By Louis Iannaco
As the flooring industry marches toward environmental responsibility, adhesives continue to lead the way. Environmentally friendly for years, even before it became vogue, the glue that holds the industry together has recently developed more products and programs designed to leave as small a carbon footprint as possible.

While coming up with as many “Earth-friendly” products as they can, manufacturers are also coming up with new ways to market these offerings to the installers in the field as well as other industry professionals.

“We’ve recently introduced our Meta-Tec MS Plus wood flooring adhesive,” said Jack Raidy, president and CEO of Taylor Adhesives. “MS Plus is a 100% solids, water-, solvent- and isocyanate-free moisture cure adhesive for wood flooring. It is manufactured with a proprietary advanced MS Polymer combined with Taylor’s patented Meta-Tec cross-linking chemistry utilizing bio-based renewable oils and resins.”

Taylor manufactures the only wood flooring adhesives in the market that bear the independent third party certification of the GreenGuard Environmental Institute for low VOC emissions to ensure good indoor air quality, he noted.

According to John Lio, marketing manager for DriTac Flooring Products, in years past, having an adhesive that was VOC compliant was more than sufficient. Today, however, VOC-free adhesives have become the focus and, in some cases, the mandate of the industry. “Many architects and building specifications now require the use of green products for the entire building project.”

DriTac has developed several products that are completely solvent and VOC free. They include:

• 7500 Eco-Urethane Premium Urethane Wood Flooring Adhesive, which is used to install bamboo, exotic woods, multi-ply engineered plank, solid wood planks, acrylic impregnated wood, parquet and plywood, and

• 9200 FasTac Polymeric Resin with Urethane High Solids Wet-Lay Wood Flooring Adhesive, which is used to install multi-ply engineered plank parquet and acrylic impregnated wood.

“There are several different adhesive technologies available today,” Lio explained, “including water-based, urethane-based, epoxy-based, solvent-based and acrylic adhesives. Some of these adhesives are wet-lay installations and others are flash-off installations. Each provides a unique technology and is different in numerous aspects.”

When using any of these technologies, the installer must understand each product, how to use it and how to decipher which wood flooring application it is best suited to install. “It is essential to understand the wood flooring species an installer is gluing down and the adhesive chosen for that particular installation,” he added.

Mapei is another glue producer that has successfully developed its own urethane adhesives for wood featuring superior bond strength compared to water- or solvent-based materials. “Their solvent-free base ensures these products are LEED compliant,” said Jeff Johnson, product manager for the company’s Floor Covering Installation Systems.

In the resilient category, Mapei has introduced Ultrabond ECO 360 for the installation of solid sheet vinyl flooring. “This adhesive is a hard-setting material that has bond strength approaching the levels of traditional two-component epoxy adhesives while containing zero VOCs and no hazardous components,” he explained.

Mapei is approaching commercial contractors who specialize in floors with these characteristics. “We think this innovative product, used as part of Mapei’s total flooring solutions, will provide a high-performance floor installation with years of troublefree use. Of course, Ultrabond ECO 360, when used in a total solution, carries a Mapei bestbacked warranty, which gives the contractor added confidence in a job well done.”

In marketing W.F. Taylor’s products to installers, Raidy urged that it is crucial to educate professionals about the hassle-free nature of Taylor adhesives. “Taylor MS Plus is a true and superior replacement for moisture cure urethane adhesives with none of the headaches or problems associated with these products. This is the product the professional installer has been seeking for many years.”

The ease of use, rapid green grab and rapid strength build, along with the lack of odor and ease of cleanup, he explained, are all features that have long been lacking in urethane adhesives. “The problem of harsh solvents required to clean up urethanes, that also clean the finish off wood flooring, has been eliminated for the installer as well as for the customer.”

USG’s Tile and Flooring Division has introduced Durock brand wood flooring adhesive, an environmentally friendly, high- erformance adhesive offering superior bond strength and outstanding troweling properties, the company said.

The adhesive is designed for bonding wood flooring, tile and stone to all types of subfloor and vertical surfaces, noted John Mandel, market manager, performance substrates and specialty division for USG. “Safe to use in confined areas, it contains no solvents, VOCs or Proposition 65-listed materials. And unlike other adhesives, Durock will not produce outgassing.”

Producing green products is essential to the flooring industry in 2008, Lio concluded. “Providing installers and homeowners with an environmentally friendly adhesive that will not force them to sacrifice performance at all is an invaluable tool.”