WHAT LIES BENEATH Adhesives are a vital part of any flooring installation, but also one that is often
overlooked. Steve Grimwood, Managing Director at Osmo UK, considers why such an important product isn’t always planned correctly.
When a new floor is planned, the wood species, colour and finish are all seriously considered before the final choice is made. However, I would put forward the view that just as much importance should be put on the choice of adhesive. After all, what’s the point of choosing the best wood for the floor and finishing it with the best wax-oil available, if no thought is given to the method and products chosen for the installation itself? You may be surprised to hear that, often a floor that is judged to have failed in its performance has been laid without proper consideration to the adhesive.
With so many products available on the market, it is no surprise that users reach for the nearest tub rather than consider the products further when choosing the adhesive. Perhaps it is simply that they don’t see the adhesive in the same light as the much more expensive wood. And of course, no-one sees the product, just benefits from its performance characteristics – definitely a case of ‘out of sight – out of mind’. But a little time spent on the selection at the start of the project, may well save many man-hours and expense later. Selecting the most appropriate adhesive is essential to ensure the long-term performance of a wood floor and avoid costly remedial work.
The topic of adhesives is no easier for the manufacturers, who face the ongoing challenge of producing safe adhesives that comply with all the required standards as well as meeting the customer’s demands. When considering all the qualities that are sought after in an adhesive, you start to realise why there are so many choices on the market – freeze-thaw
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stability, peel and shear strength, low odour and moisture tolerance to name a few.
One option in this market that covers most requirements of customers is the MS Advanced adhesive, a single component universal elastic flooring adhesive based on hybrid technology. Thanks to hybrid technology it is solvent, isocyanate and water free and provides exceptional performance for strips and mosaic parquet, plank floors and wood block floors on porous and non-porous substrates.
This glue is permanently flexible and does not contain any water or solvents. Permanent flexibility means that the adhesive follows the movements of the wood – as the wood expands and shrinks due to moisture, the elasticity of the adhesives allows them to remain in place.
Once users have specified the adhesive, they then face the issue of applying the product correctly. There is more to simply rolling the adhesive on the subfloor. For a start, you need to have the right type of trowel – I would suggest selecting one which has wide teeth along the bottom. This offers two benefits. Firstly, it allows the adhesive to be spread evenly over the surface which makes the glue go further. Secondly, it creates groves when applied, which means that the grab is better with the wooden floor.
Concluding this topic, I believe that adhesives are just as important as any other factor of flooring. Always consider what the floorcovering is, where it is being installed and what the best adhesive is to use for the particular environment.
www.osmouk.com ADHESIVES & SEALANTS | 35
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