Tags: #armorwall #buildingenclosures #buildingenvelopes #buildingmaterials #buildingproducts #buildingscience #facecolumn #materialsscience #mgo #roguetesting #waterresistance
What does it take for a joint treatment to endure hydrostatic pressure for three months? It takes more than just a great joint treatment.
These face columns represent two of many jointed assemblies that I’ve tested using various configurations of MaxLife’s ArmorWall™ Plus. On the left, I show a typical panel joint treated with a two-inch ribbon of ArmorSeal Sealant. The right face column shows a Panelizer joint with nine-inch wide self-adhered flashing.
In both instances, it’s not the sealant nor the self-adhered flashing that makes the system work. It’s the whole system. It starts with the dimensionally stable substrate, the magnesium oxide itself. Add its uniquely paired coating and a bond that is insanely strong even after a torturous 6 months under water! Unlike other acrylic coatings, this coating shows no appreciable water absorption. The sealant and flashing also bond extremely well to the coating without troublesome side effects such as plasticizer release, excess water absorption, or loss of hydrophobicity.
Obviously, the joint is only as good as the system’s application. But the system is only as good as its weakest link. Real solutions demand better components, a systems approach, and the fortitude to test them as such.