WATERPROOFING SEALANT CHARACTERISTICS AND ADVANTAGES
Lifetime™ has the same general characteristics as the silicone rubber you would buy in the caulking form, liquefied through a Room Temperature Vulcanization (RTV) process.
Lifetime™ Water Sealant does not require mixing of multiple parts. It is applied in one liberal coat to any porous surface that is affected by water penetration.
The manufacturer adds a solvent to the raw silicone rubber with other processing ingredients that liquefy Lifetime™ to a state thinner than water.
After the application of Lifetime™ Water Sealant the carrier solvent evaporates to leave the raw silicone rubber product. The RTV rubber then solidifies to a dried inorganic material.
In its dried state it cannot be broken down by water, salts, oils, fuels, acids, other organic materials. It also retards the effect of ultraviolet rays from the sun which tend evaporate, dry-up, turn yellow, and make most other types of sealants brittle.
Lifetime™ is fully VOC compliant in all states, counties, and provinces throughout the United States and Canada. Lifetime™ Waterproofing Sealant uses a reducing agent that complies with appropriate regulations in the 1,1,1, Trichloroethane base product.
The cured silicone rubber has an elasticity of over 400%. When stretched or compacted, this product will go back to its original shape which means it has an elastomeric memory.
Silicone rubber has a property of being extremely flexible, it will withstand major bending without crimping, breaking, or cracking. This characteristic allows us to use Lifetime™ Water Sealant on flexing materials such as canvas. (Warranty is not valid for any specified time period on flexing materials such as canvas.)
This term is what our inventor describes as the drawing puddling effects found in most sealants. Lifetime™ Sealant solved the molecular migration problem and allows even dispersion and consistency throughout its drying process.
Lifetime's™ silicone rubber properties allow the sealed material to release moisture vapors, while not allowing the penetration of liquid moisture into the material. This is known as the rate of permeance or perm rate. This feature is critical in eliminating the effects of ground moisture or trace moisture within the substrate.
The adhesive properties of silicone rubber form a bridge between the particles of the wood, concrete, or canvas. It molecularly bonds itself together to form very large molecules which extend through the substrate and are thereby locked into the substrate. For most substrates, a chemical method of removal of the silicone rubber would destroy the substrate before attacking the rubber.
As Lifetime™ Water Sealant forms a membrane which paint does not readily adhere to, graffiti can easily be removed by pressure washing. See pictures from a sample application.
*Two coats of Lifetime™ Plus are recommended for graffiti control.
Laboratory tests show that the absorption of water on cedar treated with Lifetime™ versus untreated cedar is at the ratio of 24 to 1, or that untreated cedar absorbs 96% more water than cedar treated with Lifetime™. Tests on pine show a similar improvement. Tests show that the cured material makes a nearly perfect barrier for liquid water, yet allows water vapor to freely move in and out, to maintain a moisture equilibrium with the atmosphere.
All tests show that this material greatly improves the life cycle of wood, concrete, and masonry. The State of Utah Department of Transportation concluded that "using concrete sealer on old or new concrete would be economically beneficial by extending the concrete's life by several years." The same applies to wood or masonry.
A formula ingredient eliminates the settling of heavy silicone rubber and assists in prolonging the shelf life of the finished manufactured product.
Lifetime™ Water Sealant appears as clear as water. When it is applied cured, it leaves the natural substrate color virtually unchanged. Lifetime™ with not yellow or harden with age because of its inorganic silicone base.
Lifetime™ Water Sealant requires no maintenance. It does not yellow or harden with age.