Exterior Decorative Precast Concrete

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Author Message Anonymous   Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 01:51 pm:    Owner's consultant advises that joints must be sealed with silicone, fabricator advises using grout - who's right (for precast concrete wrap, not structural elements). Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI Senior Member Username: rliebing Post Number: 903 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 02:01 pm:    Who's going to hold the warranty? Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wayne_yancey Post Number: 101 Registered: 01-2008 Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 02:16 pm:    Anon, The Owner's consultant. Jerry Tims Senior Member Username: jtims Post Number: 31 Registered: 04-2005 Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 02:29 pm:    We've always used the "belt and suspenders" approach by using sealant and backer rod over a precompressed joint sealer. I can't recall ever having seen a project in our office where grout was used. George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: geverding Post Number: 445 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 02:47 pm:    Sealant moves, grout doesn't. Anonymous   Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 02:59 pm:    How about Epoxy grout? Nathan Woods, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 270 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 05:07 pm:    Epoxy grout moves even less, and has a tenacious hold on the precast. One question for you, is the precast being adhered to a plaster substrate? Or what is the assembly being proposed. The answer would depend on the condition being challenged. Anonymous   Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 11:37 pm:    The precast is being used to wrap a steel column, as a decorative element. Mark Gilligan SE, CSI Senior Member Username: mark_gilligan Post Number: 85 Registered: 10-2007 Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 01:43 am:    It depends on how the precast is attached. If it was hard attached to concrete in a shear wall building I might consider grout. Typical methods of attaching precast to steel would allow enough movement that the grout would crack and allow moisture to get inside. Use sealant you will have fewer problems. I definately would not use epoxy grout. This idea is based on the idea that you can restrain the building movement. Buildings move. You can influence where the cracks are but you cannot prevent them. The epoxy grout would cause the cracking to occur in the panels and not in the joint.