# Forum Home Renovation General Odds & Sods  Liquid Nails vs Sikaflex, Bostik etc

## vGolfer

Can anyone give me a bit of a heads up on the relative merits of Liquid Nails vs other glues that I have heard about such as Sikaflex. 
We're having all our Skirting and Architraves redone and I am wondering which glue I should go with.  
Cheers

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## Eastie

If using mechanical fixings also liquid nails is ok.  If relying solely on the adhesive then sikaflex is better.  I haven't used bostik so can't comment.  The diference being the movemnet allowed between adhesives.  Liquid nails goes solid, so any movement or severe force and the glue is inclided to fracture.  Flexible ones have a lot more give, but are typically far more expensive (around $15-$18 per standard tube).   Skirting isn't exactly structural so I'd say if you use liquid nails will be fine - so long as you're not concerned you'll ever have to remove it (typically results in damage to the wall surface).

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## scooter

Bostik is cheap but weaker, OK for non critical stuff. 
Fuller max bond is considered good stuff and is often cheaper than liquid nails.  
Cheers................Sean

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## E. maculata

I have been led to believe that Sikaflex t-55j and Bostik Ultracet are the best of the best for *flooring* as they remain semi viscious, and can move with the seasons and the house, where as most of the other construction adhesives are not as flexible in these areas.

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## Gaza

for skirting, anything will do but advise against the $2.00 Bostik stuff from Bunnings, as it as the price suggests cheap.  
Fuller is good value for money.

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## Zedd

I tried to use liquid nails for our skirts- it holds nicely but unless your corners and mitres are absolutely perfect and connect crack free you'll need some nails to hold the timber firm until the product goes off. I found that liquid nails was ok but didnt take out the natural variations in walled surfaces (Ie always a few not quite straight secitons that show gaps; if you nail every 2 ft or so the timber is held fatr better than just with glue. 
my 2 cents. 
cheers

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## vGolfer

One last question. SHould the vertical piece of the architrave actually touch the floor or should there be a slight gap underneath with a spacer? 
And do you hang the verticals then the horizontal bit last? 
Excuse my ignorance!!

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## Gaza

do archs first then skrits, thats how we do it,

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## vGolfer

Yep...I'm doing the architraves first. Just wanted to know whether the verticals on the architraves should touch the floor or whether there should be a spacer gap of a couple of mm?? 
Cheers

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## tcns

I have never liked liquid nails i find it dries out and loses its stick IME. 
Anything that has surface aread on its side I would use roof and gutter silicon neutral cure. It never dries out has it a really strong bond between surfaces, it is not heat affected you can't melt it with an oxy.  
As an example I made some rock sliders for my range rover that consisted of a piece of angle welded to the edge of a piece of box. The angle ran flush along the body of the car and was riveted ever 50mm with 3/16th rivets. Along with the rivets I glued it on both surfaces with roof and gutter silicon. Now that was on there for about 2 years and when I wanted to removed them I drilled out all the rivets and the I couldn't budge them even by standing on the edge of them with all my weight. 
To remove things with roof and gutter you need to start cutting away at it with a stanley knife and remove its surface bond on the surface - the other thing that you can do is rub off all the residue and it will leave the surface unaffected.  
Just my experience 
Tom

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## durwood

Hi,
Just looked up liquid nails in search and this thread came up.
Was going to post about a liquid nails experience I have just been through.
I removed skirting in a room in my house (25 tears old) and the skirting was liquid nailed on (or similar,can't tell) and it it was nothing more than thick crystaline powder, it just crumbled when scraped off.  
Does this stuff have a life and eventually and eventually just stop working, seems like some plastics, they just go hard and brittle and the material is useless!! 
I think you have to also use an alternative fixing device as well such as nail or screw.

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## econ

Ive done a similar thing to durwood . Removed some skirting boards 5 years after id glued them to plasterboard with liquid nails . it crumbled like toffee . Not impressed.  I dont use L nails for anything .

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## Mulgabill

Just to add further to this thread, FWIW on doing some research at work, I discovered that most "liquid nails" products are synthetic based rubber products and can be effected by the type of finish you later apply. For example if you use the Sikkens system of a Cutek preservative the LN product can breakdown if contact is made. It is suggested that a bead of silicon be applied between the two.

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## sinjin1111

Sika has a full table of the structural properties of each of there products. I have been using there adhesives for about 28 yrs and have never been dissapointed. Liquid nails etc has no mechanical properties so you never can design a structural joint using there products.
When i mean design a joint i really mean use an adhesive tp design to take a load of say 500N. 
As for expansion properties Sika has been used in just about all areas of construction and this includes items such as yr car windscreen etc.
Sinjin

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