Adhesive for gluing together PVC Garage Flooring tiles/mats?

[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/TrafficM...HDUS/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...hrome&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.