Adhesives, tapes and sealants

Adhesives, tapes and sealants are essential for ensuring that every component within a building system performs as intended. They secure insulation, reinforce junctions and maintain the airtightness and continuity of vapour control layers. These are all critical for protecting the structure from moisture-related damage.

Why are adhesives, tapes and sealants important in construction?

Adhesives and sealants play a crucial role in ensuring a building works as designed and lasts as long as it is intended to. They enhance the structural integrity of a building and eliminate the need for fastenings or screws in many places by:

Joining materials together where they meet.
Bonding finishes to substrates.
Sealing joints, gaps and cracks.
Protecting against moisture infiltration.

Those qualities make sealants indispensable in construction, during the build phase and through into the finished building’s ongoing operation. Energy efficiency, air tightness, fire performance, ventilation systems and more all rely on adhesives, tapes and sealants to function as intended.

Where are adhesives and sealants used in construction?

You will see adhesives and sealants in every part of the build. For example, they are especially useful in the following situations:

Vapour control systems – Vapour control membranes must be joined with an appropriate tape or sealant product to function properly. Gaps between membranes would limit their ability to control the moisture flow in your building, so they must be sealed.
Wall finishes – Adhesives are widely used to make sure that wall finishes stick to the substrate underneath. Plaster, render and other finishes will generally require an adhesive layer.
Moisture-prone areas – Bathrooms, kitchens and basements are prone to moisture build up in day-to-day use. Sealants are used to limit the water that can escape these rooms and reach the structural elements of the building.
Windows and doors – The air tightness of your building affects its energy efficiency. That makes proper taping and sealing around windows and doors an essential need for all buildings.
Insulation systems – Gaps between insulation and structural elements can be filled with a sealant product or taped over to ensure the system works as intended. For example, filling gaps between the insulation and rafters or joists.

STEICO’s range of adhesives and sealants

The STEICO range is engineered to deliver reliable bonding, durable sealing and long-term resistance to air and water ingress, working seamlessly alongside our timber structural elements, wood fibre insulation and high-performance vapour control membranes to create robust, healthy building envelopes