The adhesive that determines the floor covering

Trend alert: carpeting is going to take over public buildings in the coming year, as it can now be applied with a sprayable adhesive that is extremely easy to use.

Fitted carpets are one of the most widely used floor coverings in building interiors. Carpet tiles that particularly popular in public premises and office buildings, as its easy to change or replace the tiles that have become worn, soiled or damaged, and a great solution when you need to refresh the look of an open office or redecorate the premises before the arrival of a new tenant.

In order to make changing carpet tiles easy in real life, you need to cover the surface with a special adhesive, which is actually a tackifier rather than an adhesive. The effect of this tackifier can be compared to a post-it note, which can be stuck to any surface and which leaves no traces of adhesive when removed. Ordinary floor adhesives bind the floor covering material permanently to the surface when they set, but carpeting remains removable when a tackifier is used.

Krimelte, a leading European manufacturer of construction chemistry products that is a part of the Wolf Group, took a step further in its product development and came up with a tackifier, which is unique in the world because of its composition and because it can be applied by spraying. The tackifiers used until now are solvent-based, but the acrylic adhesive Carpet SprayFix 614 that will be launched under the PENOSIL brand is safer to the user’s health as well as to the environment. The product is also packaged into a can instead of the traditional bucket, which means that it can also be applied with a foam gun. The sprayable adhesive comes with the nozzle patented by Krimelte, which makes spraying the adhesive on the surface easy.

The spraying nozzle can be used in a horizontal or a vertical position. The optimal spraying distance from the floor is ca 40 cm. The work can be done quickly and properly.

Surfaces suitable for sprayable adhesives include cement, gypsum board, self-levelling compounds, chip- and fibreboards, wood, strongly bonded floor coverings. The bottom of carpet tiles should be made of PVC, bitumen, felt, polyurethane, polypropylene, etc. It’s necessary to carry out adequate preliminary work and apply the material correctly in order to ensure a quality result, i.e. that the corners of the tiles do not bend upwards or get stuck behind the brush of a vacuum cleaner. It’s elementary that surfaces must be dry and clean, any cracks filled and uneven spots levelled, and the used materials at room temperature when interior works are carried out. Floor heating should be turned off for 48 hours before and after the application of the carpet.

Sprayable adhesive is applied in the same manner as a sprayable PU-foam. Screw the spraying nozzle on the can to the gun, shake the can at least 20 times and attach it to the gun. Spray the adhesive onto the surface, let it dry for at least 30 minutes. Don’t let any dirt or dust get onto the layer of adhesive. One 630 ml can is enough to cover 10 m².

The colour of the tackifier changes from opaque to clear, which indicates when you can start fixing the carpet. If you fix the floor covering material on product that has not set, the result is a permanently strong adhesive bond and the floor covering material can no longer be moved or replaced.

Plan walkways to the floor, which start from the middle and can be used to access the area covered with the tackifier. Place the carpet tile on the surface and press from centre towards the edges to let air escape and achieve strong adhesion. Once you’re finished, you need to go over the entire floor with a pressure roller.

Applying carpet tiles with a sprayable adhesive saves time for builders. Also, changing worn or soiled carpet tiles causes minimal disruption in the daily work of the office. The quantity of waste and environmental impact can also be managed better.