cheaper 3m 5200 alternative

[Tilden]

Is there a generic cheaper alternative to 3M 5200?

 

[michael pierzga]

What are you using it for ?

I use very little 5200 or sika. I prefer to fabricate gaskets for joints and only bed the fastener into 3m.

The UV resistant Sika or 3m products are reserved for technical work like window bedding , teak decks or underwater skin fittings.

The advantage of using the Professional products like 3m or Sika is working time...slow or fast dry, viscosity and UV resistance.

 

[PAR]

3M 5200 is one of the cheaper adhesive/sealants on the market. The use of these sealants are usually application dependent, so the obvious question is what are you using it for?

 

[keith66]

There are numerous alternative Polyurethane sealants on the market, here in the UK we can get versions from car trade suppliers, Other manufacturers include Wurth, & Soudal. Screwfix also sell a generic PU sealant called PU40 and there are others. All are cheaper than Sikaflex. Depends what you want to use it for though.
One of the cheapies i used in a non critical application was actually melted by antifouling, Not going to use that stuff again!
As for windows i would never use polyurethane, if you ever need to take the window out to reseal you will wish you used Butyl rubber!

 

[Petros]

All of the replys above are good advise. If you are using it in non-critical applications you can go to a Home Depot or Lowes and look at the adhesive/sealants they sell, read the labels and buy a few and try then out. Many will be suitable alternatives for various applications. Be aware that how well they perform is application dependent. And I would not use cheaper alternatives in risky locations, unless you are willing to live with the consequences.

 

[viking north]

I havent tried it for marine applications yet but Quad Four does one heck of a good job on vinyl window installs and is just a pleasure to apply. If I were stuck or money was tight I wouldn't have a problem giving it a go for general use on my own boat. Around $6.00 a tube.

 

[FMS]

For use in any critical below-the-waterline area, consistency and quality are worth paying $12 per cartridge for the standard 5200. These 10 oz cartridges are the best value. The 5 gallon pails are impractical to use for anyone outside a boatbuilding factory.

 

[Pylasteki]

Grab a tube of Bostic #920 its around 8 bucks a tube. Try it to see if it is suitable for the purpose you are after. It is white, formulated for marine applications above or below the waterlines and is more sealant than adhesive, though still plenty adhesive. If you don't cut it loose it will tear epoxy fiberglass off plywood, so be warned if you are going to put it somewhere you imagine treading in the future...

It is what a lot of wooden boat yards are using between the planks on wood boats and as a general bonding goop to put things together. Normally it will rip wood to wood joints apart in demolition mode, I say normally... as its not guaranteed like 5200. I don't know anyone that would bed in a shaft strut with it, if that puts in perspective its place in the hierarchy of boat goop. It doesn't like sunlight all that much either, so don't bed in your window frames with it...

It doesn't really take paint and isn't really sandable. It can be sanded, and can be painted but its not overly easy. It also has an odd habit of staying a bit sticky if applied in the dead of winter, and extruding back out of seams when it finishes curing.

You know the drill, there is the right product for the job... and then there are others that will work, with some compromises you can save a buck or two, but its up to you to decide if its worth your time to save a buck or two. After a couple years of messing with the stuff I switched over to 5200 for the shop favorite... it only takes one or two tubes of 920 going hard in the case to make it a wash as far as price goes.