How do sealants react with paint and painted surfaces?

The paintability of sealants can be divided into two categories namely

1. The ability of paint to form a film on the sealant and
2. The ability of paint to adhere on the sealant.

Paints both water based and oil based are not able to form a film on the silicone nor do they adhere on to the silicone sealants. Hence avoiding contact with the surfaces to be painted is highly recommended. The extremely low surface tension of silicone rubber prevents adhesion of paint on traditional silicone sealants.

It is recommended to pre-paint surfaces prior to applying silicone sealant. Paint is less flexible than a sealant hence paint will crack on joints with large movement, if one paints over the sealant it will peel off.