Accelerate the cure time for acrylic caulk

caulk

This is related to this question:

Can I accelerate caulk drying by using a fan or heater on it?

…but that question kind of veered off into talking mostly about silicone caulks.

I'm trying to caulk parts of a deck I just built (namely around the railing posts). It's wet and cold (pacific northwest) and the silicone caulk I initially used never set after 3 days. So I thought I'd tray an acrylic based one (DAP Dynaflex 230). Can I speed up the cure time on this with some technique? Perhaps heat? I can't find any definitive answer as to whether heat helps acrylic caulk cure faster. I can only find references that heat does not help silicone caulk and actually is a way to remove silicone caulk.

Best Answer

Well, DAP Dynaflex 230 is a great caulk, but like all other acrylic caulks that I used, they specifically state that curing time is longer in cool or humid conditions.

See their TDB:

  • Apply in temperatures above 40°F (4.44 °C).
  • Do not apply if rain or freezing temperatures are forecasted before full cure can occur. Cold weather and high humidity will slow down cure time.

So yeah, if you're applying it in cold and wet weather, it will take longer to cure, so moderate heat might help (application temperature is up to 100F/38C, don't just bring a heat gun to it), as well as shielding it from elements.

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