaging the unit or causing it to leak. As the glazing sealant is coming into contact with a different technology in the edge sealant, you can only use a high quality silicone, If you were to use an extended product this would lead to unit failure, our recommended product for this application is the market leading Silfix U9. The other products used include the butyl tape system where the edge of the glass is bonded between the frame and the edge of the glass creating a seal to allow no water ingress. This all designed to prevent water passing into the dwelling and help increase the units thermal performance. The Hodgson glazing systems for these applications can be found here: https://hodgsonsealants.com/technical/glazing-systems.
