Hey guys
I have seen polyurethene caulking and latex caulking, which one should I use? I have seen different types of DAP latex at home depot but didnt know which one to choose. any advice guys.
does it matter what type I get, Is latex safe on woodland scenics foam roadbed.
Jeremy
i’ve been using latex liquid nails. i use it to glue foam to foam, foam to wood, cork to foam and track to cork. it’s safe with foam. when you glue the track to cork or directly on the foam you have to apply a thin bead so the adheasive won’t build up between the ties so it won’t block the application of the ballast.
Polyurethane (the real stuff) is expensive and slow to cure and is designed for water (marine) immersion in many if not all cases. If applied correctly, THE cure to bathtub caulking.
Butyl rubber is a little less exspensive, and is designed for premium window and door caulking. Much of it is guaranteed for 50 years.
Silicone caulk is temperature resistant, quite durable, but unless you get the combo adhesive stuff it doesn’t adhere that well.
Latex caulk is cheap and features easy clean up. Most anything that isn’t harmed by a little water won’t be hurt by latex. Probably won’t hurt your roadbed, but always do a small test to check for chemical compatibilities.
I use both silicone and latex caulks (the cheapest I can find) for different applications. For general construction adhesion, I’ll use the silicone caulk, because it REALLY holds (better than Liquid Nails, especially on foam-to-foam bonds). To glue down track, I use latex caulk. It works well, but has a weaker bond, meaning that you can pry up track if you need to, without destroying it (silicone caulk will NOT let go of track!)
Don’t obsess too much about the chemical properties of all the different types of caulk out there. For our purposes, the cheap $1 a tube stuff from Ace (or even Meijers!) works great. Just remember 100% silicone for construction, and latex with no silicone for track, and you’ll be fine.
when I was out this morning I saw acrylic latex, is that OK
Jeremy
The layout shown (click to enlarge) has dozens of foam insulation boards held together with DAP Acrylic Latex caulk w/silicon … worked well for me and don’t know why it wouldn’t for you! Hint: apply it generously …
See ya! [tup]