Utrecht · approx. 40 km from Utrecht
Sealant work in Leerdam
Leerdam is the glass town of the Netherlands, and that makes one part of our trade recognisable here: the seal between glass and window frame. That edge is neither the glass nor the timber, but it determines whether both stay intact. If it comes away, water runs along the pane into the frame and the timber rots away from the inside, while the pane still looks perfectly sound.
Since 1959
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What matters in Leerdam
In a glass town the edge counts
A historic centre on the Linge, ribbon development along the water, post-war expansion districts of terraced housing and commercial buildings around the glass industry.
In the old centre and along the Linge stand buildings with timber window frames, putty and glazing sealant around single glazing; there the seal around the pane has often been in place for decades. The post-war expansions to the north and west of the centre were put up in terraces and are well past the first replacement round of their facade sealant. Anything applied before 1994 counts as suspected of containing asbestos until the opposite is established, and here that affects a sizeable part of the stock. In the commercial buildings the dimensions are different: long facades, large glazed areas and expansion joints that run on for metres at a stretch.
What makes Leerdam different from a village further on is the amount of glass per facade, and the fact that here it is more often large glass. A large pane expands more in the sun than a small one, and the seal around it has to go along with that every day. Then there is the ground: the Vijfheerenlanden lie on river clay and peat, so the buildings around here do not stand still. Movement determines the joint width, and you calculate that instead of copying it.
The old centre along the Linge is narrow and has limited parking, sometimes with a time window. There we park the van as close as possible and carry the gear some of the way. In the post-war districts and on the business parks it is no problem: wide streets, free parking and usually right outside the door or on the premises themselves. For commercial buildings we check in advance whether we can reach the height without an aerial work platform.
Forty kilometres by road, three quarters of an hour's drive. That is the edge of what is economical for one single job, so for a single joint we charge a minimum amount and you hear that in advance. For a bathroom or a set of window frames it is perfectly doable. For business work we like to schedule Leerdam together with Vianen or Culemborg on one day.
What we do in Leerdam
- Bathroom, sanitary & kitchenSealing of sanitary ware, showers, baths, washbasins and kitchens.
- Window frames & glazingNeat, durable sealant work around window frames and glass.
- Facades & structural jointsFacade joints, connection joints and expansion joints in floors and walls.
- Swimming pool & wellnessSealant work in swimming pools, saunas, steam rooms and spas.
- Renovation & maintenanceSealant work during renovation, repairs and periodic maintenance.
- Specialist sealant workFor specific requirements and specialist applications.
You will hear from us within 15 minutes on working days, and the work comes with a 2-year guarantee.
The work here
What we do most often in Leerdam
Repairing glazing edges
In older buildings the seal between glass and window frame is often the first thing to give up. It goes hard, shrinks and comes away at the edges, and then water runs along the pane into the timber. We take the old edge out without damaging the glass, clean the rebate and put back a seal that can move with timber and glass.
More about this serviceExpansion joints in commercial buildings
On long facades, expansion joints sometimes run on for tens of metres at a stretch, and there every deviation adds up. We measure how much movement is to be expected and derive the joint width from that, because a wider joint stretches over more millimetres than a narrow one. On long runs we work in sections so that the joint stays the same width throughout.
More about this serviceSanitary joints at home
The post-war housing stock almost always has a bathroom whose sealant is older than the rest. Black edges along the bath or shower come from mould in the sealant and not on it; scrubbing removes the top and the rest stays put. The joint has to come out, the corner has to be dry and clean, and then a sanitary sealant goes in.
More about this serviceHow we approach it here
Which sealant on what, and what it costs
The substrate decides the sealant
Around glass, different rules apply than on a facade. Glass and timber expand differently in the sun, so the seal between them has to move with that difference every day without coming away; an ordinary facade sealant is not made for that. In the rebate the timber must also be dry and sound, because nothing adheres permanently to decayed timber and then the edge comes back within a season. On the facades themselves you come across painted timber here, where the sealant adheres to the paint layer and not to the timber, and brickwork that is porous enough to call for a primer. In commercial buildings it is more often concrete or coated steel: concrete is dusty at the cut face and has to be clean, steel is smooth and calls for a product that grips it. Which one it will be, we decide on site.
Costs and lead time
The price follows from the number of metres, whether the old seal has to come out and how easily you can get to it. Replacing glazing edges is slower work than a facade joint: you are removing hard sealant while the glass has to stay intact, and you cannot rush that. For a house with many old window frames, count on two days rather than one. An average bathroom is done in half a day. Because Leerdam is forty kilometres away, a minimum charge applies for one single joint; you hear that in advance and it does not appear on the bill afterwards. Curing is waiting time and not working time, and we tell you that too.
Two routes
Business or homeowner in Leerdam
For contractors and property managers in the Vijfheerenlanden this is work that is easy to plan: the post-war stock is predictable per complex, and in commercial buildings it is about long runs that suit a fixed price per metre. We come in as a subcontractor alongside a repainting cycle, or do only the sealant work while you do the rest. For stock from before 1994 we include the asbestos question in the planning instead of running into it halfway through. For each address we record on camera what has been done.
For businesses
Contractors, painters, homeowners' associations, property managers and interior fit-out.
See what we do for businessesAlso near Leerdam
As the crow flies from the centre. By road it is further.
Is your town or city not listed? See the whole service area.
Questions from Leerdam
What people in Leerdam ask most often
My pane is still sound. Why does the sealant have to come out?
Because the edge gives up before the glass does. A pane lasts for decades; the seal around it has to stretch and shrink every day because glass and timber expand differently in the sun. If that edge goes hard and comes away, water runs along the pane into the rebate and the timber rots away from the inside, while you still see nothing on the outside. By the time you do see it, you have usually lost the window frame and not just the sealant.
Do you also come to Leerdam for a single window?
We can, but then a minimum charge applies and you hear that in advance. Leerdam is forty kilometres from our base, and for one joint that trip is not economical without such a charge. If you want to keep it down, there are two ways: have more windows done at the same time, or plan it together with a neighbour. Then you pay for the trip and the set-up once instead of twice, and the price per window drops.
Can the new seal be painted over?
That depends on the product, and it is a question to ask before the work. Most sealants that stay permanently elastic cannot be painted over: paint adheres poorly to them and cracks open as soon as the joint moves. Paintable sealant exists, but it is less stretchy and so not the right choice everywhere. If you want to paint the window frames later, say so when you make your request, and we choose with that in mind.
What is the difference from ordinary sealing of a facade?
The load and the clearance. A facade joint sits between two building components that move mainly with the temperature. A glazing edge sits between glass and timber, two materials that expand differently, in a rebate where there is little room. That calls for a different product, a cleaner substrate and more patience when taking it out, because the glass has to stay intact. It is the same trade but not the same work.
Do you also work on commercial buildings here?
Yes, and for us that is the work for which the trip to Leerdam is worth it in any case. Commercial buildings mean long facades, large glazed areas and expansion joints that run on for metres at a stretch. A fixed price per metre suits that, and the planning is predictable. We check in advance whether we can reach the height without an aerial work platform, because that makes a difference to the price and to the lead time.
