Construction Chemicals Industry Newsletters Vol. 4
Deborah Ejimofor | Posted on |
Construction Chemicals Industry Newsletters Vol. 4

Importance of Joint Sealant in the Construction Industry
Concrete, like glass, is rigid in structure. It cannot bend or stretch without cracking. Its highly compressive strength and hardness make it applicable for flooring applications in many industries.
However, the structural elements of concrete shift slightly during expansion and shrinkage due to temperature changes. These movements create expansion joints that have to be filled with a flexible sealant.
Expansion joints are used to compensate when concrete expands or shrinks temperature changes. Also, they are used to separate slabs and concrete from other parts of the conjoined structure.
Why Your Concrete Floor Needs an Expansion Joint:
Several expansion joints are combined in concrete construction, including foundations, walls, roof expansion joints, and paving slabs. These joints are carefully designed, located, and installed to mitigate flexural stresses.
These stresses are a result of the vertical movements of applications adjoining rigid foundation components, like columns or foundations. If a slab is positioned contiguously on surfaces exceeding one face, an expansion joint will be necessary to reduce the stress.
An expansion joint is designed to safely absorb the expansion and
contraction of several construction materials, absorb vibrations, and permit soil movements due to earthquakes or ground settlement.
They are usually located between sections of bridges, paving slabs, railway tracks, and piping systems. Weather changes during the year produce temperature variations that cause expansion contraction in concrete paving slabs, building faces, and pipelines. The expansion joints are incorporated to endure the stresses.
An expansion joint is simply a disconnection between segments of the same materials. In concrete block construction, the expansion joints are expressed as control joints.
Choosing the right sealant depends on the properties required, including the expected movement of the joint, what the joint must retain or keep out, and how quickly the applied sealant needs to perform.
Fosroc Colpor 200 was specially developed as an innovative fast- curing airfield pavement sealant which has already saved many builders considerable time and money due to its rapid return to service and durability.
Fosroc Colpor 200 two part polyurethane sealant is designed for joints in concrete paved areas. The capability of accommodating cyclic movements is retained by Colpor 200 throughout extremes of temperature conditions.
Colpor 200 is resistant to fuel, oil and hydraulic fluid spillage and will not harden in cold weather nor become excessively soft or pick up in hot conditions.
It has high durability and long service life, which reduces maintenance costs.
Interview:
Tony Oboro - Operations Manager, Vita Constructions
Q. What can you tell us about Vita Construction?
Ans. Vita Construction is one of the leading and most respected construction companies in Nigeria. Founded over 35 years ago, Vita has delivered world- class industrial, commercial, and residential projects ranging f rom simple construction projects to highly sophisticated construction projects.
Q. How would you describe the business relationship between Vita and Cormart?
Ans. Vita’s business relationship with Cormart is fantastic. The experience has been rewarding and has come to even extend beyond only business transactions. It is not common to have manufacturers who care so much about how customers use their products; the after-sales support is incredible.
Q. What is your experience with the Cormart products you purchase?
Ans. At Vita, we associate our services with quality, and that includes the materials we use. I have no reservations about saying that the products from Cormart are of premium quality. Our clients trust us to provide quality services, which is why we source the best.
Q. What is your opinion on reducing carbon footprint in construction, and how realistic is it to achieve in Nigeria?
Ans. There is much to be done to reduce carbon footprint. Vita is ISO certified and compliant. We use materials friendly to the environment and properly dispose of effluent waste. As for Nigeria, there needs to be a strict regulation that ensures compliance at all construction sites.
Q. There have been reports of buildings collapsing in Lagos. What is your opinion on why this is still occurring despite technological improvement in building materials?
Ans. One major challenge affecting the industry is incompetence and people looking for shortcuts. When people find ways to cut corners, there will always be problems. Structural integrity should always be a priority in any construction project.
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Read MoreProduct Spotlight: Brushbond TGP
Brushbond TGP crystalline capillary waterproofing system contains a proprietary blend of Portland cement, quartz aggregate, and special chemicals.
In the presence of moisture, the active chemicals in Brushbond TGP penetrate concrete and react with free lime to produce insoluble crystals. This crystalline growth reduces porosity by blocking capillaries and filling hairline non-structural cracks (up to 0.25mm wide) caused by shrinkage or expansion.
Benefits
- Penetrates concrete, seals capillary tracts and hairline
- Waterproofing remains even if concrete surface is
- Resists chemical attack of sewage and industrial wastes.
- Cost
- Suitable for Exterior and Interior
Application
- Sewage treatment, and water treatment plants tanks, foundations, pipes, tunnels, and manholes.
- Industrial plants, office buildings, foundations, parking decks, planter boxes.
- Nuclear power plants, tanks, tunnels, control rooms, and manholes
Technical Advice & Tips
Colpor 200PF (Base)
Here’s how to prepare the joint to get optimal performance from Colpor 200PF
Joint preparation:
- Ensure joint sealing s lots in concrete are accurately formed, dry, clean and frost
- Remove all dust and laitance by grit blasting or grinding.
- Avoid polishing the joint sides when The prepared sealing slot should be blown out with dry, oil-free compressed air.
- Ensure that the expansion joint filler is tightly packed in the joint and at the required depth to provide the seal dimensions specified.
- Before sealing, insert a bond breaker caulked tightly into the base of the sealing groove to prevent the sealant from adhering to the base of the slot.
Priming:
- Colpor 200 should be applied between 30 minutes and 2 hours after
- Colpor 200 should be applied when the primer has become touch dry, depending on climatic conditions
Mixing:
- Drain the tin containing the curing agent into the large base component tin
- Using a handheld, slow-speed drill (400 to 500rpm) fitted with a Fosroc paddle blade stirrer, mix for approximately one minute.
- Stop the mixer and scrape around the top of the tin to remove any remaining curing agent.
- Continue mixing for a further 3 minutes until the materials are thoroughly mixed.
Application:
- When mixed, fill the sealant into a Fosroc GX Gun.
- In wide joints of 25 mm and above, the sealant should be poured directly from the tin by blending the side to form a pouring lip.
- Apply the mixed sealant into the sealing slot so that the finished level of the seal is recessed below the trafficked surface as specified.

