Construction
Building and Construction Applications
One of the largest market areas for adhesives and sealants is in Building and Construction. There are a myriad applications where these products are used, including:
- Carpet Laying
- Ceramic Tiling
- Concrete
- Countertop Lamination
- Flooring Underlaying
- Drywall Lamination
- Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning
- Joint Cements
- Manufactured Housing
- Pre-finished Panels
- Resilient Flooring
- Roofing
- Wall covering
Bonded Houses
Today, buildings are increasingly being made from timber, which is glued together, and is also a renewable building material. Thanks to latest adhesive technology, this is the most sustainable and the safest way to build a house.
Scandinavia and the USA have a history of timber buildings and now, Germany and other European countries are beginning to construct more houses using this traditional material. When a house is constructed from timber it makes many other materials superfluous. Even load-bearing structures are made from wood or, more precisely, wood plus an adhesive, a composite of various layers of timber that are glued together under pressure. The result is an absolutely stable element of any length and thickness. Curved components can also be manufactured by laminating wood with a suitable adhesive. Single-component polyurethane adhesives (i.e. PUR) allow for bonds that are environmentally safe, not harmful to health and invisible. The special adhesive reacts with the moisture contained in the wood. As an alternative to conventional glue used for this type of application, this new adhesive technology does without solvents or formaldehyde. An example of this technology is "Chesa Futura" (house of the future) in St. Moritz. For this remarkable building, architect Lord Norman Foster had all load-bearing timber components pre-fabricated from glued timber elements and then assembled on site.
Adhesives in Flooring
Floor coatings, carpeting, PVC coatings and related adhesives are subject to a permanent load, particularly in public buildings. That said, quality is not a luxury but of the essence. Rubber coatings in airports and railway stations have to resist the armies of people who lug their baggage over them. Floors and adhesives also have to stand up to other demands placed on them during regular cleaning using heavy machines and rotating brushes. Usually an elastomer covering can be glued using a dispersion adhesive that is selected to match the covering type. If the floor is subject to a load, as is customary in railway stations or airports, they are bonded with resin adhesives. Finally, temperature variations, solar radiation, moisture or heavy equipment as used for damp cleaning, add to these strains.
Floors in hospitals are subject to major loads as well. Wheelchairs and trolleys compress floor material and adhesives together. What is more, in the surgery and intensive care units, adhesive and floor coatings have to conduct electricity to avoid static. This applies too for all rooms where major IT equipment is housed.
In residential buildings, carpet, laminate, cork and adhesives are exposed to less harsh conditions. Still, furniture castors and floor heating challenge material resistance. And the adhesive definitely has to hold up to the ravages of children and their toys!
Bringing Colour to Walls
No other accessory can influence the atmosphere of a home like wallpaper. However, the old-fashioned wallpapering methods are a thing of the past, thanks to modern wallpaper and paste. Modern wallpaper paste still uses methylcellulose and starch, both natural substances and both non-toxic. However, other resins and materials to facilitate application and increase viscosity are often added.
The type of paste depends on the kind of wallpaper used. Modern fashion prefers fleece wall – which is especially long-lasting and can be dry-stripped – provided the right glue is used! Fleece wallpaper comes in numerous designs, patterns and surface textures. Paste for fleece wallpaper can be applied directly to the wall, and the wallpaper can be easily unrolled and directly hung.
In this case, the paste must have a high initial adhesive strength, but at the same time it must be remain adjustable for a while. For every wallpaper job there is a specialized wallpaper paste. As old walls are extremely absorbent and new walls absorb very little moisture, special products are offered which regulate the amount of moisture absorbed. There is even paste for frequently papered, uneven walls.
Amazing, what a little methylcellulose and starch can do!
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