Most synthetic turf and seam problems occur because buyers and installers make poor adhesive choices. Using a “high green strength” adhesive offers a simple solution.
Q. What is the difference between a high green strength adhesive and one with low green strength?
A. High green strength adhesives have inherently high tack, grab or grip during installation, as opposed to most
adhesives with low green strength, which are oily or slippery liquids during application and cure.
A high green strength adhesive helps the installer overcome the troublesome forces of turf movement during installation, particularly outdoors. Conversely, a low green strength adhesive is slippery and can cause squeeze out, oozing and foaming through seams.
One-part liquid urethane adhesives that are solvent-free do not have high green strength. Their isocyanate (NCO) contents above 8% can cause a host of installation problems, ranging from crystallizing (turning solid) at about 50°F and not re-liquifying when warmed, to foaming under the turf and through seams in high humidity, to slow cure in low humidity, to negligible tack, grab and grip during installation.
Oppositely, many solvent-based, one-part urethane adhesives with low NCO from 3% to 6%, have high green strength, which enables turf installations in any condition. Also, they do not crystallize on cold days, do not foam on humid days, and do not stop curing in dry desert conditions. Unexpected rain shortly after application doesn’t hurt them. Hence, installers who use high green strength adhesives get the job done faster.
Q. Why doesn’t every buyer and installer use a “high green strength” adhesive?
A. Sometimes adhesive choices are made based on low price, not quality. Some buyers and installers have been using the same adhesive for years, unaware that they are experiencing “unrealized adhesive suffering” by accepting installation slowdowns and adhesive failures as being common, while missing out on the many benefits of using “high green strength” adhesive.
For More Information
NORDOT® Adhesives by Synthetic Surfaces Inc.
908-233-6803
www.nordot.com