Choosing the correct adhesive for DIY projects

Post the pandemic, there has been an uptick of DIYers as more consumers learned how to get the job done for themselves. As such, DIYing has grown from small handyman fixes to actual DIY home projects that have become a norm. In all the emerging DIY projects, adhesives have been one of the important products.

While choosing the correct adhesive for a specific project is essential, how to use the adhesive is equally important. DIY & Industrial Trade News interviewed a few adhesives suppliers who shared valuable information about the use of adhesives for different applications. Retailers can stock up on the following adhesive products and share valuable tips from suppliers with their customers on which adhesives to use for their projects.

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Pratley

Q For DIY projects involving plastic materials, selecting the right adhesive is crucial to ensure a strong and lasting bond. What type of adhesives should retailers recommend to their customers for the best results?
A Most plastics can be bonded with Pratley 1-2-3 for kids’ plastic toys—no gaps. Pratley EzeeBond is impact and shock resistance, can be applied onto slightly oily surfaces. Pratley PowdaBond can be applied for building/filling broken plastics. Pratley SP001 which is a two-part epoxy which can be applied for sealing battery casings as it is chemical resistant. All surfaces must be thoroughly roughened and cleaned with Pratley Safety cleaner pre-bonding.

Q Material such as metal require adhesive qualities that are very strong and long lasting. Bonding metal-to-metal or metal-to-plastic or metal-to-glass requires specific quality adhesives that are efficient and durable. What type of adhesives should retailers recommend to their customers for the best results?
A Bonding metal to metal and metal to some plastics our Pratley Steel Quickset two-part epoxy can be used. When bonding metal to glass, use our Pratley Quickset Clear Epoxy, Pratley 1-2-3 for a ‘no gaps between surfaces’ bond, or Pratley EzeeBond, a two- part acrylic that offers a ‘no-mix’ method for large areas and a ‘mix’ method for smaller, high-strength bonds.

Q Some projects require nails and bolts but there are adhesives that can provide a nail-free option for DIYers. What type of adhesives should retailers recommend to their DIY enthusiasts for such projects?

A Pratley has launched a new adhesive tape called Pratley GripTack Double Sided Mounting Tape which is a high strength industrial double-sided tape which can hold objects in place and replaces nails, screws, and other mechanical fasteners.

Q Step-by-Step Tips: When bonding objects, all surfaces must be roughened and cleaned thoroughly to obtain maximum strength and long-lasting bonds.

• The mix ratio for a two-parts adhesives must be a 1:1 (unless otherwise stated in the instructions) and mixed correctly with a thick/wide mixing spatula at room temperature.
• The adhesive must be allowed to cure fully within the recommended cure time as per instruction leaflets before use.

For more information, Visit: www.pratleyadhesives.com

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GlueDevil

Q For DIY projects involving plastic materials, selecting the right adhesive is crucial to ensure a strong and lasting bond. What type of adhesives should retailers recommend to their customers for the best results?
A Glue Genius – for general applications on plastics and metals. The real genius is found in the advanced technological combination of activator and adhesive – resulting in speed that makes super glue look not-so-super, and bond strengths powerful enough to replace screws and nails. Glue Genius sets in under 15 seconds and it is so versatile that it can join or repair almost any surface, including MDF, wood, chipboard, most plastics, most metals, rubber, leather, ceramics, glass, and polyurethane.

Q Material such as metal require adhesive qualities that are very strong and long lasting. Bonding metal-to-metal or metal-to-plastic or metal-to-glass requires specific quality adhesives that are efficient and durable. What type of adhesives should retailers recommend to their customers for tAhe best results?

G-BOND Kit – For filling and mending applications on plastics or metal. GBOND Industrial adhesive & filling powder sets in 007 seconds! It can be used simply as an adhesive or together with filling powders to repair almost anything.

BLACK POWDER APPLICATIONS:

Can be used to repair, fill and reinforce hard plastics and metals such as bumpers, grills, radiators, side mirrors, door handles, distributor caps and much more.

GREY POWDER APPLICATIONS:

Can be used to repair, fill, and reinforce hard plastics and metal surfaces such as cracked metal and plastic casings on automobiles and motorcycles with temperature resistance up to 180°C, damaged wheel covers, laptops, pool pumps and much more.

Q Some projects require nails and bolts but there are adhesives that can provide a nail-free option for DIYers. What type of adhesives should retailers recommend to their DIY enthusiasts for sAuch projects?

SCREW IT! JUST GLUE IT in white and clear – this is the ultimate combined building adhesive and sealant based on hybrid polymer technology with the most amazing strength to bond and seal virtually everything to anything in any conditions. An excellent fixing adhesive that replaces nails, screws, and other mechanical fixings. It offers sealing and bonding in almost every application imaginable. This product can be used for instant bonding and fixing of house numbers, signs, large panels, wallboards, skirting boards, dado rails, cornices, key holders, picture frames, cladding, electrical boxes, name plates, car bodies, caravans, small mirrors, sanitary fixtures, marble, granite, carpets, ceramic tiles, wooden flooring, cover strips, window sills, sealing of floor joints and much more.

STEP-BY-STEP TIPS FOR USING ADHESIVES EFFECTIVELY

G-BOND KIT

• Ensure surfaces to be repaired are cleaned, dry and free from dust, paint, oil, or grease particles.
• Apply filling powder to the area being repaired. Once the area is filled, drip adhesive onto the powder, making sure that the applicator nozzle doesn’t touch the powder• To fill in missing parts, place a piece of tape underneath the gap, fill with powder and apply adhesive. Once hardened remove tape. Fine nozzle extender supplied for delicate work that requires accuracy.

NOTE: Do not cut bottle open. Pierce with pin supplied and seal with pin after use. Store in a cool dry place. Not suitable for polyethylene and polypropylene.

GLUE GENIUS KIT

Instructions for use:

• Spray ACTIVATOR onto one surface.
• Allow to evaporate.
• Apply ADHESIVE onto another surface.
• Join surfaces and hold of 10 seconds.

SCREW IT! JUST GLUE IT

Instructions for Use:

To prepare for the application, make sure your surface is clean, dry, and free of loose particles or contaminants.

GLUEDEVIL SCREW IT! is suitable for use on most surfaces, including glass, wood, metal, aluminium, plastic, stone, and concrete.

Apply GLUEDEVIL SCREW IT! in vertical/horizontal stripes with 10-15cm distance in between to allow for air flow. Bring the materials into position and apply pressure to ensure the adhesive’s thickness is minimum 2-3mm.

For more information, Visit: www.gluedevil.co.za

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Sika

Q For DIY projects involving plastic materials, selecting the right adhesive is crucial to ensure a strong and lasting bond. What type of adhesives should retailers recommend to their customers for the best results?
A Sika recommends two products when it comes to all things sealing and bonding and we break it down into two bonding categories: Flexible and Rigid.

For flexible bonding we would recommend our product Sikaflex-11 FC. This product has been the professionals’ favourite multi-tool for sealing and bonding for over 50 years.

Sikaflex-11 FC+ is an all in one, multipurpose elastic adhesive, and joint sealant with very good application properties which bonds and seals most construction material substrates. This product can be used on wall casing and landscaping, window and door sills, stair casings, decorative elements, and signs, interior sealings etc.

HOW TO USE THE PRODUCT: PREPARATION AND PRIMING

• Substrate must be clean, dry, homogeneous, free from oils, grease, dust and loose particles
• Clean substrate with Sika Aktivator-205 (or acetone) as per data sheet
• Prime porous substrates with Sika Primer-3 N as per data sheet
• Prime PVC with Sika Primer-215 as per data sheet.

Q Material such as metal require adhesive qualities that are very strong and long lasting. Bonding metal-to-metal or metal-to- plastic or metal-to-glass requires specific quality adhesives that are efficient and durable. What type of adhesives should retailers Arecommend to their customers for the best results?

A For a more rigid bonding solution, we recommend Sikadur AP. This easy to mix and apply adhesive paste is used for general bonding and patching. Best used on bricks, concrete, wood, ceramics, and metal. It can be applied to damp surfaces and is ideal for vertical and overhead applications. Sikadur AP can be smoothed off with water and has a convenient 1 to 1 mixing ratio.

HOW TO USE THE PRODUCT: PREPARATION AND PRIMING

• Sound, clean, free from oil and grease, old coatings and surface treatments, etc· Concrete, mortar, stone should be prepared by high pressure water jetting or mechanical means (grinding, chiselling etc)
• Proportion equal amounts by volume of both components into a suitable, clean mixing container. Depending on the volume, mix thoroughly using a large spatula or a slow speed drill
  (set at 400-600rpm) with a clean, rust free, mixing paddle until the two components are evenly blended to a uniform colour (minimum three minutes).
• Use immediately.
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More adhesives

Apart from the above-mentioned adhesives, Sika also recommends the adhesives below as solution for some of your customers’ needs.

SIKAFLEX-11 FC+

• Bonding of windowsills, thresholds, staircase steps, baseboards, panels, prefabricated elements, concrete or terracotta tiles, tiling
• Sealing of acoustic insulation, for caulking between elements, for filling joints
• Repairing of cracks or filling in gaps on the outside of walls.

SIKAFLEX-113 RAPID CURE

• Bonding of metal fitting rods to metal claddings
• Bonding of isolation plates to a pipe
• Bonding of plastic parts to metal furniture
• Bonding of paper dispenser on glazed wall tiles.

SANISIL

• For sanitary or other sealing applications
• For applications where fungi and mildew resistance are required, such as basins, showers, toilets, baths, etc Bath and Kitchen Sealant.

SIKADUR AP

Sikadur® AP is an all purpose adhesive used for general bonding and patching of a wide variety of materials such as:

• Brick
• Concrete
• Wood
• Ceramic
• Metal

Sikadur AP is easy to mix and apply and has an array of advantages such as:

• Excellent adhesion
• Can be applied to damp surfaces
• Ideal for vertical and overhead applications
• High abrasion resistance
• Can be smoothed off with water

SIKAFLEX-112 CRYSTAL CLEAR

• Transparent joint sealing
• Invisible bonding of decorative materials
• Bonding of hooks
• Bonding mosaic tiles to walls, exterior.

SIKABOND-115 STRONG FIX

• Bonding of stucco elements to interior walls and sealings
• Bonding of skirting boards • Bonding of gypsum boards to wooden frames • Bonding of interior windowsills
• Bonding of panels, terracotta tiles, anodized aluminium, hard PVC profiles, polystyrene mouldings and ceiling tiles.

SIKACRYL S –

• For sealing of indoor connection joints with low movements on surfaces
• For interior and sheltered exterior crack filling
• Indoor connection joints, around windows, windowsills, doors, pvc pipes, dry walls, and ceilings, etc.

SIKASIL POOL

• Joints in and around swimming pools
• Areas under permanent water immersion and frequently wet areas such as shower rooms in sports halls or leisure facilities
• Between ceramics, tiles, concrete, glass, metals, and other typical building substrates.

For more information, Visit: www.sika.co.za