Tools and Tooling Your Sealants

Perma-Chink Systems, Inc Log & Timber Home Care Experts

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Tools and Tooling Your Sealants

Ok, so you have an idea of which Perma-Chink or Energy Seal sealant you need for your home - and the right color - now what? Depending on the job and type of sealant needed, you have a few decisions to make regarding the tools and accessories you'll need for the project.

Starting Out On The Right Foot

Having the right tools at hand is critical for a good chinking job. The most popular tool for applying Perma-Chink or Energy Seal is the bulk-loading gun. This tool is available in two sizes, the 20-oz. and 30-oz. capacity and operates by pulling sealant straight from the pail.

Simply insert the 2-inch wide cylinder into the pail and fill the gun by pulling back the plunger, which draws the product from the pail into the body of the gun. After wiping the threads clean and screwing on the end cap with plastic cone nozzle, you’re ready to apply the product. To make your job easier, quicker and much cleaner with less product waste, the gun-compatible follow plate can be used (highly recommended). This 9.5” round metal plate has a 1” rubber gasket which allows for the tapered shape of the pails.

To move the sealant into position for proper adhesion and smooth bumps is what we refer to as "tool" or "tooling." The best tool we recommend is a bent trowel that’s about the width of the chink joint. The bent trowel makes it much easier to avoid trowel marks in the sealant as it dries and cures. Along with a trowel, you’ll want to have a plant mister or squirt bottle filled with plain water. Perma-Chink Systems offers a variety of stainless steel trowels ranging from ¾” to 4-inch wide with both rounded and squared off tips in our Tools & Dry-In section.

Basic Instructions on how to Tool Perma-Chink Sealants

seal step2 Smoothing your sealant you have just applied from the gun is not nearly as important as making sure you have really good contact to the top and bottom log, with no air trapped under the sealant. A good adhesion is accomplished by using the small spatula or trowel, misting the back of the knife slightly with water, and tooling the sealant. Ensuring a proper seal should be done with the top of the blade held at a very slight angle away from the top log for the upper part of the gap, and the bottom edge of the blade at a very slight angle away from the bottom log on the lower part of the gap.

Anytime you tool the chinking, spray a little water on it first. You want enough water to allow a smooth motion with the trowel, but not so much it pools and runs all down the logs. The water prevents the chinking from sticking to your trowel and gives a nice, smooth surface free of bumps and edges. Make more smoothing passes after you have created good adhesion to those logs to remove any tooling marks. All of these passes are a very light pressure, with ½” to ¾” of the tip of the knife being used. Depending on the appearance you are looking for, you may leave your sealant line as smooth or as rough as you would like.

We also carry standard ratchet-style caulking guns for 11oz. tubes and 30oz. tubes, battery-powered guns, and a variety of trowels and spatulas to fit the variety of log home gaps.