In a previous column, I talked about SBR adhesive for
broadloom carpet. However, there are
many vinyl-backed carpets and carpet tile being installed today. How do you select the right one for your next
vinyl-backed carpet project?
Acrylic-based
adhesives have acrylic latex that resists the plasticizers that migrate out of vinyl
backed carpet that would attack the Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR) adhesives. Acrylics are hard setting and set to a dry,
firm bond and do not develop the “Legs” like the SBR adhesives. These adhesives
are usually very rich in latex binders; a necessary but expensive component
needed for its performance with any vinyl-backed carpet including six-foot wide
goods.
The
adhesives used for carpet tile installations are also acrylic-based adhesives,
however, these adhesives remain tacky after they dry which allows for the “releasable
installation” of the carpet tile. During installation, and for this releasable
feature to work properly, you must allow the adhesive to dry to the touch prior
to installing the carpet tile (otherwise this becomes a permanent or
non-release installation). After installation, you can easily pull up the
tile and replace with new tile. These
adhesives are developed to have a low peel strength (easily pulled off the
floor) and high shear strength (hold the tile from sliding). Please note that there are different pressure
sensitive adhesives – acrylic types, which are for releasable installations of
carpet tile, and SBR’s, which are used for the permanent installation of other
floor coverings like VCT.
Remember,
it is your responsibility to know the type of carpet, carpet backing, and under
what conditions the carpet is going to be installed and used. Will this be high-traffic or low-traffic
conditions? What are the environmental
conditions of temperature and humidity?
What about the substrate and its condition? If concrete, conditions such as moisture
level and pH levels, smoothness and levelness, and type of surface coatings (if
any) are critical. Once you have this
information through job site inspection, you’ll be able to determine how much
floor prep is necessary and make the decision on which adhesive to use. Oh, and don’t forget to use the recommended
trowel selection for the type of installation you are doing and keep the
notches clean and filed to the proper depth.
What is your best chance of
success? Before you make that selection
of adhesive, be sure to look at the carpet manufacturer’s requirements and
listen to your adhesive supplier’s recommendation for the specific product
being installed. A catastrophic
installation nightmare can quickly occur when the adhesive being used is not
compatible with the vinyl-backed carpet or carpet tile.
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