Matching Sealant Colours
We have a long relationship with matching sealant colours for our customers at County Construction Chemicals Ltd.
Although the main staple colours of white, clear, black & grey mastic sealant remain, to this day, a constant feature in design and finishing for both internal and external connection joints, over the past 20 odd years, our stocked coloured sealants have evolved to meet the demand of newer, eclectic trends in design and building work.
What started as a premium offering in selected product lines two decades ago usually exclusively for fancy bathroom suites and mainly sought after by forward-thinking designers, architects and surveyors, has gradually grown into a highly competitive market with manufacturers producing sealants colours ranging from the bold, bright, shiny and sparkly to the flat, matt, fashionably dark colours and even textured finishes, all available to order off the shelf as standard.
Here we look into the process and procedure of matching sealant colours.
Matching sealant colours in the showroom
Of course, as with any colour matching task, there’s not always a straight-forward answer to the solution as everyone has different eyes and tastes so the decision can often be objective with one persons opinion differing to another person. With so much choice on offer, there’s no doubt that the very best way to determine which mastic sealant colour is right for your job is to bring a sample(s) of the substrate(s) or object(s) you wish to match into our showroom in Chingford (North-East London) and compare directly with the many colour cards we have here!
Before a coloured mastic sealant is decided upon, the user should always determine that the correct material is being used and in the correct location, this may well reduce the colours available for that particular job. (i.e. on natural stone, a specialist, non-staining silicone sealant or polymer should be used as opposed to an acetoxy cure sanitary silicone)
As odd as it sounds, the smallest piece of something can be used to match a colour to a sealant, a sock of paint, a splinter off timber or even a pinch of brick or grout dust is suffice to put upon against a colour chart to see what looks nice as a direct match or contrast etc.
Click here to visit our showroom to match a sealant colour
Matching sealant colours over the phone
Although not the most common way of colour matching sealants, some customers telephone the sales office with a brief explanation of the application they’re doing, such as ‘I’m trying to match my tiles in my shower’ and often quote a well-known sealant colour name (such as Jasmine or Brick Red etc.) or better still, they have an exact RAL number (more about that below) however, this method has proved a bit hit or miss over the years and should be only be used with extreme caution.
Remember, if you’re relying on another human to give what is essentially their ‘opinion’ then one person’s off white is another person’s light grey 🙁
We do keep some Farrow & Ball and Dulux colour cards in the office for reference however and many people find that works for them.
Click here to match a sealant colour over the phone
Matching sealant colours by email
Many people email us with a brief explanation of the application they’re doing, such as ‘I’m trying to match my tiles in my shower’ and often times attach a picture for a rough idea our better still, they have an exact RAL number (more about that below) these methods have proved very successful over the years and provide a quick and easy way to get a product and/or colour suggestion.
The only issues we have with enquiries whether in person, over the telephone, via chat, messenger or emailed is usually the same in that the customer is too vague in their description or believes that the name of the furniture, fitting or tile name or paint name is suffice for us to match ourselves.
We do keep some Farrow & Ball and Dulux colour cards in the office for reference however and many people find that works for them.
Click here to match a sealant colour by email
Matching sealant colours by the RAL Colour System
This is by far our favourite, fool-proof method of matching sealant colours to any sort of surface, substrate or object. The universal RAL Colour System has been around for all most 30 years and has grown in popularity in various industries for the simple fact that it adheres to a select few charts of various colours and these can referenced over distance quickly and easily to identify a match. Some perfect examples of this are, manufacturers of UPVC and/or powder coated metal door and window frames, kitchen fitters and suppliers, tilers, painter & decorators and of course mastic sealant applicators.
We believe in the effectiveness of the RAL colour system so much so that we actually stock and sell the colour charts themselves, which, although considered a bit pricey can prove to be a very useful investment indeed!
Click here to buy RAL Colour Charts online
Matching well-known paints to sealant colours
As mentioned above, we do keep some of the more popular paint system colour charts in the sales office to help match the more common colours (if we had a pound for every time someone wanted to match Farrow & Ball Elephants Breath we’d be rich 🙂
This way is very useful for both customers who’ve just either had some printing done or done it themselves etc. and indeed for professional tradespersons such as painter & decorators, plumbers, tilers, general builders and of course mastic sealant applicators who know exactly what they wish to match and may or may not need advice for the correct type(s) of products and colour names to purchase.
Using hard copy manufacturer’s colour charts to match sealant colours
Sealant manufacturers themselves often produce colour cards or ‘swatches’ for the sole purpose of using the actual cured sealant to match up against the surface, substrate or object they intend to seal. The items are usually specific to an individual product but can occasionally be a multi colour card for use with several products in a range (sometimes one or more colours will be restricted to one or more of the products listed.)
As well as visiting our showroom with a physical sample of your match and using the colours cards we have here, there’s also the option to take a manufacturers colour card away with you to use onsite insitu. Please note: Due to the popularity of this offering, this is very much subject to availabilty so please don’t make a special journey to collect a mastic sealant colour card before checking before and reserving your chosen card(s) by message, email or phone.
Using digital versions of manufacturer’s colour chart images to match sealant colours
We keep several of these such manufacturer mastic sealant colour charts in our stores in Chingford and can distribute them sparingly in person either over the showroom counter or send them by post to an address of your choice (subject to availability at the time of request).
We also have large images of all these mastic sealants colour charts online for you to get a good idea of what the actual cured sealant colours look like! Although there’s a big disclaimer with this method of matching sealant colours due to varying screen resolutions and users devices etc. thus can never be used as a 100% way of matching (i.e don’t think that a tile help up against a computer screen or phone will be anywhere near exact) it can, however prove very useful as a rough guide (especially with comparing one particular mastic sealant colour to another).
Click here to see mastic sealant colour charts on this website
Click here to see mastic sealant colour charts on the E-Shop
Exact match any colour to any type of sealant (special orders)
Broken down above is the various ways in which you can match a specific colour to a sealant but what if the colour you’re after is not a stock item? As UK distributors for OTTO-CHEMIE, we have the option to use a very special service indeed which basically entails in the first instance, placing a free sample order using either; a RAL number or, sending us a physical sample (such as the gold piece of laminate in the picture on the left).
After specifying the type of sealant you require (whether it be sanitary or non-staining stone silicone or a non-silicone polymer-based sealant etc.) then the next stage will be OTTO-CHEMIE drafting a physical sealant sample using their computerised matching system (much like the paint matching services you find in the hardware shops) for you to proof and confirm/approve before an order is firmed up. The whole process takes from 3-8 x weeks (dependant on if you need to post or not and other variables) and minimum orders charges and quantities apply.
Click here to contact us for more information about exact colour sealant colour matching
Some of our most popular coloured silicone sealants
- 3C Sealants LOW MOD Silicone – click here to buy online
- 3C Multi-Use Sealant & Adhesive 290ml – click here to buy online
- DL Chemicals AM85-1 310ml – click here to buy online
- Everbuild Everflex 500 395ml – click here to buy online
- OTTO-CHEMIE Ottoseal S100 300ml – click here to buy online
- OTTO-CHEMIE Ottoseal S51 310ml – click here to buy online
- Everbuild EB25 Ultimate Sealant & Adhesive 300ml – click here to buy online
- Illbruck FA880 Matt Stone Silicone 310ml – click here to buy online
- Mapei Mapesil AC Silicone 310ml – click here to buy online
The world’s largest mastic sealant colour chart?
A few years ago, we had an idea to make use of the wall space we had facing the busy north circular road and approached OTTO-CHEMIE with an design brief to make a gigantic colour chart with actual REAL silicone blobs on a background to highlight the fact that we carry so many colours in stock!
After several prototypes were mocked up, the result was made into a reality with the huge 3D swatch that’s mounted to our building. Maybe it’s a novelty and we do indeed get some stick for the fact that some of the more vivid colours aren’t actually stock items but merely created for the effect but remember we CAN and DO have them made specially for you should you wish!
One thing’s for sure, what is officially classed as the world’s largest mastic sealant chart (until proven otherwise) is unmistakeable and makes for a great talking point when people arrive at our premises and does it job of public awareness rather well we think 🙂
DL Chemicals range of coloured mastic sealants
At the forefront of mastic sealant colour ranges, (particularly silicone products) is Belgium-based manufacturer DL Chemicals.
This is their introduction…… (taken from their website)
Always exclusively focused on the professional market DL Chemicals grew to be a successful national and worldwide producer of adhesives and sealants. The company was established in 1936 and has been a family company for three generations now.
For over 80 years, DL Chemicals has only been manufacturing products with a high and constant quality level for the professional user. During this time the company succeeded in developing an excellent know-how.
(Read more about their company and it’s history etc. on their website here: https://www.dl-chem.com/en/about-us.)
We stock a combined total of almost 100 coloured silicone sealants (many of them made to exact official RAL numbers) from their extensive range with three key products being:
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PARASILICO AM85-1 SILICONE SEALANT
Used for both internal & external applications, Parasilico AM 85-1 is a low modulus multi-purpose silicone sealant that’s non-toxic, solvent-free and based on a neutral oxime curing system.
Available from stock here: https://www.sealantsonline.co.uk/ProductGrp/Parasilico-am85-1-ral-silicone-sealant
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PARASILICO PRESTIGE COLOUR ALL-IN-ONE SILICONE SEALANT
Available in over 40 x colours and sold by the single cartridge (or boxed in 6no.) Parasilico Prestige Colour has been designed with the very latest design & build colour trends in mind.
With the addition of a fungicide for mould resistance and certified for non-staining on natural stone, it works just as well internally as externally and also holds a food-safe certificate!
Available from stock here: https://www.sealantsonline.co.uk/ProductGrp/Parasilico-prestige-colour-all-in-one-silicone
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PARASILICO PRESTIGE MATT SILICONE SEALANT
Available in 8 x ever-popular colours and sold by the single cartridge (or boxed in 6no.) Parasilico Prestige Matt has been designed with the very latest design & build colour trends in mind.
With the addition of a fungicide for mould resistance and certified for non-staining on natural stone, it works just as well internally as externally and also holds a food-safe certificate!
Available from stock here: https://www.sealantsonline.co.uk/ProductGrp/Parasilico-prestige-matt-silicone