Hicksville, N.Y.—Today’s flooring adhesives are safer, more economically-friendly and highly specialized than those of years past.

“Adhesives are more specialized than they were 15 years ago,” said Wally Giambastiani, Para-Chem’s marketing development manager. “The environmental changes have caused some major reformulations to take out all the hazardous solvents and other chemicals that were a part of the formula. These changes have affected the working properties of the adhesive, especially with the ability to bond to dusty substrates.

“There are also many new types of flooring in the market,” he explained. “These products are more environmentally friendly and are manufactured with safer chemicals. Adhesives have to be developed to work with these new chemicals. At the same time we have to be concerned with keeping the installation costs down.”

John Lio, marketing manager for DriTac Adhesive Group, said adhesives have become more specialized due to the increase of glue-down wood installations and the proliferation of new species from around the world. “Solid planks are glued down more frequently and many planks have become wider and longer. These installations require full-bodied glues, such as moisture-cure urethane adhesives. Most traditional engineered plank installations use a premium pressure sensitive or polymeric resin adhesive. All these factors have contributed to the specialization of adhesives.

“At DriTac,” added Lio, “we have worked hard to conform to the demands of the industry and offer several different types of wood flooring adhesives. They include: pressure sensitive, polymeric resin, and three moisture-cure urethane adhesives. We also offer two ‘green’ wood flooring adhesives. DriTac believes each wood flooring application is unique and provides installers with various options to help make even the most demanding installations successful and cost effective as possible.”

According to Benny Wood, president of Advanced Adhesive Technology (AAT), the very best thing that has happened to the adhesive industry has been the environmental regulations set forth in the early ‘90’s. “These regulations made the industry develop and improve the quality and performance of all aspects of the adhesives used for all types of floor coverings. Not only are adhesives better today, they have become much more specialized.

“The day of the ‘multipurpose adhesive’ has long since gone and I hope that it never ever surfaces again,” he added. “Adhesives today are tailored to fit the ever changing floor covering product.

“Today, continued Wood, “we have urethane unitary, polypropylene, vinyl, polyethylenes, hotmelts and many other different backings for carpets, not counting sheet vinyls, and the fantastic array of engineered and solid woods from all parts of the globe. With fast tract housing and commercial developments, today`s adhesives are more tolerant to moisture alkali, and are constructed to be at least 30% better than they should be, but when you have no control over the sub-floor, the floor covering, the installation and warranty, the adhesive has to specific and better than the other trades.”

“Adhesives today are often specialized by floor coverings,” said Jeremy Verstraete, segment marketing manager, for USG. “Most are zero VOC and low odor. Water-base and high solid adhesives predominate as opposed to when solvent-based adhesives were the norm.”

Adhesives are much more specialized today due to advancing technology, noted Jack Raidy Jr., president and CEO of W.F. Taylor Co. “This is especially true with regards to environmentally favorable glues that use non-traditional raw materials. Products are ever changing to offer features and benefits to enhance their attractiveness to the consumer. This also creates a need for specialized adhesives.

“These specialized glues are often far from universal, so it’s important the recommended ones are used,” he explained. “Some flooring products are compatible with a wide range of adhesives. The choice of glue is then guided by ease of use for trouble free installations, safety criteria, ease of clean up and cost.”

Joe Tuttolomondo, vice president and general manager for XL Brands, said, perception varies based on the installer, but without exception, adhesives are far more specialized today. “With the continuing variability of flooring and backings, driven by economics and availability of reliable raw material streams, the ‘normal, run of the mill’ glues may offer initial bonds, but the long-term performance of the installation may be jeopardized.

“Also,” he concluded, “fast track/green slab jobs have driven specialty glues and adhesive systems that will offer long-term performance solutions to the end user.”
—Louis Iannaco