StopGap: right time to caulk

Hi, I have received my Stopgap tubes but it is said that it should be put only when a permanent heating/cooling system is in place, which is not yet my case since I have not finished the walls ! I don't intend to put any heating anyway as the studio is halt burried and it is never too cold in there. It is also said that it must not be put under 13º Celsius. The weather is teasing me as we have (in south of France) a very cool winter right now and it has not come down 15º for about 3 weeks, raaahh. Sould I wait for spring time do you recon ? Is the 13º threeshold counts only for the time of the application (and the dryness)? What if I put it now and it gets colder a week after ? Any experience is welcome.... Thanks Alex

Don't now much about Stopgap, but in general, except air temperature, the temperature of substratum/undercoat is often also very important for applying/drying. Method of drying (loosing or taking the moisture) and the time of drying in ideal conditions counts too. If the recommended temperature is i.e. 25 deg. now on 15 deg. it's possible it needs double time to dry. This winter is extremely warm, but no one could tell you what's going to be in February. IMHO that's gambling. I suggest you to contact manufacturer directly, or wait for springtime if heating is not the option. regards

Alex, If you are installing more than a single layer of drywall on each wall it is critical that you caulk as you go......... Otherwise you are never going to get it right (things like 2 point caulk joints are critical to assure you don't have connection failures over the years.......) Here in the states you can rent (purchase cheap even) small pot heaters that use propane gas for fuel. Look here: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/ ... 598_503598 They burn very clean and are what we in the construction industry generally use for house construction when it comes to drywall finishes in the off seasons...... On the plus side of things - they burn very VERY clean - no smoke to mess up your interior surfaces.......... On the minus side - they do put out a lot of moisture as a part of their combustion process - so you don't want to let them just run wild..... You should only need the heat as long as it takes to get those joints all caulked and cured - once cured the colder temps shouldn't be a big issue........ Sincerely, Rod

Rod, I have so far installed one layer of drywall on one wall only. I have not yet done any other wall, so why would not I wait until spring time ? the rest of the drywall board is stored in the same room. Is there a concern about moisture because I have installed a layer of drywall over some rock wool ? One window is always open in the room. (perplexed) Alex

alexidoia wrote:

Rod, I have so far installed one layer of drywall on one wall only. I have not yet done any other wall, so why would not I wait until spring time ? the rest of the drywall board is stored in the same room. Is there a concern about moisture because I have installed a layer of drywall over some rock wool ? One window is always open in the room. (perplexed) Alex

Alex, you can wait as long as you want -my point is that once you hang layer on the ceiling you need to caulk it before you put sheets on the walls....... otherwise you cannot get to it to caulk it properly........ Same thing with each wall layer....... one at a time they have to be caulked........ OK? Rod

Yes, thanks. So far so good. :) alex