Choosing the right glue for your application can become tricky if you do not have the experience. This guide will assist you in selecting the correct adhesive for our COBAGRiP® product range and what other considerations one should make when installing GRP products on site.
Our employees have years of experience with the products and a quick assessment of the site would be enough to advise whether the above products will be suitable. If not, our trained professionals would be able to recommend the best alternative for your specific application. We take pride in our sales team’s ability to think out of the box to provide customers with solutions for their specific applications.
Contact our dedicated sales team to book a site survey. Our team has years of experience with the products and knows them inside out. They will be able to provide you with expert advice on the type of adhesive you require for your site.
Each site would have its unique conditions that play a role in which adhesive would be best for the specific site. Here are some of the factors that you need to look at to choose the correct adhesive:
Temperature changes can cause a change in adhesive properties. Low temperatures cause the adhesive to become more brittle (reduced strain to failure), while high temperatures cause the adhesive to become more ductile, making it less strong and more liable to creep.
The heavier the traffic and the higher the traffic volume, the stronger the adhesive needs to be to prevent the stair noising or tread from lifting off the surface and causing a trip hazard.
Areas that have high volumes of sunlight need to be investigated to ensure that the correct adhesive is used to cope with harsh temperatures.
This is a very important aspect to consider when choosing your adhesive as additional preparation might be needed to ensure that the area is ready for the specific adhesive needed for the stair tread, stair noising or GRO sheet.
Surfaces need to be properly cleaned before and during the respective installation process. Failure to do this can result in the product failing in the early stages already.
With stair treads or grip sheets that are installed, it is always recommended, that the material is installed in a room temperature condition. The material that is going to be installed, also to be clean from any dirt, oil & dust.
On any product and any surface, one always needs to ensure that all correct procedures are followed.
Contact Adhesive, a.k.a. Contact Cement is a neoprene rubber adhesive that makes for a permanent, quick and flexible bond. Contact cement is the go-to adhesive.
This adhesive is only suitable for areas that see no sunlight whatsoever. When using this glue, it is important to ensure that both surfaces have glue applied to them. You then need to wait for about 20 min to get tacky before applying the two surfaces to each other. Each application will be unique, and so the amount of glue being used will differ from product to product and application to application.
Two-component epoxy adhesives feature unique versatility in application and performance. This adhesive consists of a resin and a hardener.
Once this glue dries, you will not be able to clean it up or even remove it. So very special precautions need to be taken when this glue is used. This type of glue is ideal for areas of direct sunlight.
Silicone itself is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and silicon. Note that the ingredient contained within silicone is spelt differently. The ingredient silicon comes from silica which is derived from sand.
Depending on the products and color, this to be used on any small gaps around the area to provide a professional finish to the installation.
The main ingredient in super glue is cyanoacrylate, C5H5NO2, for the chemistry buffs out there. Cyanoacrylate is an acrylic resin that cures almost instantly.
If all the instructions are followed on the installation of these products, one should not need Super Glue as it tends to make the material more brittle over time.
Once the product has been installed, ensure that the area is cleaned from any left-over glue, debris and any other rubbish that might be laying around.
To maintain the effectiveness of the grit that provides slip resistance, the top surface must be kept clean. Individual circumstances will vary but, generally, a stiff hand brush and hot soapy water will achieve good results. Mild detergents can be used safely on the product, but it is advisable to test any cleaning products first. Where circumstances allow our fibreglass products can be power washed without causing harm. Care should be taken when the product has been stuck down and / or edge sealed as very high-pressure power washing or repeated power washing could cause damage to sealants and adhesives.
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