November 6/13, 2017: Volume 32, Issue 11
By Lindsay Baillie
As more floor covering manufacturers embrace environmentally friendly practices in the development of their products, producers of adhesives and installation materials are following suit. Many of today’s green glues tout key attributes such as low-to-zero VOCs, are solvent free and are indoor air quality certified to high standards, thereby contributing to LEED. These qualities are beneficial to not only the end user and the environment but also the installers who handle the products on a daily basis.
Following is a sampling of some of the latest green adhesives.
Bonstone
Touchstone T-2000 is one of Bonstone’s top adhesives for floor and wall tile installations. In addition to exceeding ANSI-A-118.3 requirement, Touchstone T-2000 is chemical resistant, has low VOCs and offers a long open time.
“Our products are designed for permanent installations,” said Mike Beckmann, president. “They are structural products designed to last as long as the lifetime of the substrate. So, if you are installing a countertop, a floor or wall tile, or restoring a building or monument, the adhesive will last as long as the lifetime of the structure.”
Touchstone T-2000, a 100% epoxy, has exceptional strength, durability, adhesion, temperature resistance and chemical resistance. These properties make them suitable for aggressive installations, such as breweries, dairies, wineries, etc., where frequent steam-cleaning is necessary to maintain hygienic conditions.
DriTac
DriTac 7800 Supreme Green is DriTac’s latest multi-functional adhesive solution for the wood flooring industry. It is a single-component, premium green sound and moisture control hybrid polymer wood flooring adhesive that can serve to isolate old cutback adhesive residue and suppress concrete subfloor cracks. Supreme Green provides unlimited subfloor moisture control with no testing required and a lifetime warranty.
DriTac 7800 contains zero isocyanates, zero VOCs, zero solvents and has been independently tested and certified by CRI for indoor air quality. Supreme Green is manufactured in the USA and can be used to install multi-ply engineered plank, solid wood plank, bamboo flooring and more.
“This is the very first wood flooring adhesive that boasts five installation solutions in one pail, allowing retailers to now stock one SKU in place of the several required in the past,” said John Lio, vice president of marketing. “Requiring effortless cleaning—wet or dry—off the surface of hardwood flooring, this flooring installation solution provides value for installers, retailers and their customers.”
DriTac offers a full-line of wood and resilient flooring adhesives certified by CRI’s Green Label Plus program. The company manufactures all of its adhesives in compliance with all mandated regulations and requirements at the federal, state and local levels.
Schönox
Schönox Emiclassic can be used with interior floor and wall products including vinyl, linoleum, rubber, impact sound insulation underlayment, carpet, needle felt and PVC. It is resistant to moisture as high as 90% RH or 9 lbs., covers up to 850 square feet with one 4-gallon pail and is easily applied with a notch trowel or roller.
Emiclassic can be installed over absorbent and non-absorbent substrates. What’s more, it allows the installer to control the tack of the glue changing from wet, tacky and pressure-sensitive installation with short waiting times between 10-60 minutes. Its alkaline-resistant technology also makes the adhesive “Ph irrelevant,” the company stated.
Due to its very low emissions (EC 1PLUS, EPD and FloorScore certified), low odor and solvent free characteristics, Schönox Emiclassic is safer for the health of the labor force, the end user and the environment.
Henry
New to Henry, an Ardex Americas brand, is Henry 622 vinyl bond premium high strength vinyl flooring adhesive is a certified bio-based product. It’s an ideal adhesive for environmentally conscious installers who are working with LVT-type products. Henry 622, which features the company’s GreenLine logo, boasts environmentally friendly technology designed to meet or exceed industry and governmental regulations. All Henry adhesives with the GreenLine logo have ultra-low VOC emissions, low or no odor and contributions to LEED.
“At Henry being green isn’t just a slogan, it’s part of our culture,” said Ed Masilunas, Henry business manager. “We’re committed to minimalizing our environmental footprint throughout the manufacturing process, including the use of sustainable materials, recyclable packaging and less residual waste.”
Uzin
Uzin, a UFloor brand, now offers KE 66, a premium, fiber-reinforced, wet set adhesive, designed for the installation of vinyl and rubber flooring on porous substrates. This hard-setting, high shear strength adhesive has excellent resistance to indentations and shrinkage and is effective in areas where rolling loads and furniture are in use.
Uzin KE 66 meets the strict GEV-Emicode EC 1 Plus criteria for indoor emissions testing. GEV is the European testing agency Association for the Control of Emissions in Products for Flooring Installation, Adhesives and Building Materials. GEV’s stringent standards are recognized internationally as the highest level of indoor air quality protection. KE 66, a LEED v4 contributing product, meets the rigorous California Sect. 01350 standard as well as meets the SCAQMD rule 1168 with less than 30g/l VOC.