Product category:
Floors
News Release from: Ardex UK | Subject: Adhesives for floorcoverings
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 01 December 2004
Introduction To Adhesives For
Floorcoverings
Barry James, Technical Services Manager, Ardex UK gives a general introduction to adhesives for resilient and textile floorcoverings.
Floorcovering adhesives are used to secure the floorcovering to the prepared sub-floor to prevent the floorcovering moving when trafficked, either by pedestrians or by vehicles Water-based adhesives Adhesives containing water borne binders are widely used, with aqueous synthetic polymer-based products being most popular
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 30 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
System Ardex for new Sports and Media Centre
Ardex UK and Cerface Limited recently provided a 2500m2 tiling and grouting solution at the newly developed Tonbridge School Centre for Sports and Media.
West Cumberland Hospital gets the Ardex treatment
Ardex worked with flooring contractors TT Flooring of Workington, who were commissioned to install the floorcoverings for the refurbished West Cumberland Hospital.
Synthetic dispersion-based products: SBR polymer.
Acrylic polymer.
PVA Polymer Bitumen-based products.
Further reading
Ardex new Microtec Tile Adhesives range
Ardex UK will be at the Tile and Stone Show and will showcase and demonstrate their recently launched Microtec Tile Adhesives range.
New tile adhesive is fixing the future from Ardex
Ardex, innovator in high performance tile fixing systems announce the UK launch of its new premium tile adhesive, the Microtec range.
Call of duty answered by Ardex at Gamestation
Ardex Feather Finish to smooth over the new plywood floor at Gamestation new store in Hull.
Bitumen emulsion Water soluble binder products.
Lignum paste.
These products contain water and most have to be spread out on the sub-floor and left for the recommended 'open time' for the water and solvents, if present, to evaporate and thus develop tack before the floorcovering is laid.
In some cases the floorcovering has to be laid whilst the spread adhesive is sufficiently wet to allow transference to the underside of the floorcovering, some products require the floorcovering to be laid immediately after spreading the adhesive.
Adhesives containing solvents (flammable and non-flammable) Solvent borne adhesives, e.g bitumen solution (ATA) Contact adhesives, e.g synthetic rubber solution.
These products contain organic solvents which predominantly evaporate before the application of the floorcovering.
Most of these adhesives require an 'open time' to allow the carrier solvent to evaporate before the floorcovering is laid.
Some of these adhesives can be spread on the sub-floor and the floorcovering immediately installed.
Where the applied adhesives are described as 'contact adhesives' they generally allow no adjustability after the floorcovering is placed, i.e immediate grab on contact.
Reactive resin-based adhesives.
Epoxy resin - 2 part adhesives.
Polyurethane - 2 part or single part adhesives.
Polyester resin/catalyst adhesives.
These are used for special installations where the floorcovering (predominantly PVC or rubber) requires to be strongly adhered to the sub-floor, e.g extremely heavy trafficked locations or where conditions demand it, such as high temperature locations.
Application of adhesives.
Floorcovering adhesives are generally applied as a ribbed bed to the sub-floor using a suitably serrated trowel to evenly spread the adhesive, i.e to obtain a uniform coverage of sufficient adhesive for the floorcovering being applied.
With some adhesives the floorcovering can be applied whilst the adhesive is still wet.
These adhesives are usually used when adhering impervious floorcoverings to absorbent sub-floors, e.g screeds, concrete, smoothing compounds, plywood etc With some adhesives the spread adhesive has to be left to develop tack, usually to allow the evaporation of water and solvents that are present in the 'fresh' adhesive to improve properties such as to facilitate workability during application.
Once the adhesive has developed tack, the floorcovering can be adhered.
This period of time is called 'open time' and with some modern adhesives the 'open time' can be considerable, i.e so called permanent tack or peelable adhesives.
In some cases the adhesive may be applied to the prepared sub-floor and the floorcovering laid into the freshly applied adhesive so that the adhesive is partially transferred to the underside of the floorcovering.
The floorcovering is then pulled back off the sub-floor and the adhesive on the sub-floor and the floorcovering are allowed to develop tack before it is re-laid into the adhesive on the sub-floor.
This technique is usually referred to as the 'double drop' method.
Where adhesives immediately bond the floorcovering on contact, these can be applied either to the prepared sub-floor, or to both the prepared sub-floor and to the underside of the floorcovering, prior to adhering the floorcovering once the adhesive application is dry.
These are usually referred to as contact adhesives.
With thinner resilient floorcoverings the use of the serrated trowel to evenly distribute sufficient adhesive as a ribbed bed on the sub-floor and subsequently flattening the adhesive ribs with a conventional paint roller, has become more popular.
This technique eliminates patterns showing through the applied thin resilient floorcoverings.
Note: This method is mostly used with pressure sensitive adhesives.
The type of floorcovering adhesive has to be selected on the basis of the sub-floor and floorcovering being fixed, as well as on the end use and location of the floor.
Where both the floorcovering and the sub-floor are impervious, the adhesive selected should give the required adhesion without further loss of water or solvent.
In these circumstances an adhesive which is left to develop tack, or a contact adhesive will be selected.
If either the floorcovering or the sub-floor is porous and absorbent, then the range of adhesives that can be used is much greater.
For some installations where an anti-static floorcovering is installed the adhesive used is generally a special conductive grade.
With some floorcoverings, e.g certain types of carpet and carpet tiles, where full bonding to the sub-floor is not critical, the use of tackifier adhesives are generally satisfactory.
With such adhesives the sub-floor may require priming to reduce porosity. Request a free brochure from Ardex UK ...
• Ardex UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Buildingtalk email newsletter
• Buildingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
