How Do You Choose the Right Adhesive for Your Needs?
There are lots of different adhesives available to buy, so it can be difficult to work out which one is best for the job you are completing.
If you can relate to this, don’t worry. The DIY industry is now worth over eight billion, so there are lots of DIY newbies who are still getting to grips with adhesives. If you are a landlord you may find that keeping up to date with your own home as well as your rental property needs can be overwhelming. You can use a Property inspection app such as the one available from https://propertyinspect.com/ to take away some of the planning stress for these properties. Here is a useful elimination process that you can follow to find the right adhesive for your needs.
Find Out If the Adhesive Needs to Meet a Standard
Sometimes you need to make sure that the adhesive meets certain qualification, such as MilSpecs, NSF or commercial standards.
Learn About Different Adhesives
There are lots of different adhesives out there, but here are some of the main ones.
Anaerobics: These are adhesives that cure when they come into contact with metal, and they are commonly used to lock bolts and nuts together.
Epoxies: Epoxies can be bought in one or two parts, and they work well with metals but not plastics. Single part epoxies need heat to stick, so they require more effort than some other options on this list.
Silicones: Silicone isn’t one of the strongest adhesives, but it is very resistant to high temperatures and it is flexible, so it is ideal for showers and baths.
Cyanoacrylates: Cyanoacrylates are adhesives that stick via a reaction with moisture, and they have a fairly poor durability with glass.
Toughened Acrylics: Toughened acrylics are fairly versatile, so they work on a large range of surfaces.
Polyurethanes: Polyurethanes are very resistant to low temperatures, and they are impact-resistant, so they are very durable and they are often used to bond glass or GRP.
Polyimides: Polyimides can be bought in both liquid and solid form, but they are quite expensive and they can be difficult to use if you have no prior experience.
Polyvinyl Acetate (AKA PVA): PVAs are ideal for porous materials such as paper and wood, and they are often used by shipping and packing companies.
Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives: Pressure-sensitive adhesives are normally used for labels, but they aren’t really suited to many other jobs as they are not as sticky as most other adhesives.
