Adhesives Used in Installing Rubber Flooring
10/27/09
Rubber-Cal Inc.
How to Install Rubber Flooring with Adhesive! When adhering and installing rubber flooring to another surface choose the right adhesive. Polyurethane based adhesives are suitable for gluing recycled rubber sub-surfaces like concrete, asphalt, and wood. Rubber can be an easy to install flooring (i.e. if you choose the correct adhesive) or messy and difficult (i.e. using an incorrect adhesive). Generally, rubber doesn’t like to allow anything to stick to it; therefore using an adhesive that has been tested is usually best. For permanent installations of recycled rubber easy to install flooring products like Elephant Bark and Eco-Sport Tiles, polyurethane based adhesives would be the correct choice.
Polyurethane based adhesives (e.g. Chemrex® CX-941) are quite thick and require a v-notch trowel to apply the adhesive to the subfloor. They tend to set rather slowly so allow 24-48 hours between installation and normal use depending on humidity. Water is a curing catalyst so if your installing a basement floor, a light mist of water can speed up the curing process. Additionally, the polyurethane based flooring adhesives are pressure sensitive, therefore apply an ample amount of pressure with a 100lb roller will insure a proper installation.
Rolled rubber products can be seam sealed which gives them the ability to create a watertight surface. This can be accomplished with a urethane seam sealant (e.g. Chemrex® CX-22). These products usually appear in tubes, which are fitted for a standard caulking gun. The desired space for the seams is 1/16inch between each roll. You can then apply a 1/16inch bead of sealant in the seam and allow 48 hours for the sealant to complete cure before resuming normal activity. Although the seam sealant will still be visible after it has cured, it will be less noticeable than a large gapping seam. The urethane sealant is basically the same material, which is used to bind the rubber particulates together in recycled rubber products so it should create a nice watertight surface.
There is only one main point we want to make about using adhesives for easy to install flooring. Installing a floor should be a one-time ordeal; therefore making sure you are installing it properly under proper conditions will make all of the difference. On our Elephant Bark, Eco-Sport, Eco-Safe or any other recycled rubber product has detailed install guides to help walk you through the process. Installing a basement floor is not tricky so long as you know what to expect. Please also keep in mind that the use of adhesives is for permanent installations. If you ever want to pick up the material or remove it in one useable piece, a polyurethane based adhesive probably isn’t the right choice. Most of our easy to install flooring options are easy to install via other methods like double-sided tape, or interconnecting pins. If you are having trouble deciding what method to use, feel free to give us a call and we can walk you through it.
10/27/09
