soft sealant?

[finlirarn]

I am working on fixing the door threshold (a leveling strip) between the hallway and bedroom, which was previously installed a bit carelessly. In the hallway, I have tiles. Under the leveling strip, I've placed a "wood strip" that I will screw the leveling strip into. Between the wood strip and the tiles, I want to apply some sealant, as the seal will be slightly visible. If I understood correctly, you can use soft sealant... Since I am inexperienced, I am now wondering what soft sealant is, i.e., what it is called in the hardware store. I have googled soft sealant but haven't found anything that made me wiser. The seal should be light (preferably white-gray).

 

[eviljava]

Silicone (and it comes in a variety of colors)

 

[finlirarn]

Silicone (and it's available in a lot of colors)

I've got the impression that silicone also comes in lots of different types, but I might be wrong. Anyway... now I've bought something that will hopefully work. White, paintable acrylic sealant from Hornbach.

 

[eviljava]

Yes, there are different types of silicone depending on the application area. But you asked what "mjukfog" was and it is usually silicone.

 

[jtl]

I've been thinking that silicone comes in many different types too, but I might be wrong.
In any case.. now I've bought something that will hopefully work. White, paintable acrylic sealant at Hornbach.

Silicone as a sealant is fundamentally the same thing, but as you say, different manufacturers sell silicone with some different "twists." Everything from anti-mold to wet room varieties.

However, there is a big difference between silicone and acrylic sealants. A silicone seal is not paintable, so you choose the right color from the start, whereas an acrylic seal should be painted over (otherwise, it can look a bit dull after a while). Silicone can handle larger temperature variations than acrylic and is more elastic, but for indoor use, this is usually not a problem. The silicone seal is also better when it needs to be completely tight and shouldn't let anything through. In wet areas (shower, bath, kitchen, laundry room, etc.), silicone seal is always used except for woodwork that requires painting where acrylic is needed.

Even if you happen to get silicone in the wrong place and remove it immediately so no residue is visible, it can be almost impossible to paint that area without cleaning it mechanically or with strong solvents.

I prefer to use silicone around thresholds because I don't have to paint, the seal looks good as it is and lasts for a long time.

A tip is to read the ingredient declarations on the cans. Then you'll notice that paint sealant or latex sealant is essentially an acrylic sealant, wet room sealant is a silicone sealant, etc.

Best regards,
Tobbe

 

[eviljava]

an acrylic sealant, however, should be painted over (it's easy for it to look a bit dull after a while otherwise).

Correct!

Besides the fact that they seem to "attract" more dirt compared to silicone, they yellow over time. I have an acrylic sealant in one place that I haven't gotten around to painting over (I always forget) and it is now quite yellow. Initially, it was as white as the wall next to it and that's probably why I missed painting there...

I agree that silicone would probably have been better around thresholds and similar areas. I personally only use acrylic sealant in places that I know I will paint over.

 

[finlirarn]

Yes, there are different types of silicone depending on the application. But you asked what mjukfog was and it is usually silicone.

Why do you think I wrote text before the question?

 

[finlirarn]

#5
Thank you for the detailed response.

 

[eviljava]

Why do you think I wrote text before the question?

Exactly! The answer you got initially was based on the "text" in your question. Silicone would have been the most suitable choice, and to my knowledge, that's exactly the answer you got?

 

[finlirarn]

Exactly! The answer you received initially was based on the "text" in your question. Silicone would have been the most appropriate choice, and to my knowledge, that was precisely the answer you received?

Okay, as long as it's silicone, it will work then? The first available one that says silicone is good enough? I'm shocked, I had no idea it was that simple :O

 

[Jan-Å]

>finlirarn and eviljava
I suggest that you drop the discussion about silicon now, the question has already been answered.

 

[eviljava]

You described using a flexible sealant for a threshold indoors (between tiles and wood if I understood correctly?). For this, silicone sealant is typically used. It's that simple. The differences in silicones usually come down to mold inhibitors (for wet areas), color, etc. For most people, this is quite obvious when standing by the store shelf choosing a tube.

Sure... you can also use acrylic sealant, but it requires painting (if you want it to look nice).
Therefore, acrylic sealant is usually not chosen for what you described.

With that, I'll end this discussion (since the question has indeed been answered multiple times).

 

[finlirarn]

Okay, then we'll wrap up the discussion, but I hope it's okay if I add a few closing words as well.

For most people, this is quite obvious when you're standing in front of the store shelf and choosing a tube.

For me, it wasn't even obvious which of the many shelves with tubes I should look at when I was looking for fogmassa for the first time :blushing:....

However, I'm starting to learn now, so soon I'll also be at the level where I would appreciate a concise answer like "Silicone." But if you're a complete novice like I was when I wrote the question, well, then you'd like to know a little more

Take care everyone, and thanks for all the answers!