The construction of houses using ready-made panel assemblies was conceived by the developers as the highest quality and fast way construction of residential buildings. Finished slabs, as if in children's constructor, were assembled into a single rigid structure, and the joints and cracks that inevitably form when joining two reinforced concrete slabs, closed up with improvised materials. The poor quality of the sealing of the joint led to the fact that after ten years of operation, the problem of sealing interpanel seams in panel houses became one of the most urgent and topical.
What gives the sealing of the interpanel seam
It would be possible to ignore the crumbling inter-panel joints if the sealant and mastic that spilled out from the inter-plate space did not lead to serious problems:
- The device of a panel house is such that an increase in size or complete destruction of the seal leads to the formation of huge gaps between the walls and the floor, through which water and cold penetrate into the apartment;
- Regular freezing of water accumulated in the interpanel joint gradually destroys the edges of reinforced concrete slabs, which, in turn, can lead to its partial destruction with the formation of huge holes and chips.
For your information! The service life of materials, mastic and sealant used for sealing interpanel joints, even under ideal operating conditions, rarely exceeds ten years.
If during the shrinkage of the box of a panel house there was a movement or settlement of the foundation, then the sealant from the interpanel seam could collapse and fall out in just a couple of years. The technology for processing interpanel seams provided for a two-layer seal, consisting of a heater, waterproofing and an outer mastic layer that protects the porous mass from moisture and solar ultraviolet radiation.
The first attempts to repair interpanel seams by numerous artisanal and semi-legal firms boiled down to simply filling the joint between the slabs with ordinary bituminous mass, which is used to patch holes in roof coverings high-rise buildings. The destroyed edges and cavities of the interpanel joint were filled with polymer concrete mass and covered with a mixture of resin and tar. So that the black spot would not irritate the residents of the panel house, traces of repair were painted over with paint to match the facade of the building. Such a seal survived a maximum of one or two hot summers, during which the bitumen melted and flowed out of the joints. Besides, thermal insulation properties such sealing of interpanel seams was practically equal to zero.
Even with successful repairs on the corners of apartments panel houses frost continued to appear, moisture condensed and fungal plaque grew. But most often the bituminous seal in winter time slumped away from concrete wall and played the role of an impromptu gutter. Rain water streams running down panel walls, were redirected by the exfoliated seal directly into the cavity of the interpanel seam. It was especially difficult for the residents of the first and last floors of the house, whose apartments could be subjected to real flooding.
With the advent of PUF aerosol packages, the sealing of interpanel seams began to be performed using polyurethane foam. Foamed seams held heat well, but quickly became unusable due to freezing and the destructive effect of solar ultraviolet radiation.
Modern methods and materials for sealing the interpanel seam
The problem required complete solution, therefore, today several types of materials are used at once for sealing and repairing interpanel joints:
- polyurethane mounting foam;
- Sealant or mastics for sealing waterproofing;
- Foam polyethylene or foam-propylene tubular thermal insulation;
- Plaster cement-sand mixture.
The general joint repair technique is reduced to several sequential operations. Initially, the interpanel seam is filled with foam, a heat insulator pipe is laid, after which the entire set of insulating materials is closed with sealant and sometimes plastered along the level of vertical walls.
In addition, the methodology for determining the section of the seam that falls under repair has also changed. If earlier the place for repair was determined by eye, with a small allowance of half a meter for each edge, today there is a clear repair algorithm. If the section of the vertical joint was damaged, then all adjacent horizontal seams are subject to revision and repair. Similarly, if a destruction of the interpanel seam is found at the horizontal interpanel joint, then sections of the vertical seams crossing the problem horizon must be repaired.
Typical technologies for repairing and sealing interpanel seams
To make the expensive process of grouting less expensive, specialists have developed three typical repair technologies that differ in the depth and scope of work:
- The first type is the restoration of the mastic hermetic layer. If a spot check and revision of the interpanel seam showed good quality works, then a new layer of waterproofing is simply smeared on the outer layer of the sealant, the insulation and the hydrobarrier are not removed from the joint;
- The second type involves the complete replacement of waterproofing;
- The third type, often referred to as a "warm joint", provides for a deep replacement of the heat insulator, hydrobarrier and external mastic coating.
Advice! From the practice of using sealants of various kinds and compositions, the most effective polyurethane adhesive "Germaflex 1227" has proven itself, in addition to excellent adhesion to concrete, the material allows you to get a very tight and durable joint, impervious to water.
How is the overhaul of the interpanel seam
The most difficult is the repair with a complete replacement and sealing of the insulation and waterproofing system. Initially, you need to open and clean the interpanel seam from the old insulating material, remnants of waterproofing and a sealed layer. Workers have to work at a height, in a suspended painting bench, to remove the old embedding material manually with a spatula and carpenter's cutter. To clean interpanel seams, there are many cleaning nozzles for pneumatic drills that allow you to cut rubber and plastic, as they say, to white concrete, but working with them at a height is not always convenient.
After cleaning, the cavity of the interpanel joint is sprayed with water and filled with mounting foam. Further, without waiting for the foam to expand completely, a tube of foamed polyethylene, for example, Vilaterm, or polypropylene, Penoflex polyurethane foam, is placed in the joint. After rolling the thermal insulation, the pipe is re-blown with foam. After curing, the layer of cured foam should be cut so that the sealant does not protrude beyond the surface of the building facade.
The application of sealant, as well as stripping, can be done manually or with a gun. The work is difficult and requires a lot of physical strength. You can easily squeeze a whole tube of sealant into the cavity of the interpanel joint with one hand, but it’s another matter if you need to use a couple of dozen bottles a day. Therefore, they often try to apply the sealant in the old fashioned way, with a spatula. The stability of sealing the interpanel seam and its durability depend on how accurately and efficiently the sealant layer is laid. The average service life is about 10 years.
After sealing with a sealant, the interpanel seam must be sealed with a plaster solution that protects the polymer from frost and oxidation.
What to choose for sealing the interpanel seam
One of the conditions quality repair interpanel joints is the use of properly selected sealant material. The most common are polyurethane-based sealants, they are valued primarily for their high strength and durability of the coating.
Polyurethane does not always withstand strong temperature changes, sometimes because of this, the sealant material cracks, therefore, silane sealants are used for harsher climatic conditions. They should be distinguished from silicone ones, which are much cheaper and tolerate temperature contrast worse. Acrylic sealants are considered the cheapest and most affordable; in practice, due to their low strength, acrylic is more suitable for sealing fixed joints.
Grouting ceramic tiles
Sealing of interpanel seams, insulation and sealing of windows and loggias has been the main activity of the StroyAlp group of companies for over 20 years. Our technology for sealing external seams "Tight seam" gave rise to the development of a new SNiP for sealing external seams of large-panel buildings. The proposed technologies of previous generations will not be able to fully insulate and seal the seams in a panel house.
Sealing the seams of a panel house includes the following types of work:
- Sealing of inter-panel seams: insulation of the inter-panel seam and application of sealant to the joint of the panels.
- Sealing of the loggia: insulation and sealing of the joints of the loggia and panels (outer walls).
- Sealing of window seams: insulation and sealing of windows at the joints of panels and double-glazed windows (junctions of windows and panels of external walls).
- Sealing the loggia: repair soft roof balconies (usually on the last floor) and sealing the seams of the balconies.
- sealing seams monolithic belts: repair, plastering and sealing of corbels in monolith-brick houses.
Sealing and insulation of seams for ORGANIZATIONS - cost WITHOUT MATERIALS:
Sealing of interpanel seams price:
Without opening up to 300 running meters seams - from 200 rubles / r.m.
With the opening of the seam + insulation with vilatherm up to 300 running meters of seams - from 300 rubles / m.p.
Without opening the seams from 300 m.p. up to 1000 m.p. seams - from 250 rubles / r.m.
Without opening the seams from 1000 m.p. up to 2500 m.p. seams - from 270 rubles / r.m.
Without opening the seams from 2500 m.p. up to 5000 m.p. seams - from 200 rubles / r.m.
Opening + Vilatherm insulation from 300 r.m. up to 1000 m.p. seams - from 270 rubles / r.m.
* Wholesale prices are given without the cost of materials, since the consumption of materials depends on many factors and is fixed after the fact.
* In any case, an inspection of the object is required. The price may differ from the above prices up or down.
Sealing of interpanel seams of apartments for PRIVATE PERSONS WITH MATERIALS - price per meter "turnkey":
1) secondary sealing, price (lubrication of joints) - from 325 - 370 rubles / m.p. with materials (restore sealant without insulation).
2) primary sealing, price with insulation (for example, in new buildings) - 550 rubles / m.p. with materials.
3) Repair of interpanel seams and sealing of joints (repair of a closed joint: filling the interpanel space with mounting foam through technological holes and sealing mastic) - 550 rubles / m.p. with materials.
Look on the topic: Various technologies sealing interpanel seams. 
Technologies of primary and secondary sealing. old technology"warm stitch" Overhaul of interpanel seams is carried out only using the Tight Seam technology developed by engineers of the StroyAlp group of companies. According to which the SNiP was subsequently adopted on sealing the seams of large-panel buildings.
Do-it-yourself sealing and insulation of the seams of the apartment. 
Do-it-yourself repair of panel seams, if you are not a climber, is possible only on the first floor. At the same time, for a high-quality result, you need to strictly observe the technology and use high-quality materials. It is also possible to insulate interpanel seams in an apartment with inside. It is necessary to drill holes in the corners of the outer walls and carefully foam. In any case, it will be warmer, but you cannot get the full interpanel space from the inside. And the junction of the vertical wall with the ceiling and floor, the so-called crosses of the seams, is also not available, this must be done from the outside.
Sealant and insulation for sealing interpanel seams.
Sealants for interpanel seams.
There are many types of sealants for large-panel buildings: polyurethane, acrylic, butyl rubber, thiokol sealants. Each type of sealant has advantages in certain properties. Sealant for interpanel seams should have good deformability and adhesion. Good adhesion allows the sealant to soak into concrete surface plates at any temperature. Good deformability allows the sealant to stretch with seasonal temperature expansion and contraction of the plate and not crack.
Heaters for interpanel seams.
There are two main types of insulation for interpanel seams:
- Vilaterm - tubular insulation, which is laid close to the surface of the plate at a distance of no more than 50 mm.
- Mounting foam - polyurethane foam in spray bottles, which can fill the entire cavity of the interpanel space.
See more: Materials for sealing interpanel seams. 
High-quality sealing and insulation of interpanel seams largely depends on the materials used. It is no secret that many management companies use mastic for sealing large-panel joints, which are not intended for sealing concrete surfaces.
Sealing joints of windows and panels.
A common problem with windows in prefabricated houses is that there is no tightness between the double-glazed windows and building panels.
When building a house, the joints between window frames and panels are plastered, or the panel comes to the construction site with windows. In any case, the joints are plastered, puttied and painted. Water and cold do not clearly penetrate, but the frames are almost always cold, since cement mortar is not a heater, and over time passes and moisture.
If the old one is being replaced window frames on plastic double-glazed windows, window companies seal the joint between the frame and the panel with mounting foam without protective sealing of the joint. Mounting foam is a heater and at first it is warm in the apartment. But polyurethane foam afraid of exposure to the external environment, solar ultraviolet and moisture. Within a short time, it gets wet and crumbles, so cracks appear in the joints, into which wind and moisture penetrate. In order to eliminate all these problems, it is necessary to close the foam with a layer of sealing mastic.
On top of the sealant, you can put galvanized, painted trim. Above window slope mount a wide tide to drain water, and not a narrow trough above the frame, as window companies put it, which, on the contrary, contributes to the flow of water into the upper joint between the frame and the panel.
See more: Insulation and sealing of windows and junctions: 
In order to get rid of mold around the windows, window sealing is carried out - sealing the joints and junctions of double-glazed windows and panels, insulation of junctions of ebbs and panels.
Sealing loggias and balconies.
In all panel houses, loggias and balconies very often leak and blow through.
The main problems of loggias and balconies of panel houses:
- Loose and leaky junctions and joints of double-glazed windows in glazed loggias.
- Loose and leaky junctions and joints around the loggia or balcony.
- Drains missing or incorrectly installed.
- Worn-out soft roof of the loggia.
Leaky seams and joints of double-glazed windows and walls in glazed loggias are sealed in the same way as in the joints of window frames with panels. The sealing of the loggia or balcony is carried out according to standard technologies for sealing joints between panels. And the replacement of the soft roof of the loggia is carried out according to the standard technology for the installation of a soft roof from waterproofing materials.
Errors and violations of the technology of sealing and insulation of interpanel seams.
Consider the reasons for the unsatisfactory result of sealing in panel houses. 
Although many companies have accumulated a lot of experience during their activity, the mistakes associated with sealing joints suggest the need to develop new building standards to solve this serious problem.
Sealing of seams on the first and last floors. 
Residents of the first and last floors, as a rule, suffer more than others from problems with interpanel seams. During precipitation, water accumulates on the roof or technical floor. If the seams between the panels have cavities, moisture seeps through them, which eventually manifests itself in the form of mold in living rooms. The first floors are more likely to suffer from empty seams.
We will be happy to do any work for you!
Properly performed sealing of interpanel seams is the key to high-quality operation of the dwelling, thanks to comprehensive protection against atmospheric influences and leaks. Depressurization requires the adoption of emergency measures to eliminate deformation and destruction in the area of the joints. The penetration of moisture can cause freezing of the walls, the formation of condensate, the appearance of mold, fungus.
Sealing of interpanel seams is carried out in violation of the integrity of the joints. The reasons for depressurization can be:
- non-compliance building technology during the construction of the structure;
- displacement of panel blocks due to uneven shrinkage load-bearing elements building;
- deformation of the panels under the influence of sudden temperature changes;
- intense influence of precipitation, conditions high humidity and low temperature conditions.
The technology of insulation of interpanel seams should take place in stages, in accordance with established rules. Deformation changes require the opening of the groove between the panels.
Insulation and sealing works are carried out according to standard technology:
- Cleaning and cleaning surfaces from old insulation, dust, paint, mastic.
- Jointing of cracks in the interpanel space.
- Filling the joints with heat-insulating material (polyurethane foam). After application, in the process of hardening, the composition expands, filling the pores, voids in the inaccessible places of the seam. During work, the joint surfaces must be clean and dry.
- Vilaterm insulation bookmark. The material has a dense structure, has optimal characteristics of thermal insulation, elasticity, and is easy to install. The insulation is laid without gaps, filling the entire length of the seams. It is required to leave a place for sealing after laying the material.
- At the end, the seams are processed with sealing compounds (waterproofing mastics), which close the insulation after installation from external influences.
Holding repair work for sealing it is recommended to carry out at a temperature range from -10°С to +30°С, and in the complete absence of precipitation. Violation of external conditions during installation will lead to the fragility of hydroprotection.
Sealing of interpanel seams from inside the apartment is carried out if it is impossible to perform high-altitude work from the outside of the dwelling. The room should be free from furniture. Next, a surface opening of the interpanel joints is performed and the scope of work is determined. If the sealing material is in a satisfactory condition, it is advisable to foam the groove between the panels by preparing holes along the seam.
In the absence of insulation and deformation of the panel blocks, a deep opening of the seams will be required. The technology of work is similar to external repair work. The process of external sealing of interpanel seams of houses involves the use of an algorithm for primary and secondary processing of block joints.
Sealing of interpanel seams of the primary type is carried out in new buildings. Sealing of joints is carried out by laying insulation. The innovative material vilaterm is used, presented in the form of round tubes made of polyethylene foam, or penoflex (mounting foam). The outer surface of the insulation is covered with a protective layer of a waterproofing agent - mastic.
Careful processing of interpanel seams in prefabricated houses guarantees high-quality insulation and moisture protection under aggressive weather conditions. Best Choice will become sealing materials for facades, which are resistant to temperature extremes, retaining properties for a long time.
Secondary sealing of the external interpanel joint
Sealing panel joints of the secondary type implies repair types work in areas where the processing of joints between panels has already been carried out. Repeated renewal of coatings is recommended every 5-7 years. The use of sealants and the type of repair depends on current state seam.
The absence of severe damage, the satisfactory quality of the coating, allows us to limit ourselves to updating the outer sealing layer. Signs of deformation, deep destruction, require major repairs, which involve opening the seams, removing old fillers. In this case, the sealing of interpanel seams is carried out according to the primary technology.
Features of the technology of insulation of interpanel seams "Warm seam"
Insulation of interpanel seams in the presence of significant signs of destruction is carried out using the three-component technology "Warm seam". The execution technique has significant differences from standard repair work. The main material is polyurethane foam, which is not used in other options.
The sealing composition makes it possible to increase the resistance of interpanel seams to chemical and mechanical influences. Polyurethane has a low ability to accumulate moisture. After the foam hardens, a material with optimal thermal insulation characteristics is formed. With the help of polyurethane foam, it is possible to perform a full-fledged sealing of the seams of houses, thanks to the filling of all hollow spaces, even in the most inaccessible places.
As a result of applying the technology of three-component sealing and insulation of interpanel seams from the inside, an optimal level of protection against moisture and wind is achieved. In order to avoid the accumulation of condensate in the area of the interpanel joint, the method of warming the interpanel seams from the inside must be carried out in stages, taking into account all the basic norms and requirements.
Initially, the surface is cleaned, the old composition is removed. The prepared groove is treated with polyurethane foam. Until the moment of solidification, a sealant is laid, after which a waterproofing mastic is applied. Insulation of interpanel seams in prefabricated houses helps to prevent irrational heat loss by increasing the room temperature by 3-4°C.
Rules for sealing interpanel seams
The performance of work must take into account individual characteristics state of the interpanel space. The rules for sealing interpanel seams will help achieve the desired result by performing the technology with high quality, in full compliance with the standards.
Standard rules for insulation and sealing of interpanel joints:
- The presence of leaks in the area of the end surface of the wall requires overhaul for sealing interpanel seams of the end face of the facade and the longitudinal wall.
- Leakage in the area of the vertical joint is eliminated by completely replacing the vertical joints with adjacent horizontal sections along the entire height of the facade of the building.
- The presence of deformation of the horizontal interpanel seam requires repair work in the area of three or four panel rows designs.
Sealing of interpanel joints must take into account a certain degree of stress on the joint zones. The sealing surfaces are subjected to alternate tension and compression. Insulation material and sealant are selected in the ratio of shrinkage, structural vibrations.
The impact of the load increases commensurate with the width of the joint, so it is recommended to lay a layer of sealant that is twice as small as the width of the joint space between the panels. When choosing a material, one should also take into account the characteristics of the compositions, the degree of resistance to loads and external influences.
Materials when working with seams
The main purpose of materials for sealing the interpanel seam from the inside is to qualitatively eliminate cracks and damage to prevent moisture from entering the joints between the panels.
Processing for sealing seams is carried out using special materials:
- mastics, sealants;
- waterproofing harnesses;
- mounting foam;
- vilaterm.
The choice of a particular material depends on the condition of the interpanel seams and the type of repair work. Sealant (sealing mastic) is used when cosmetic repairs sealing interpanel seams.
The absence of damage at the seams of the insulation allows you to perform only the renewal of the mastic layer. It is not recommended to use cement-sand mixtures, bituminous materials, due to low operational properties. Cracks and chips form on the surface of hard coatings.
Overhaul of the sealing of panel, interpanel seams is carried out with the full opening of the joints and the replacement of the insulation. The next step is sealing and painting. It is important to consider performance insulation material, the degree of strength and resistance to external influences.
When sealing interpanel seams, the materials must be a heater that will provide reliable thermal protection and act as the basis for laying mastic, or tape. The best choice would be a composition based on foamed polyurethane.
Freezing and moisture ingress into the interpanel seams can cause serious damage and cause an uncomfortable atmosphere in the home. Timely and high-quality repair work on insulation and sealing of joints will save you from unpleasant consequences increasing the durability of the structure.
