Specialised Coatings & Sealants in Reem Island

Four sealant families, four very different jobs. The right one depends on the substrate, the movement capacity required, whether it'll be painted, and whether it'll see fuel or chemicals.

1. 01

   Joint geometry

   Width-to-depth ratio target 2:1 (e.g. 20 mm wide → 10 mm deep).

   Survey

2. 02

   Backer rod

   Closed-cell foam, 25–30% wider than the joint, inserted to set depth.

   Per joint

3. 03

   Masking

   Tape along both edges of the joint for a clean line.

   Per joint

4. 04

   Primer (where required)

   Substrate-specific primer, dry to touch before sealant.

   Apply · TDS cure

5. 05

   Sealant

   Gun-applied, tooled to a concave hourglass profile.

   Per joint

6. 06

   De-mask & cure

   Tape pulled while sealant is still tacky; cure per TDS.

   24–72 hr cure

• Expansion joints
• Construction joints
• Control joints
• Window perimeters
• Door perimeters
• Façade joints
• Wet-area perimeters
• Trafficked floor

• 

  The Address Boulevard Hotel

  Dubai · 2023

  Façade joint sealing across hotel envelope

• 

  Dubai Hills Villas

  Dubai Hills · 2024

  Perimeter and wet-area sealing for cluster villas

• 

  Jumeirah Golf Villas

  Dubai · 2023

  Movement joints across podium decks

• When do I need PU vs silicone?

  PU for concrete movement joints, trafficked joints, and anywhere you need a paintable surface. Silicone (neutral cure) for glass, façade and perimeter sealing where movement is high and paint isn't required. We never use acetoxy silicone on concrete — it acid-attacks the substrate.

• How long do sealants last in UAE sun?

  PU: 10–15 years. Silicone neutral: 20+ years if installed correctly. Polysulphide and MS polymer: 15–20 years. The biggest factor isn't the sealant — it's whether the joint geometry and primer were right at install.

• Can I paint over silicone?

  No. Paint does not adhere to silicone. If the joint needs to be painted, specify PU, polysulphide or MS polymer instead.

• What's a backer rod and why does it matter?

  Closed-cell foam rod sized 25–30% wider than the joint, inserted to set the depth. It controls the sealant's geometry (2:1 width-to-depth) and prevents three-sided adhesion — which is what makes sealants tear under movement. No backer rod = warranty void.

• Do you do trafficable floor joints?

  Yes — Mapei Mapeflex PU45 and equivalent self-levelling PU sealants rated for foot and vehicle traffic. The joint geometry is critical: we cut and clean before injecting, never apply over old failed sealant.

• Can sealant replace waterproofing?

  No. Sealants seal joints; membranes seal surfaces. A façade needs both — sealant at the movement joints, waterproofing on the wall. Treating sealants as waterproofing is the most common reason wet-room perimeter failures happen.

• What's the warranty?

  Workmanship: 5–10 years per system. Material: per manufacturer TDS (typically 20 years on silicone neutral, 15 on PU). Joint manufacturer-applicator warranty available on Mapei Mapeflex products where the application is inspected at install.

• Can you re-seal an old joint?

  Yes — strip the old sealant, clean the substrate, insert new backer rod, prime if required, install new sealant. We don't sealant-over old sealant. Adhesion is unreliable and the failure mode is invisible from the surface.

• Waterproofing

  Sealants complement membranes at joints — they don't replace them.

• Interior & Exterior Painting

  PU and polysulphide sealants are paintable; silicone is not.