Joint Preparation
- Prepare the joints maintaining depth to width ratio as 1: 2 or as recommended by the consultant. Minimum width to depth ratio shall be maintained and in any case it shall not be less than 2
- Clean the joint to remove all loose materials, dirt, rust, lacquers, grease, bitumen and its traces, mechanically using wire brush, chisel, etc. It is also recommended to use compressed air / vacuum cleaner to remove dirt or any loose materials from the joints
- For old joints remove the existing sealant completely and clean the joint. If the joint is worn out and requires re-profiling the same shall be done either with Polymer Modified Mortar or Epoxy Mortar from the Pidilite range of products. This joint repair must be allowed to cure before taking up application of sealant.
- Insert back up material or filler board made from polystyrene to a required depth
- Insert polystyrene rod as a bond breaker over back up material
- Stick masking tape on the both edges of the joint
Priming
Prime only on two sides of the properly prepared joint surface with PIDIPRIME A with a brush. PIDIPRIME A is a single component primer suitable for both porous and non-porous surface
Mixing
- POURING GRADE sealant Dr. Fixit Pidiseal PS 42P can be poured directly into the joint. For Gun grade sealant Pidiseal PS 41G, sealant gun shall be used.
- Apply sealant in the prepared joint when the primer coat is TACKY carefully maintaining depth to width ratio of the joint as 1:2 (min) for a normal application. For joints subjected to skew movements the same shall be maintained as 1:1
- Ensure that the joint is filled 1-2mm below the top surface
- The application should not be taken up in extreme weather conditions. Preferably application shall be done when the temperature is minimum during that day
- After the initial curing, if the cured sealant is found to have pinholes / blowholes, the same has to be repaired at the locations. In case, large surface is found to have air entrapped and pinholes, the affected section needs to be cut, removed and re-done.
Tooling & Finishing
- Immediately after filling the joints, the sealant should be tooled either with a stainless steel or wooden spatula. While tooling, the spatula should be wetted with a wetting agent.
- During tooling ensure complete removal of air bubbles and filling of all voids by the compacting action, thus ensuring proper adhesion to the sides.
- Remove the masking tape immediately by pulling it outwardly after tooling is done.
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