Finding The Right Adhesive

When it comes to using adhesive choosing the right one can be a bit of a daunting task. With so many products to choose finding the right adhesive for the job is important.

What type of surface - You need to know what type of surface you are adhering to or if there are two different surfaces you need to know the structure of each so that you can choose an adhesive that will work on both surfaces. Wood, drywall, paper, cloth, metal, ceramic, metal, automotive, and plastic all need different adhesives. Porous and non porous surfaces also respond differently to adhesives.

How Fast you Want It To Dry - Adhesives dry at different speeds. Superglue dries almost instantly, hot glue dries very quick, contact cement that is water based sets up right away and dries in about 30 minutes. Carpenters glue, wood glue, or white glue take several hours to dry and silicone based adhesives take around 24 hours. So if you need an instant dry be sure to choose a product that can meet those needs.

Water Proof - If you need the adhesive to be water proof choose superglue, two part epoxy, contact cement that is water based, or a silicone based product. Carpenters glue can take some moisture, white glue cannot.

Heat Resistant - If you need the adhesive to be heat resistant choose superglue, two part epoxy, contact cement that is water based, or a silicone based product.

Easy Cleanup - If you are looking for an adhesive that is easy to clean up use water based contact cement or silicone sealer. Carpenters glue and white glue also cleans up with water. Superglue, two part epoxy, and silicone products [non water based] require acetone for cleanup.

Tapes - Tapes are also a form of adhesive and requires more than you testing to see if the back of the tape is sticky. Rubber adhesive tapes are the strongest available. When choosing a tape you need to know the type of surface you are going to be adhering to. For example some plastics actually break down the glue in tape causing it to break down and give way over time.

Environment - Be sure to read the information on the tape packaging. Most of the more inexpensive tapes will work inside but are not able to handle the changing temperature, moisture, and humidity levels of outside, causing it to fail very quickly. So don’t purchase based on price, rather purchase your tape based on task. Duct tape is a tried and trued standby tape that’s worth having around. Although not necessarily pretty it can be used on many surfaces both indoors and outdoors.

Metal Bonding - Acrylic, epoxy, and urethane formulas are most often used when bonding metal. In fact these products are used on a regular bases in the automotive repair business. Another reason these products are so popular is they allow the user to bond metal and plastic together. Acrylic, epoxy, and urethane products are all available in various strengths and cure times [the time it takes to completely set and dry]. Most set up quickly in less than 10 minutes but the actual dry times can vary plenty.

Fiberglass - Fiberglass repairs require a combination of epoxy adhesives, fiberglass mat and heat. Working with fiberglass is very toxic and getting a professional looking finish is very difficult. Most fiberglass repairs are best left to the experts.

Wood - Wood can be easily repaired with wood glue, or carpenter’s glue. The reason wood glue often fails is because the applicant does not understand the correct procedure for applying it. First your wood needs to be totally dry with no chance of moisture breaking through. Then to get the strongest bond you need to position the fiber of the two pieces of wood correctly. Lastly don’t speed up the drying process. The longer the glue stays moist the deeper it can penetrate into the wood.

Find the right adhesive for the job will ensure a long lasting and strong join. So take some time to find the right product!


Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.