Spazio Tre

  HOME    |    ABOUT US    |    CONTACT US

ADD COMPANY

Add your company to
PARQUET&SIMILIA.



Parquet & Similia is a practical, constantly updated tool that lets you find all the purchasing offices interested in the wooden flooring industry ...

NEWSLETTER

Keep up-to-date on latest developments with Parquet International ...

RESERVED AREA

Go to reserved
area ...

ON FIELD

::: SILANIC ADHESIVES are making a name for themselves
    SURVEY of Federica Fiorellini
-----------------------------------------------------------
The flooring professional’s job demands expertise, professional dedication, and constant updating. You’ve got to keep in step with the changing times and market. We take a detailed look at silanic technology adhesives and let the experts do the talking.

Never leave the old road..., our grandparents used to warn us. Most of us have kept their words in mind, even if this advice pretty much closes the door to any form of progress.
This is the premise to our investigation of a delicate part of the wood flooring professional’s job, which nowadays requires more and more expertise, professional dedication, and updating. If you want to work, you’ve got to keep in step with the times, and he who hesitates is lost, along with anyone who fails to keep up to date with the latest developments, because the world changes every day and the parquet world is no exception: from the oak lamparquet in grandpa’s bedroom to the large-sized wengé planks in his grandson’s bathroom. From vinyl resin glue to silanic glue.
Glues have always played a key role in the laying of a wood floor and either make the installer’s job easier or impossible. Glue is a highly technical product that must possess good quality in order to guarantee adequate performance.
Glue is also a product that has evolved naturally over the years: we started out with vinyl resin glues (now blamed - often unjustly - for every problem ascribed to the substrate), and then moved on to epoxy-urethane glues with the introduction of large-sized planks before reaching today’s pure polyurethane glues.
That’s progress, the market’s normal development, and the growing success of silanic technology is just another part. Although we’ve been hearing the term more and more frequently recently, this type of product hasn’t yet achieved the mass popularity expected.
Is it because it costs too much, or does it depend on how its producers promote it in the market?
Weary of the rumors that surround silanic adhesives, we wanted to hear what the experts say are the product’s advantages and peculiarities. Our advice to the flooring layer? To listen and to compare different producers (but only to the serious ones who knew what they’re doing).

 

1) One positive characteristic that may be a knife 2 that cuts both ways is undoubtedly its easy application. Because it does not require any particular preparation, the adhesive can even be laid by relatively inexpert flooring layers. Another important aspect is linked to its low content of substances potentially harmful to the environment and humans (particularly epoxy- silanic resin based technology adhesives).
2) The greatest limits on the current products that can certainly be lessened with the future development of silanic resins with higher and higher performance are linked to the higher cost of the single-component than the twocomponent adhesive and the adhesive’s final performance, which is also depends greatly on environmental conditions (relative humidity and temperature).

1) Although the technical reasons behind the choice of silanic glues are too numerous to mention, I think the biggest reason is their ease in use.
Single-component products reduce the risks of incorrect laying enormously. If a silanic primer is added to the glue, I’d say we’ve succeeded in creating a laying system that gives the wood floor the right amount of flexibility over time.
2) The product’s limits? It costs more than the classic adhesives on the market, but l don’t think that this poses a limit on its use. Silanic technology will improve the quality of laying more and more and is finally offering operators the chance to work with a clean, healthy, and practical product.
This is only the beginning, but the technology’s fields of application are expanding. The Bona Company already produces 4 versions of adhesive in addition to its own silanic primer. With the right combination, even the most difficult laying conditions once unthinkable can now be successfully faced in short time.
My advice is to open the doors to these materials because they offer advantages to one and all: flooring layers, distributors, producers and consumers.

1) This easily applied single-component product is not subject to either catalyst errors or pot life problems, and also vaunts good adhesion to marble and ceramic floors.
It is also particularly suited to the laying of pre-painted parquet.
2) The product has an extremely modest ultimate tensile stress and for this reason is not particularly suited to the laying of traditional parquet. Furthermore, it emits methanol equal to 0.5- 1.5% in weight during and immediately after application.
Methanol is an almost odor-free volatile compound that is not perceived by the operator but is classified as being toxic through inhalation, and concentrations of methanol higher than those permitted by the regulations in force may easily occur (325 mg/m2) during the laying of parquet floor.

1) There are many reasons to use silanic adhesives instead of traditional single- or two-component polyurethane adhesives: the absence of free monomers (isocyanates and amino compounds); the total absence of solvent; permanent elasticity over time even on substrates with underfloor heating; excellent adhesion to different types of screed; the ease with which pre-finished parquet accidentally soiled during laying can be cleaned; and high yield per meter (usually silanic adhesives have much less filler than the corresponding epoxy resin glues and for this reason have a lower specific weight); furthermore, some silanic glues - I refer particularly to our Unisil and Adesiver Elastic products - are certified as EC1 R by the GEV-Emicode (Association for the Control of Emissions in Products for Flooring Installation, Adhesives and Building Materials).
2) The main limit on the product - at least in Italy, where people are not yet accustomed to reasoning in terms of cost per meter or quality/price ratio and consider only the unit price - is undoubtedly the latter. Other limits include the fact that declivities cannot be fil led and brought f lush to level (silanic glues have very long hardening times at higher thicknesses) and that they cannot be mixed with grit onsite by workers in order to prepare improvised but appreciated “synthetic mortars”.

1) In order to assess which sales strategies may be used for the promotion of silanic technology products, an examination of the leading factors of success achieved primarily in Northern Europe - where thanks to the experience acquired by Lechner Export Director Marco Cainero our silanic–base products are gaining steadily in market success - may prove useful. These factors can be roughly summarized as the absence of danger-symbols on the packaging, excellent adhesion strength, optimum trowel application, the absence of water and solvent, the absence of odor, and EC1 certification (by the German GEV agency). The recent application of silanic technology also in the formulation of single-component adhesives suited to floor application, such as the laying of parquet, for example, has led to the rapid appreciation of the product in Europe, especially with pre-finished parquet, where another key to the product’s success is the ease with which traces can be cleaned from the wood, which also extends to the cleaning of the operator’s hands and equipment. Capitalizing on sales experience abroad - another useful element for the sale of silanic products in Italy - undoubtedly consists in promoting the unquestionable advantages offered by this new technology that consist in its easier application and consequently higher performance/ yield ratio, wider application versatility, and lower environmental impact with undoubted advantages also for users, without forgetting the fewer problems involved in the handling of products vaunting this technology.
In this case, a series of operations that ranges from the storage of the product to its use (with the unquestionable advantage of requiring lesser personal protection equipment during application) to the elimination of packaging, which need no longer be classified as harmful waste, as is unfortunately the case with most traditional products.
2) More than limits on the product it would be more correct to refer to the public’s still limited knowledge of silanic technology; as we have seen, this lack of public awareness of environmental concerns may put a brake on the popularity of these products in Italy. Another obstacle to the sale of silanic products - at least in Italy - albeit of marginal importance, may include sporadic cases in which the product was not used appropriately.
This category includes, for example, the use of silanic adhesives on surfaces treated with traditional two-component epoxy primers. Although we are still assessing the effects of such use in the mid-long term, for the moment we can be sure that at the performance level it will be hard for other products in the same family (such as silanicbase fillers and sealers) to obtain the same results as silanic adhesives.

1) Mapei is a company that invests 5% of its turnover in research, and since 2006 has developed and sold abroad silanic products like Ultrabond ECO S955 alongside its danger labelfree single-component polyurethane products like Ultrabond ECO P992 and P990.
In order to succeed in converting two-component glues to single-component adhesives, investing in the flooring layer with training courses and providing correct information on product advantages, defects, and risks assumes vital importance.
The world’s current trend is distinguished by double digit growth in the sales of EC1 adhesives with low volatile organic substance emission that Mapei has been adopting throughout its entire line for years.
We see adhesives as one part of a complete laying system, and for such reason they must be positioned in a package of various EC1 products for soundproofing, flooring, filling and smoothing, adhesives and paints.
This approach has enabled Mapei to win significant shares of the market and continue growing even in periods like this when parquet consumption is decreasing.
In addition to its excellent single-component polyurethane products Ultrabond P990 and ECO P992 with extremely low free isocyanate content, Mapei also offers the European market three silanic adhesives, all with the GEV EC1 Seal.
Each one fills different laying needs: Ultrabond ECO S955 is the quick-drying adhesive for the gluing of any type of wood in any size at all with excellent ridge holding; Ultrabond ECO S945 is the adhesive developed for the gluing of pre-finished floors that require rapid execution, easy application by trowel, and easy cleaning of the painted surface even after laying has been completed; Ultrabond ECO965 is the choice for elevated elasticity developed for the outdoor laying of suitable parquet in high humidity conditions.
The first advantage is undoubtedly the extremely low emission of volatile organic substances and the consequent absence of danger symbols on the packaging, even if the lack of such substances does not compromise adhesion quality or facility of use under all conditions.
2) In Italy, the first limit is surely the price, which is much higher than that of more rudimentary two-component glues, even if it is likely that public attention will eventually shift towards products with higher technology.

1) The advantages are technical and therefore pertain more to the floor layer: silanic adhesives are ready to use, effortlessly spread, do not produce blisters or indelibly stain pre-finished parquet, and vaunt good adhesion over existing coatings.
Their high degree of elasticity offers significant advantages also with heated floors. The final customer can be convinced by the offer of the new silanic products with low environmental impact: these second-generation ES®Polymerbased products have been awarded government Nordic Ecolabel environmental protection certification that has been denied to other technologies. This is a big advantage for both the customer and flooring professional.
2) Silanic adhesives are limited to the elastic category and currently have a higher price.
With new-generation silanic adhesives, this gap may be transferred to the final customer, and the benefits to the environment are demonstrated by government ecology certification.

1) Silanic products are sold on the basis of a few simple lines of reasoning, the first of which is their easy use. With our Tovcol MS, in fact, we have simple packaging (no bag) and no catalyst for the easiest use. Elevated yield, virtually insignificant waste, easy product clean-up from both your hands and the pre-finished floor and its behavior with heating floors all make this product extremely competitive even if it might at first glance appear expensive. Say what you will about toxicity, these products have nothing in common with the other adhesives commonly used to lay wood floors. We sell silanic adhesives by emphasizing these features that are immediately clear to the flooring layer who knows he must adopt the same lines of reasoning not only during application but also when convincing the client of the higher value of his work.
2) The limit on the product is the typical drawback of single-component adhesives: high thi c knes s gluing i s impos s ible to achieve and any waterproofing primer used must be sanded back prior to laying this adhesive.

1) In our opinion, the advantages are more theo- 2 retical than practical: the big attraction is usually the absence of solvents, but this feature is vaunted also by our “Zero” two-component adhesive and our single-component Unicol MF.
Another highly vaunted advantage is sound deadening capacity, but this is linked more to elasticity than the nature of the resin; an elastic polyurethane adhesive, in fact, has the same insulation power. Emphasis is also placed on easy pre-finished parquet floor clean-up, but our single-component polyurethane adhesive is just as easy to clean. They say that silanic adhesive is safer because it has no danger symbols on the packaging, but here again our single- component polyurethane adhesive shares the same distinction with the added advantage of making no harmful emissions. In the end, the only real advantages vaunted by silanic adhesive (Monosil) over polyurethane adhesive (Unicol MF) are the greater ease in cleaning your hands and the absence of swelling even at elevated thicknesses.
2) In our opinion, the product’s limits are linked to its high elasticity that makes it unsuited to the gluing of solid wood because it does not oppose the natural movement of the wood and therefore leads to buckling floors. For this type of floor, we always recommend the use of a two- component adhesive. Another important limit is the issue of methanol during polymerization linked to its chemical nature. Some experts claim (figures in hand) that these emissions are so low as not to pose a problem, while others say (figures in hand again) that these methanol emissions are high and extremely harmful. Extremism aside, we believe although the problem exists: it is difficult to quantify it precisely, and for such reason we also sell a danger symbol-free, emission-free polyurethane adhesive called Unicol MF (MF stands for Methanol Free). We let the client make the final choice.

1) We have decided not to sell silanic glues until 2 laboratory testing proves that they do not release even minimum quantities of methanol during the hardening phase.
2) From the technical point of view, silanic adhesives offer various advantages over two-component glues, such as extremely high elasticity after hardening, strong adhesion on a wide range of support surfaces, no odor, and easy clean-up during the laying of pre-finished parquet floors.
Compared to single-component polyurethane adhesives, on the other hand, these advantages are reduced to the point of nearly disappearing.