Adhesive for gluing together PVC Garage Flooring tiles/mats?

[Greg]

Currently I am trying to fabricate a divided multi sectional insert for my Granite Gear bag to hold an 11x14 Chamonix and more. Am using cut up Husky Gray PVC Garage Flooring Tiles (from Home Depot). Husky is of no help because the mats are interlocking and no one ever wants to glue them together. Home Depot sales persons of little help. Google it and TrueLock Super Sticky Double Sided Garage Mat & Carpet Tape was recommended... great if the floor tiles are flat, but I want or glue them together at 90 degree angles. Local hardware store had glue/adhesive recommendations but the sales person told me that honestly they were educated guesses on his part.

Any recommendations out there?

Thought of using contact cement, but that's a stab in the dark on my part. My experiences with using contact cement are that exact alignment is a necessity, and repositioning not an option.

thanks in advance

[Bob Salomon]

Any plastic supply store.

[Jim C.]

Not familiar with them, are they foam or solid material ?
If they're PVC use PVC glue, looking at the info on the HD site those tiles are awfully thin to edge glue in my opinion.

I'm curious as to why you're using that material when you can use EVA foam ( Cosplay foam ) to make dividers
the foam will add some cushioning, and if you want stiffer walls sandwich 1/8 or 1/4" plywood
between thin sheets of foam.
EVA foam glues really well with regular contact cement ( Weldwood red label ).

[Jay Wolfe]

I would question why you want to pad the camera at all. I bought the portage pack and made a GG protector similar to yours. After putting film holders in cordura cases on both sides of the camera, I think it’s pretty well protected. Maybe a pad on the bottom of the pack would be a good idea, but I don’t see the need for a compartmented enclosure. I would be interested in why you are going this route.

[RivetGun]

Genuine Ford Fluid TA-31 RTV Silicone Sealant

If this stuff sticks it will never come apart. Sometimes it will permanently bond an oil pan to an engine block. The only way to get it off is to destroy it.

[Greg]

I would question why you want to pad the camera at all.

Since the mid 1970s, I have always liked to take short hikes up roadside streams here in New England looking for waterfalls and other things to photograph. Inevitably this involves some 4th class hiking and more than once my backpack has "kissed" a rock or two. If it weren't for my backpacks having protective padding in them, I most certainly would have had some of my equipment damaged.

[Greg]

Not familiar with them, are they foam or solid material ?
If they're PVC use PVC glue, looking at the info on the HD site those tiles are awfully thin to edge glue in my opinion.

I'm curious as to why you're using that material when you can use EVA foam ( Cosplay foam ) to make dividers
the foam will add some cushioning, and if you want stiffer walls sandwich 1/8 or 1/4" plywood
between thin sheets of foam.
EVA foam glues really well with regular contact cement ( Weldwood red label ).

More like solid material than soft foam. Use it because I had several sheets of it left over from a project. I initially wanted to construct a box with dividers made from 1/8 " plywood with glued foam inserts, but the build quickly became too complicated especially with having to make all the right angle corners rigid.

[Tin Can]

I prefer to use Coroplast as it is very light, sturdy, no dust

easy to cut and cheap

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coroplast-48-in-x-96-in-x-0-157-in-White-Corrugated-Plastic-Sheet-CP4896S/205351385

[Jim C.]

More like solid material than soft foam. Use it because I had several sheets of it left over from a project. I initially wanted to construct a box with dividers made from 1/8 " plywood with glued foam inserts, but the build quickly became too complicated especially with having to make all the right angle corners rigid.

I would think a soft-ish box would be better rather than a rigid one because of potential collisions.
You should look into EVA foam and polyethylene foam, this is a supplier I use, since I'm local
I usually walk in to buy, I don't know if they do mail order.
https://www.canalrubber.com/eva-foam-sheeting/

[Doremus Scudder]

I wouldn't bother with glue. Tape your sections together (duct tape or whatever). Use double-stick tape for securing them when needed.

Doremus

[Drew Wiley]

Every adhesive method suggested so far is a downright horrible idea. First of all, what is the actual composition of the proposed flooring? PVC is a pretty broad category; but it might be amenable to some toothed trowel kind of dedicated flooring adhesive, though the back of the tiles might need to be scrubbed free of mould release compounds etc. Second, do you really want it down permanently? - or worse, just impermanent enough to give you hell trying to periodically get it off and redo it. What is the condition of your slab? - most of them need pretreatment. Is there any effloresence or dampness? Is there a vapor barrier below the slab if it is below grade? What kind of ambient air temp will be present when allegedly gluing it down, under what kind of humidity? - it can make a drastic difference with respect to the success of specific adhesives. Read the fine print. Any serious manufacturer will have a technical data sheet and dedicated hotline. "Husky" is just a private label for Cheapo Depot odds n ends, mostly outsourced; it doesn't identify the actual manufacturer.

[RivetGun]

I felt I gave good advice since my understanding is the original poster "Greg" wanted an idea for glue that allowed adjustment for a few minutes and would then hold permanently.

The glue I referred to is incredibly strong and difficult to remove because it remains flexible. I have watched a pair of 250 pound mechanics struggle with 4' crow bars since they can't get the entire joint to crack or open up. It just snaps back. However it is somewhat expensive and has a fairly short shelf life once the tube is opened. You won't be removing it from anything soft.

[Jim C.]

Every adhesive method suggested so far is a downright horrible idea. First of all, what is the actual composition of the proposed flooring? PVC is a pretty broad category; but it might be amenable to some toothed trowel kind of dedicated flooring adhesive, though the back of the tiles might need to be scrubbed free of mould release compounds etc. Second, do you really want it down permanently? - or worse, just impermanent enough to give you hell trying to periodically get it off and redo it. What is the condition of your slab? - most of them need pretreatment. Is there any effloresence or dampness? Is there a vapor barrier below the slab if it is below grade? What kind of ambient air temp will be present when allegedly gluing it down, under what kind of humidity? - it can make a drastic difference with respect to the success of specific adhesives. Read the fine print. Any serious manufacturer will have a technical data sheet and dedicated hotline. "Husky" is just a private label for Cheapo Depot odds n ends, mostly outsourced; it doesn't identify the actual manufacturer.

He's not gluing to the floor, he's fabricating an insert with dividers for his Granite Gear box.

[Drew Wiley]

Oh - OK, now I get it. Padding of a sort. Why not just self-adhesive strips of strong industrial Velcro?

[Greg]

To all who posted, thank you. Item I will be working with is 2'x2'x.52 in. TrafficMaster's Dual Sided Impact Tile from Home Depot. Thought it was Husky but I was mistaken.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMaster-Black-Gray-24-in-x-24-in-x-52-in-Dual-Sided-Impact-Tile-24213HDUS/301152525

Present problem is buying some of the tiles. Three Home Depot stores list the tiles being in stock, but when I visited the stores, none of them had it in stock. One honest salesperson at the third store told me that items are always listed as being in stock, the chain store "just wants to get you into the store". "Shipped to Home" not offered. "Curbside pickup" is not possible because they don't have the product in stock. So the project is on a temporary hold till I can get some tiles.

Once I get the tiles will:

First: try adhesive VELCO strips. I already have a roll. Removable so if it doesn't securely adhere to the tile.

Second: Weldwood (the original) Contact Cement. I already have a quart of it. But I will wait a month or so till the outside temperatures are in the 60s so I can use it in an open garage for good ventilation.

Genuine Ford Fluid TA-31 RTV Silicone Sealant sure isn't cheap but if the above 2 don't work, will give it a try.

thanks

[Tin Can]

I bought several bundles of that stuff at Sam's Club 2019

I use it for insulation and floor covering in my camper

I never tried glueing it, it is fairly light weight

https://www.google.com/search?q=soft+flooring&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS850US850&oq=soft+flooring&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l9.5656j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[RivetGun]

This Navistar product is very similar but superior to the Ford product I listed earlier and is the one to use: International RTV Silicone Rubber - T-442, Part Number 1830858C1. It is expensive but unbelievable strong. From the label:

"T-442 is a one component thixotropic sealant intended for use where a soft, high elongation material is desired. It is particularly effective as an adhesive in applications where the bonded joint is subjected to relatively large movements in service. Tenacious adhesion to most metals, plastics, synthetic rubbers, glass and concrete. Stays flexible between -65 and +400 degrees. Impervious to weathering and ultra violet light. Non corrosive to ferrous metals."

I just used some today on an impossible and very expensive project. This Navistar product should not be confused with the worthless RTV silicone sold at auto stores.

[Drew Wiley]

There are analogous flexible moisture-curing polyurethane adhesives. But these too are pro products that have a short shelf life and are found only at specialty industrial suppliers. Speaking of moisture-cure polys ... It's a big category and includes Gorilla glue, popular with cabinet makers, and almost impossible to remove with any kind of solvent. Some gal recently wanted to slick her hair down for a costume event, so put on rubber gloves and wiped Gorilla Glue into her hair, then discovered she had created a permanent plastic cap impervious to everything. A plastic surgeon finally got it off at considerable effort and expense. That's an embarrassing way to make it on the evening news!

The problem with some silicones is that they contain acetic acid. That creates corrosion with aluminum and leads to bonding failure down the line. Anything in that particular category might require a special dedicated primer first. I used various aerospace silicone products in my high-output colorheads for sake of permanence under high temps. But there is a factory built head I should also replace the original failing gasketing with something more serious. I have quite a bit of specialty silicone and teflon sheeting in my shop. Adhesives need to be re-purchased near the time of actual use. But techie products are readily available around here, and some of them can also be obtained from general industrial suppliers like McMaster.

[Jim C.]

The problem with some silicones is that they contain acetic acid.

They don't contain acetic acid ( acetoxy type cure ) per se, it's a by product of the curing process, there are others that release ( neutral cure ) ammonia/methanol,
don't know what the reaction is that causes the outgassing. I use the acetoxy type silicones to paint cast silicone items, whatever the reaction is, it's humidity initiated
on painted items misting with a little water speeds up the process and shortens the 'pickle factory ' smell.

[Drew Wiley]

Ordinary silicones are infamously unreliable in contact with aluminum over the long run. The acetic acid or vinegarish smell is a dead giveaway. You mention a second category. But true neutral cure silicones - yet another category - can be engineered for a characteristic of not aggressively bonding to substrates at all, but be removable. They're sometimes used for potting electronics circuits without corroding anything; I've used em for hermetically sealing large color print frames. Has little to do with the present topic, where strong bonding would be key. I also used "kratons" quite a bit - a class of adhesive sealants based on a totally synthetic molecular chain.

It was remarkable what one could find in this area. I set up the largest retail selection of sealants anywhere in the State, possibly in the country, primarily for contractor use. But not far away was a specialized distributor for curtain wall highrise and other heavy-industry construction sealants, though they moved most of certain categories through us, wholesaling to us. Now all that has unraveled, since all of us who had the necessary technical knowledge or hands-on experience have either retired or passed away. Probably several entire product categories have been split off by manufacturers and gone into dedicated direct distribution to high volume users. Techie and aerospace silicones were sold exclusively by an outfit across the Bay in "Silicon Valley", a neighborhood which is every bit as much involved in defense and aerospace as web projects and consumer electronics. On this side of the Bay, pharmaceuticals and biotech dominate; but there's plenty of computer stuff going on too, including classified projects.

[maltfalc]

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Paint-Paint-Supplies-Adhesive-Spray-Adhesive/N-5yc1vZci1x

[Drew Wiley]

Spray adhesives? Good way to die young or rot your brains out. Nasty stuff. The insulation guys would attach fiberglass insulation to galvanized pipes that way. They should use snap-on pipe insulation instead. But some trades have an "expendable labor" mentality. Help Wanted : Professional Glue Sniffers. If ya gotta do it with spray, do it outdoors with a respirator.

[Greg]

The nice people at We Sell Mats Emailed me the following response to a question I asked them:

Thanks for your email and question. I have not tried your Weldwood Contact Cement but it should be fine. I've had customers use Gorilla glue and Liquid nails which are similar products. If you have the Weldwood Contact Cement I would suggest trying a small piece to make sure it works before using for the entire project. It should be fine.

Sincerely,
We Sell Mats

[Drew Wiley]

None of those aforementioned products are even remotely similar to one another. In other words, a non-answer.

[maltfalc]

Spray adhesives? Good way to die young or rot your brains out. speaking from first-hand experience?

[Drew Wiley]

Cute. No. But from direct observation of the long term results in various trades. There is abundant medical evidence anyway. Lots of these products, if solvent-based, are outright illegal for jobsite use in certain states, but that fact doesn't stop companies from hiring under-the-radar labor to do it. OSHA inspectors are rarer than florescent polka-dotted alligators these days. And I'm more inclined to believe that large format photography per se is more of an incurable genetic disorder one is simply born with.