Sika Industry FAQs
1. Am I on the correct Sika website?
These Frequently Asked Questions are designed for Sika Industry customers in the U.S.A. If your application is not in the U.S.A. please go to www.sika.com to find the website for the country where your application is located.
If you have questions about a construction application (including Sika’s DIY product line sold at home centers and hardware stores), please contact our Construction Products Division at 1-800-933-7452 or you can visit our Construction homepage by clicking here.
If you have questions about an automotive OEM (not aftermarket) application, please visit our Automotive homepage by clicking here.
If you have questions about a roofing application, please visit our Roofing homepage by clicking here.
2. Where can I find pricing and availability information on products sold in the U.S.A.?
Typically Sika products are sold through independent distributors. Your local Sika product distributor will have information regarding pricing and availability. Click Find a Distributor to locate a distributor near you or you can Click Find a Sales Person to connect to your local Sika Sales Representative. This information is also available by calling our Customer Service Department at 1-800-688-7452 (press 1, 2, 3, or 4 depending on your application).
3. What products are best suited for my application?
Click here to explore many of the market fields where Sika products are used. Navigating through these different market fields will allow you to view the specific products typically used. If you would like to browse through all of our Product Data Sheets (which contain general product information such as product strength, common applications, limitations, warnings, etc.) please go to our 'Document Downloads Page.' See Frequently Asked Questions #5 & 6 for step-by-step guides for specific applications and substrates.
4. I cannot find information for my specific application on your website. Does that mean that Sika does not have a suitable product?
It is not possible to list every application that Sika products can be used for. However, there are some markets that Sika currently does NOT have a suitable product solution. These include the airplane/aerospace industry as well as the swimming pool / hot tub market. If your application does not include these markets, please first verify that your application is not handled by a different Sika division (see FAQ #1). If this is an application handled by Sika’s Industry Products Division and you are unable to find the information you are looking for, please contact Technical Services at [email protected] detailing your application and questions. Please make sure to include all relevant application details, such as the substrates to be bonded, what forces the joint will see, what temperatures the joint will be exposed to, etc. so that we can best assist you with product selection.
5. What activators and primers do I need for the substrates used in my application?
Sika has two main primer charts for its product lines—one for use with pure polyurethane chemistries (SikaTack® and Sikaflex®-200 series) and one for use with polyurethane hybrid chemistries (Sikaflex®-500 series). Both primer charts can be found by clicking here.
6) What step-by-step usage guides are available for my application?
Sika offers several step-by-step guides for product usage. The following list contains the guides currently available for download:
General Product Information - For general product information such as product strength, common applications, limitations, warnings, etc. please see our Product Data Sheets which can be found on the 'Document Downloads page.' In addition, prior to using any Sikaflex® product, you should always reference the appropriate Sika Primer Chart to determine the required surface pre-treatment for your specific substrates. The Primer Charts (Sikaflex®-200 series and Sikaflex®-500 series) are available by clicking here.
Auto Glass Replacement - For usage of Sika’s Auto Glass Replacement systems, you can find a series of interactive training videos by clicking here. You can also find Sika’s AGR Technician Training Manual by clicking here.
Marine Applications - Sika offers a series of usage guides for many different marine applications called the Marine Application Guide and is available by clicking here. The most common of these is the Glass Window Bonding (‘Bonding and Sealing Mineral Glass’) and Plastic Window Bonding (‘Bonding and Sealing Plastic Windows’) guides. RV Roof Sealing - Sikaflex®-715 is designed specifically for RV roof repair. Click here for additional information on this product.
7) What certificates or approvals are available for Sika’s products?
Click here for the link to the Sika products registered (listed) under the UL Drinking Water System Components ANSI / NSF Standard 61 (A.K.A. Potable Water). Click here for the link to the Sika products registered under the NSF-Nonfood Compounds Registration Program (A.K.A. Coatings for Use on Structural Surfaces or Surfaces with the Possibility of Incidental Food Contact).
Several of Sika's products have been shown to meet AAMA's requirements for back-bedding and exterior perimeter applications. Click here for a link to AAMA’s website where you can download an electronic copy of the latest “Verified Components List. ”Sikaflex®-221 has been UL tested for flame spread and smoke development. Click here for a link to where these results can be found.
The use of some Sika products may qualify a builder for up to two LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credits per the product used. Please contact Sika’s Technical Services Department at [email protected] to see how to qualify.
Other certificates and approvals may not be listed here. Please contact Sika’s Technical Services Department at [email protected] to enquire if the approval you are seeking is available.
8) Where can I find VOC data for your products?
VOC values can in most cases be found on the specific product's SDS in Section 9; Physical and Chemical Properties. Product SDS can be found on the 'Document Downloads page.' VOC content on the SDS is typically given as a percent, but may also be listed in units of weight/unit volume. If the VOC value is only given in percent terms, the VOC weight per unit volume can be calculated by multiplying the percent VOC by the product's specific gravity or density (also listed on the SDS). If VOC values are not reported on a specific product’s SDS, please contact Sika’s EHS Department at 201-933-8800.
9. How much coverage can I expect from your products (adhesives and sealants as well as cleaners and primers)?
The coverage you get from a 300 ml cartridge of adhesive or sealant will be highly dependent on the size bead you use. On average we see between 10 to 15 linear feet per cartridge.
Coverage values for cleaners and primers will vary widely depending on the substrate and application method. However, here are some “average” yield values: For Sika® Aktivator and Sika® Aktivator-205 you will find about 0.05 fluid ounces per square foot of coverage. This equates to about 170 ft2 per 250 ml can.
For any of the Sika® Primers you should use about 0.15 fluid ounces per square foot of coverage. This equates to about 56 ft2 per 250 ml can of Sika® Primer.
10. Are your products compatible with silicones or other chemistries?
If using a silicone sealant (the SikaSil® product line) or a Silane Terminated Polymer (STP) (the Sikaflex®-500 and Sikaflex®-700 series products) in close proximity with a Sikaflex® polyurethane (PUR) sealant (the SikaTack® or Sikaflex®-200 series products), you must make sure the PUR product has been given a minimum of 24 hours to cure before applying the silicone or STP. If you are applying fresh Sikaflex® (any chemistry) to an area that was previously bonded or sealed with silicone, the old silicone must be completely removed mechanically (using a grinding wheel or something similar) and the substrate surface must be prepared according to the appropriate Sika Primer Chart (see FAQ #5 for further details) before fresh Sikaflex® can be applied.
11. Can I paint over your products?
Most of the common paints (except some alkyd-based paints, like some sold by Petit and Interlux) can be used on top of Sikaflex® products. Generally, the best results are obtained when the adhesive/sealant is fully cured. The exception to this is the Sikaflex® 500 series products where the paint should be applied before the sealant has formed a cured skin on its exterior surface. Whenever over-painting is desired, it is highly recommended that the paint compatibility with any Sika product be confirmed using appropriate and representative paint application parameters prior to use in the final application. It should also be noted that rigid paint systems prevent joint movement. This can lead to cracking of the paint applied over top of any Sika product.
12. In a sealing application, what should I use to tool your products?
Do not use alcohol or alcohol-containing solvents! Alcohol can inhibit the cure of the product. For SikaSil® products, only dry tooling (without a chemical tooling agent or solution) is recommended. In most instances, soapy water works very well with the 1-C polyurethane Sikaflex® 200 series products. A mixture containing several drops of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo in a quart-sized spray bottle of tap water is usually sufficient. However, if over-painting is desired, the use of soap may not be a valid option for tooling.
13. How do I remove / clean excess Sika products (cured or uncured)?
The product that has already cured must be removed mechanically with a razor blade, grinding wheel, etc. Several products such as Sika® Remover-208, Sika® Hand Cleaner towels, or mineral spirits remove uncured material the best. Alcohols should never be used around the bond area of cured or uncured material as they may inhibit or reverse the cure of Sikaflex® products.
14. Can I use your products after the expiration date?
No. Sika products should never be used after their listed expiration date. Additionally, all Sika® Aktivator and Sika® Primer containers can only be used for 1 month (if use is frequent) or 2 months (if use is infrequent) after they are opened for the first time, or until the end of the expiration date marked on the container (whichever comes first).
If a Sika product’s “best before” or “expiration date” is marked with only a month and a year, the actual expiration date in these cases is considered to be the last day of the month/year noted on the product’s container as the “best before” or “expiration date”.
15. How do I dispose of expired Sika products?
Please refer to section 13 of the specific product's SDS, which can be found by clicking on the following link: 'Document Downloads page'. In this section, you will find the following statement: "Disposal of this product, solutions and any by-products should at all times comply with the requirements of environmental protection and waste disposal legislation and any regional local authority requirements." As the "waste generator", it is your responsibility to make sure that you adhere to these regulations, which may differ from location to location.
16. At what temperature should I store my products?
The storage temperature limits can typically be found in the footnote related to the “Shelf Life” property on the specific material’s Product Data Sheet (PDS), which can be obtained by clicking on the following link: 'Document Downloads - page'. In general, the ideal transport and storage temperature is ≤ 25°C (77°F). The products have to be protected from precipitations and direct sunlight. For the regular transport of the goods, this temperature condition cannot always be respected. Usual conditions which occur during regular transport methods such as ship containers, air freight as well as truck deliveries have been considered in the shelf life stated in the corresponding Product Data Sheet. Exposing the product to higher temperatures for a long period of time will result in faster aging of the products and ultimately reduce the product’s shelf life.
If you have any further technical questions, feel free to either email us at [email protected] or call us at 888-832-7452.