6 minute read
Choosing the Right Adhesives for Kitchen & Bathroom Installations
By Louise Scott, Integra Adhesives
When it comes to countertops, selecting the right adhesive and sealant for each application is crucial to ensuring a durable, long-lasting, aesthetically pleasing finish. Adhesives play a vital role in bonding materials where mechanical fasteners fall short. Each countertop application and substrate have unique properties, necessitating a range of adhesives to achieve the best results. By understanding the different adhesives and sealants available, fabricators and installers can make informed choices on which products to use and when.
Undermount Sink Installations
For undermount sink installations, there are two primary options: a purely mechanical fastening system or a combined mechanical/adhesive fastening system.
Mechanical fasteners use a physical attachment to hold the sink in place. Examples of this type of attachment method include drilling into the underside of the countertop to insert bolts/clips or attaching clips and straps to the wooden cabinetry. Using this method increases installation time and includes the risk of damage to the countertop.
Alternatively, using an adhesive like Component Bonder from Integra Adhesives allows undermount clips to be installed in advance so that onsite, the installer can fasten the clip bolts and fix the sink in place in just a few minutes. The position of the sink can then be easily adjusted, making it easy to apply silicone or MS Polymer to create a watertight seal before tightening it into place. Look for an adhesive with high impact resistance, as sinks are subject to dynamic loads.
Substrate Mounting
Fixing the surface to the cabinet involves bonding two dissimilar materials: the countertop material (solid surface, quartz or natural stone, for example) and wood (plywood or MDF). The differences in materials bear consideration due to different expansion and contraction rates, moisture absorption, flexion and impact resistance. In these situations, it is best to choose an adhesive with high elongation for flexibility. Fabricators typically consider three options:
• Hot melt glue: Hot melt is quick and easy to remove, making it ideal for templating, but it relies on a mechanical bond, which isn’t suitable for smooth surfaces.
• Silicone: Silicone offers excellent properties for substrate mounting but is slow to cure, with a typical fixture time of 24 hours.
• A specialized product: Substrate Bonder is a specialized product by Integra Adhesives that was developed specifically for this application. It cures in as little as 15 minutes, balances elongation, and has high lap shear strength and speed, making it ideal for this application.
Backsplash Bonding & Sealing
Traditionally, silicone is used for attaching and sealing a backsplash, but unfortunately, it is slow to cure and lacks quick grab. An MS Polymer is a better alternative, offering quick grab and sealant properties in one. Available in a wide range of colors, MS Polymers provide a waterproof and color-matched seal, curing hard for easy cleaning and paintability. These durable products are also excellent for attaching shower panels and creating watertight seals in bathrooms.
Reinforced Rodding
Countertop rodding is a technique used to reinforce natural stone. Rodding involves cutting a channel in the stone, inserting a stainless steel or fiberglass rod, and then encapsulating it. The material thickness, the cutouts and the stone strength determine whether rodding is required. There are a few options for rodding adhesives on the market, but not all are created equal. Essential characteristics are low shrinkage, thixotropic (self-setting) and quick curing for throughput. It’s important to keep in mind that solvent-based adhesives can shrink during the curing process as liquid evaporates. If the adhesive shrinks too much, the channel can pinch in on itself, cracking the stone. It’s also good to use an adhesive that can flow enough to fill the relatively small channel but also sets quickly so as not to make a mess. There are several adhesive options on the market. Three popular choices are:
• Epoxy: offers low shrinkage but has a prolonged curing time, creating bottlenecks in fabrication processes.
• Hand-Mix Adhesives: available options can be wasteful and messy. Incorrect activator-to-adhesive ratios can lead to quick curing, shrinkage and brittleness, reducing the strength of the bond. Thin adhesive consistency is required for application, often resulting in leftover waste and increased fumes during curing.
• Rodding Bonder: a cartridge-based adhesive that cures in less than 15 minutes with virtually no shrinkage. It can be directly injected into channels, minimizing waste and enabling rapid completion.
Seaming, Mitering & Laminating
Color-matched adhesives are essential for creating a seamless look in countertops. Whether you’re pulling a deck seam, lamination or a miter, each type of surfacing material — solid surface, quartz, natural stone, porcelain, laminate and others — has its own adhesive requirements. Fast-curing, high- strength Methyl methacrylate (MMA)-based adhesives are ideal for solid surface due to their UV stability, moisture resistance and low VOC content. A zero-sag penetrating adhesive is preferable for harder surfaces like quartz, stone or porcelain, especially for onsite seaming with limited space. When working on vertical or mitered angles, a zero-sag adhesive assists with bond strength and reduces mess and waste. For external applications, UV-stable polyurethane adhesives outperform MMA or epoxy in maintaining color and durability. High-volume shops benefit from rapid-curing MMA-based adhesives to increase production efficiency.
Knowledge is Power
Selecting the appropriate adhesive for each application is vital for achieving durable, high-quality results. Understanding the unique properties of various substrates and applications allows fabricators and installers to make informed choices, ensuring strong, long-lasting bonds and aesthetically pleasing finishes. From undermount sink installations to substrate mounting, backsplash bonding, reinforced rodding and seamless countertops, success depends on using the right adhesive.
Using adhesives over mechanical fixings helps avoid the risk of countertops cracking under dynamic loads, ensuring the longevity and stability of the installation. Additionally, the proper use of adhesives and sealants ensures watertight seals, crucial for preventing moisture damage and maintaining the integrity of kitchen and bathroom surfaces. By leveraging the knowledge and options available, professionals can enhance their craftsmanship, reduce installation time, and ultimately deliver superior results that meet the highest standards of quality and durability.
