Foam rubber is considered a universal material. It is used in needlework and large-scale production. It features high elasticity, soft, porous structure and low cost. Therefore, it is in demand in many industries. Often it must be glued to solid objects. But not every glue will allow you to get a good result. Therefore, we will figure out how to glue foam rubber.
Material Features
You need to know the properties of the material, its advantages and disadvantages. Then it will be possible to choose the perfect bonding material. It consists of polyurethane foam. The material is not susceptible to mold and is stored at almost any temperature.
Due to its properties and low cost, it is used as a filler for mattresses. It finds application in the production of soft toys, ordinary sponges for washing dishes. He also has its drawbacks. This is primarily flammability. It burns well and releases toxic substances into the air. In addition, he does not have the longest life. Gradually, the material loses its elasticity and resilience, can stick together and crumble. All this must be taken into account if you are considering how to glue foam rubber.
Features of choice
You are facing a difficult task. Many factors must be taken into account, otherwise the result can hardly be called predictable. The most important thing is to choose the right tool. When deciding how to glue foam, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- Compounds containing hazardous substances must be immediately removed to the side. Do you intend to lay insulation in the wall, do you upholstery for the playing corner. Most often it is toluene and trichloroethane, which are able to stand out in the air and cause harm to health.
- Do not use glue that can damage and corrode the surface. This refers to The Moment and its analogs.
- We also remove liquid compounds, as they will clog pores and impair air circulation.
Based on this, we can say that it is best to choose a special composition. Fortunately, today the choice in construction stores is huge and you don’t have to think long about how to glue foam.
Varieties
All of them can be divided into two large groups:
- Professional.
- For mass use.
Professional compounds are most often used for furniture production. They are of high quality and reliable, but the price is rather high. The second option is usually more affordable and in the store such compositions are much easier to find.
When choosing how to glue foam rubber together, you need to focus on the following criteria:
- Elasticity. If the viscosity of the composition is 100 s or more, an elastic and aesthetically attractive seam is formed at the adhesion point.
- Hardening rate. If this indicator is important, then you need to look for compositions where the proportion of dry matter is higher than liquid.
- Grip speed. In about 2 minutes, the surfaces should grip firmly.
- Color. It all depends on the ultimate goal. If it is important for you that the glue line does not stand out, you need to choose the closest possible shade. Today on sale there are compounds with dyes. A wide range of colors allows everyone to find what they need. Well, if the seam is hidden from prying eyes, then the main criterion is the quality of fastening of the two halves.
- Packing form. When choosing which glue to stick foam rubber with, you need to think about your comfort, that is, about the convenience of working with the composition. For example, unlike powder, spray cans are more convenient. It does not clog the pores of foam rubber.
Guidance for the buyer
Many will say that it has not yet become clearer than it was. A huge number of criteria, but what to take a simple layman? How can the foam be glued securely and without unnecessary worries? Pay attention to the composition. Butadiene styrene adhesive is a better choice. There are a lot of them on the market today, and among other things, they are convenient in operation. Such compositions will make it possible to glue foam rubber to virtually any surface with the least difficulty. Usually this procedure is enough for the entire life of the product, that is, you can be sure that nothing will fall off. And then consider the brands that meet these requirements.
Recommended by experts
There are quite a lot of them, so we will focus only on the most famous, released by time-tested manufacturers:
- Rapid. An excellent choice, the adhesive is not combustible, does not contain solvents, forms a dense and beautiful seam.
- The famous BF-6. It glues foam rubber perfectly, while the advantages include safety and ease of application.
- Glue "88". It is also called shoe. Known for a long time and at the same time does not lose popularity. The main adhesive is rubbers. It is already ready for application, no need to mix anything together. It is enough to apply a thin layer and you get a reliable bond of two sheets.
- Saba. It is made in the form of spray cans. Non-combustible and safe, resistant to heat.
- Olimpur. Water based formulation that requires spot application. This is convenient if the coverage area is large. The main distinguishing feature is excellent bonding ability with various materials. These include plywood, drywall, plaster, fabrics.
A worthy alternative
And now let's imagine the situation that the house was recently renovated. This means that some adhesives remain. Can I use them, and not go to the store for another remedy? Let's see how to glue the foam rubber together at home:
- "Titanium". It is intended for ceiling tiles. At the same time, the cost of the bottle is about 100 rubles, and it will hold foam rubber no worse than tiles. The disadvantage can be called a long drying period and a hard seam.
- Crystal Moment. Universal composition, moreover, foam is also listed on the packaging. If you try to stick it to a solid surface, the result will be average, you can easily tear it off. But two sheets of foam will keep excellent.
- PVA is universal. Surely few people will pay attention to it if they are looking for how to glue the foam rubber together at home. But despite this, the tool copes with its task. Of course, you should not try to stick foam rubber to plywood or something else solid. But for reliable bonding, you will need to fasten the two parts with tape and leave at least a day. The seam is good, but the task is time-consuming.
From this selection, the first place should be given to the Crystal Moment universal adhesive. It copes with its tasks perfectly and does not cause difficulties with application. But PVA honorably takes the last place. It is quite liquid and quickly absorbed, so the consumption is large. And to get a quality seam you need to try.
Features of bonding surfaces
So, the composition is selected and you can proceed to work. But take your time, you first need to learn how to glue foam rubber at home.
Practice shows that it is precisely neglecting the rules that leads to undesirable results:
- First of all, you need to clean all the glued surfaces from dirt and dust.
- This is followed by degreasing. White Spirit will do.
- Dry well.
- Work is best done at room temperature to prevent thickening of the composition.
- Now proceed to applying the adhesive. To do this, study the instructions. The fact is that each brand assumes its own form of composition (liquid and powder, ready solution or spray in spray cans for pistols). Step-by-step instructions surely go to them, which describes in detail how to dilute, how much time to wait and how to apply.
- After application, allow the composition to dry. Usually it takes from 1-2 minutes to an hour.
- After that, we compress the parts with each other for a fee and leave them to dry completely.
Instead of a conclusion
We very briefly examined how to glue foam rubber at home. This is not difficult on the one hand, but requires certain skills. An elastic material filled with air behaves somewhat differently than dense surfaces. On the other hand, the main thing is to choose the right glue and follow the instructions.