When it comes to building or repairing a fireplace, it's absolutely necessary to use the right materials. Mortars and sealants that work fine under normal temperature conditions run the risk of breaking down or disintegrating completely when exposed to the extreme temperatures inside a fireplace or chimney. Whereas in the old days most people used special heat-resistant mortars to build and repair fireplaces, these days you can take advantage of specially designed silicone adhesives and sealants.

Advantages of Silicone Sealants

Silicone sealants are not quite as temperature-resistant as the best mortars, but they can handle the temperatures inside most standard fireplaces and stoves. In addition, they offer some real benefits over traditional mortar compounds. One advantage of using silicone sealant is that it is highly flexible--something that certainly can not be said about mortar.

Flexibility in your seals can be very useful, since it will allow the stove or fireplace to flex (which can occur with normal house settling or in other common situations) without cracking the seals. For this reason, silicone sealants are a great solution for filling seams on your fireplace doors, chimney caps and chimney seals. Silicone sealant is also totally weather-proof, so it will prevent water from getting into the seals of your chimney.

Silicone sealant can usually be bought in bottles that hold about 16 ounces. Different colors are available (clear or white, for instance) and you can find different sealants that are rated for different temperature levels. Any type of silicone sealant will provide a tough bond on wood, metal or glass.