Low tack sealant?

[Christian McArdle]

Can anyone suggest some sort of low tack silicone type sealant?

I have a number of extremely leaky sash windows that don't even have weights/sash cord etc. They are currently blowing a gale. I'm intending to totally renovate them next summer (i.e. removal, dip, reglaze, weatherstrip etc. However, it would be nice not to get an arctic gale in the neck when sitting there until then.

What I would like to do is just seal them shut with silicone until then. However, silicone is a bitch to remove, so would prefer some equivalent without the same level of stickiness and stretchiness. Any ideas?

Christian.

[Christian McArdle]

I haven't actually used it much. Would it be easy to scrape off months after the event?

Christian.

[Andy Hall]

I wonder whether acrylic sealer would be a bit less of a problem, but it would need to be tried first. I used some around a door frame and ended up replacing it because it didn't stick very well.

Alternatively, how about some foam strip draught excluder. That would at least cut down the draughts considerably and be easy to remove afterwards.

I assume you're going to rip all the windows out and replace with uPVC with triple glazing ;-)

[Andy Hall]

It hardens as the linseed oil soaks into the wood or generally disappears. Since you would mainly be going onto paint, I assume, it might not be too bad. Any that does go hard should scrape or sand off reasonably easily - certainly not as bad as silicone.

Somehow we're back to that TV presenter again :-)

[Steve Firth]

You can stop sealants sticking to surfaces by silicone greasing the surface before applying the sealant, though the sealant way well then fall out all by itself and you'll never be able to paint the surface without some serious use of solvents to remove the grease.

[Set Square]

Have you thought of using non-drying bedding sealant (Caraseal) as used on caravans? This will remain softish, and will scrape off - with the remainder coming off with white spirit. You'd need to tape over any exposed bits to stop other things from sticking to the sealant.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

[Christian McArdle]

It does sound like it might be suitable. The surfaces to be sealed are solvent painted and will be stripped back to bare wood subsequently.

Christian.

[Christian McArdle]

That would certainly work. However, with about 10m to seal, I think I might be benefitting the shareholders more than I would like!

Hmmm. Sounds like more hassle that I'd like, though.

Christian.

[Christian McArdle]

Unfortunately, the sealant bead would be in a location somewhat prone to being brushed against, which might not make me very popular!

Christian.

[Andy Hall]

The only thing that occurs to me is that the putty might crack as the windows move in the frames. I suppose you could wedge them with slivers of wood though....

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Gaffer will hold for several months if the paint is reasonable. The adhesive will come off with solvent.

[Simon Stroud]

Or similarly to the putty suggestion, maybe plumbers mait.

I just pulled out a load that was theoretically filling the joint between a pedestal and basin that I put in about 3 years ago. It had recently gone particularly wobbly, so much so that the pedestal could be wiggled out after taking out the two floor screws.

Before redoing the job with silicone (which will now hopefully last forever) it was very easy to peel off the plumbers mait, and the resulting chunk, after a bit of kneading, was almost identical to fresh stuff out of the tub - it didn't seem to have set at all. Might be worth a try.

Regards, Simon.

[Mark]

acrylic frame sealant, it will skin but stay reasonably soft on the inside for several months.

-- Mark

[The Natural Philosopher]

Try decorators caulk. Maybe grease up teh slides first.

But silicnes is peelable off wood usually.

[Christian McArdle]

Especially as I have a large tub sitting around. Odd stuff this Mait. Everyone seems to buy a tub, thinking it must be needed for some plumbing tasks, but it very rarely is.

Christian.

[N. Thornton]

In message 41c6cea8$0$16573$ [e-mail] From: Christian McArdle ( [e-mail]) Subject: Low tack sealant?

intending to

weatherstrip

equivalent

This is an easy one. Put a fat short screw in the side between sash and bead, one each side, this will press the sash firmly against the other bead, stopping draughts.

Dipping and reglazing however are not such good ideas, and not really part of good sash window renovation practice. For more info:

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Ideal for bedding in wastes to basins, etc. Especially ceramic or cast types which can be quite uneven.

[Christian McArdle]

But I, along with anyone I've ever spoken to, always end up removing the mait and replacing with silicone, which actually does the job!

Christian.

[Michael Mcneil]

I wish this f****it thornton would get a decent newsreader.