Butyl versus Bitumen

Butyl Used as a waterproofing and moisture/vapour sealing system in the building and construction industries has many advantages over Bitumen:

• Butyl is permanently visco-elastic (highly conformable, withstands expansion and contraction)
• Butyl's visco-elasticity is retained at low temperatures - soft and conformable to -30°C
• Butyl's visco-elasticity is retained at high temperatures - does not flow at 110°C
• Butyl is UV Resistant - it does not harden with time
• Butyl is pressure sensitive - no external heat required for application in all situations
• Butyl has excellent sound and vibration absorption over entire product's life
• Butyl is self-healing (if punctured will fuse back to re-create seal as sharp object removed)
• No volatile organic content in butyl products or used in its manufacture (environmentally safe)
• Butyl has some degree of resistance to organic solvents
• Butyl has a long shelf life
• Butyl will not stain surfaces or leach oils (no messy clean-up)
• Butyl bonds to all non-porous standard building materials (including HEVAC building wraps), bitumen does not
• Butyl is available in flame retardant versions, bitumen is not
• Butyl and bitumen are both available in formats tested for water potability
• Butyl is available in thin gauages down to 0.5mm
• Butyl is compatible with all common acrylic, polyurethane and neutral cure silicone sealants
• Butyl is available in versions compatible with oil/solvent based paints
• Butyl is compatible with water/acrylic based paints
• Butyl is resistant to mildew
• Butyl's application temperature is a wider range: 5° - 40°C. Bitumen's application temperature is 15° - 30°C.
• Butyl's operating temperature is Minus 30° - 80°+C. Bitumen's operating temperature is Minus 10° - 55°C Max.

The Verdict?

You be the judge - will butyl adhesives serve your needs better?