Types of glue for plywood and features of its use

Today, not a single industry can operate without the use of plywood. This multi-layer veneer material, which has a strong and stable structure, is widely used in construction and furniture production, renovation work and even in the automotive industry. To connect plywood sheets together or attach them to a concrete floor screed, you can use various fastening materials, but the most convenient of them is plywood glue.

Features of using glue for plywood

The composition for gluing plywood, which many foreign and domestic companies are working to improve, can be purchased at any hardware or construction store. Using glue, you can attach plywood to glass, concrete, wood, metal and other materials, and the connection will be stronger and more durable than using nails or screws.

To work with glue, no special training or special professional skills are required. The main thing is to act according to the instructions, dilute the composition correctly and apply it to the surface, and any novice master can do this.

In addition to ease of use and strength of the resulting structure, another advantage of the adhesive joint is resistance to wetness and high wear resistance.

In rooms with heated floors, when heating pipes or special electrical panels are laid in advance under the concrete screed, gluing plywood to the concrete floor is the only correct solution, since screws and bolts can damage the wiring.

How to glue plywood

Professionals use the following types of plywood glue:

• two-component polyurethane;
• alcohol based;
• water based.

The speed of repairs and the quality of the finishing coating depend on the choice of the most suitable adhesive composition.

Two-component polyurethane adhesive

A two-component adhesive contains two or more active components, which during operation react with each other and form an astringent. Such products are much more expensive than one-component compounds, but the strength of the resulting compound is incomparably higher.

Polyurethane adhesive forms both an elastic and rigid connection and provides good adhesion to almost all existing materials.

Advantages of a two-component adhesive composition:

• no additional fixation of plywood to the concrete screed with bolts or screws is required;
• the viscous mixture does not spread, it is convenient to apply it using a comb spatula;
• before work, you do not need to worry about the special cleanliness of the base, since the composition saturates the surface to be treated well;
• 30 minutes is enough for gluing materials.

One of the significant disadvantages of the polyurethane compound is the release of substances hazardous to human health, which occurs when working with any polymers. After complete polymerization, which takes 48 hours, the material becomes completely safe.

Important!

Polyurethane glue hardens within 30-40 minutes, so you should prepare such a portion of the adhesive that you can use it up within this period of time.

The resulting connecting layer is stronger than concrete and can withstand temperatures up to +55°C.

Alcohol glue for plywood

This type of adhesive differs from others in the content of artificial resins, rubber and solvents and is used for gluing plywood to a wooden or cement-sand surface. The advantages of alcohol compositions are ease of use, high drying speed, and resistance to moisture penetration.

Rubber glue hardens relatively quickly - after a day you can already walk on the glued plywood surface. However, it is better to postpone further work on finishing the floor for 5-6 days. Before gluing the wood sheets, it is advisable to secure them to the base with screws.

Alcohol adhesives have a significant drawback - during operation they emit harmful volatile oils and esters and can quickly catch fire. Therefore, when carrying out repairs using alcohol glue, it is necessary to take care of personal protective equipment and follow fire safety rules.

Water based adhesive

A prominent representative of such adhesive compositions is PVA, consisting of polymers suspended in an aqueous environment. In addition to the fact that such adhesives are capable of providing strong elastic connections between plywood sheets and with concrete slabs, they are completely harmless and do not emit odorous substances. PVA glue can be used in hospitals, kindergartens and other institutions where people may remain during repairs.

It is recommended to use PVA only for moisture-resistant plywood, and the drying time of the composition is 7 days, which greatly complicates the work. In addition, when choosing this means for gluing plywood, it is necessary to secure the sheets to the screed in advance using bolts and expansion dowels.

Review of adhesive compositions from well-known manufacturers

Many foreign and domestic manufacturers produce glue for plywood. Each of the compositions fully performs its functions, and they differ from each other only in the environmental friendliness of the raw materials, the combination of strength and elasticity, and the duration of polymerization.

Here are some of the most popular items of two-component plywood adhesives among buyers.

1. Sipol 9. Manufacturer: Italian company Lechner. Epoxy-polyurethane adhesive is used for laying plywood on a concrete floor without additional fasteners. The hardening time is 2 hours.
2. Parketolit 1549. This adhesive composition is developed and produced by Mitol specialists from Slovenia. Polyurethane adhesive is suitable for laying solid wood of any size. Working time – 1.5 hours.
3. Ibola R 200. The German company Ibola produces two-component universal hard-elastic adhesive, the working time of which is 1 hour.
4. Stauf P.U.K. This adhesive composition from the German company Stauf is an elastic polyurethane adhesive. Thanks to its low cost and long (1 hour) working time, it has become a well-known brand in this country.
5. SikaBond-PU. The Swiss company Sika produces two-component adhesive that is characterized by a long service life and resistance to low temperatures.This adhesive is very popular in Russia, as it has been characterized by high quality and stability for many years.

When starting to repair the floor in your apartment, first of all you need to analyze whether it will be possible to get by by simply gluing plywood onto a concrete screed or whether you will have to arrange additional fasteners. Depending on the solution, you should choose a suitable adhesive composition. If, due to the communications located under the concrete, it is not possible to use dowels and screws to fasten the plywood and the base, then only two-component polyurethane glue is suitable for the job. In other cases, you can use a water- or alcohol-based adhesive.