By K.J. Quinn—Time is money when it comes to adhesives. Fast-drying and curing glues answer that demand, enabling installers to boost productivity, cover larger areas in a shorter period and move on to the next job more expeditiously. What’s more, as more flooring contractors seek innovative products to help accomplish more with fewer resources, adhesives offering fast installation speeds, ease of use and versatility are in demand, experts say.
Following is a sampling of the newest solutions available in the market. As is the case with any flooring adhesive, environmental conditions and subfloor type are among the factors that play a role in cure time, and each product offers its own set of performance characteristics and application methods.
Custom Building Products
Wood HP4 4-in-1 hybrid polymer, moisture cure wood-plank adhesive does the job of four products in one bucket. It’s an adhesive, concrete moisture barrier, sound reduction and crack isolation membrane all in one. The product is easy to trowel, has excellent ridge retention and superior green grab. HP4 is designed to bridge nonstructural cracks up to 1/8 inch and provides early grab and bond strength. What’s more, the product is a low-VOC product and FloorScore certified.
DriTac
DriTac 7900 Super Grab is a premium-grade moisture control urethane adhesive developed for installing long and wide plank wood flooring. Super Grab’s advanced formula provides
installers with a wet-lay, permanent bond adhesive that offers excellent green grab and an option for controlling high levels of concrete moisture vapor emissions (up to 12 lb. CC/85% RH). DriTac 7900 can be used to install multi-ply engineered plank, solid wood plank, bamboo and other flooring.
Henry
The Henry 647 PlumPro Fast-Track Vinyl Flooring Adhesive brand from Ardex applies fast from a standing position using a paint roller and application is easy to learn, according to the company. The product is ready to receive flooring in as little as 10 minutes. That’s significantly shorter than the 30-to-40 minute times that are usually necessary for many trowel-applied adhesives. The versatility of 647 PlumPro makes it ideal for permanent bonding of LVT, VCT, VET and, in cases of sheet goods, may be heat welded the same day.
Schönox
Schönox Protect is a silane-modified polymer adhesive applicable for all types of resilient flooring. It is suitable for bonding of sheet vinyl, VCT, LVT, sheet synthetic rubber coverings, sheet linoleum coverings, rubber and cork granulated underlayment and artificial turf in interior and exterior areas. Schönox Protect boasts a long open time and low odor for ease of use by installers. Furthermore, it is ideal for demanding installations where two-part urethanes or epoxy adhesives are used.
Stauf USA
Stauf has developed a no-VOC adhesive used for high-moisture situations. The R-701 Xtrem-Link Duo is a two-component product that is permanently waterproof. This adhesive can be used indoors or outdoors. It offers high shear and tensile strength and is ideal for buildings with high moisture and even structures that may not have a vapor barrier under concrete. Instead of doing a moisture mitigation and waiting overnight for sealers to dry, installers can utilize the R-701 Xtrem-Link Duo and install immediately, thus saving time and money.
Taylor Adhesives
Taylor Dynamic saves time with its instant access to light traffic. That’s because it is a firm-set modified transitional pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), which can be used for various types of flooring installations. It provides the cross-linking benefits of a hard-set adhesive while temporarily retaining PSA-like surface tack. And Taylor Dynamic flashes-off in just 30 to 60 minutes to create a high-strength, waterproof bond.
