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Potential Outcome: Reduced bond strength and joint instability due to insufficient compression.
Adheseal Best Practice: Ensure joints are close-fitting (0.1–0.25mm glue line). Apply clamping or fixing pressure during cure for structural performance—this prevents weak bonds and eliminates rework.
Potential Outcome: Adhesive may not cure due to lack of atmospheric moisture, leaving the joint soft or uncured.
Adheseal Best Practice: Ensure at least one surface contains adequate moisture or lightly mist the mating surface in low-humidity conditions. This activates the curing mechanism and ensures predictable performance.
Achieving strong, movement-tolerant joints in hardwood or softwood frames while keeping pace on a fast-moving build can be difficult, especially in fluctuating humidity.
Unobond’s moisture-curing chemistry activates reliably in timber substrates and its slight expansion ensures full glue-line contact. Apply a consistent bead, spread evenly, and clamp for around one hour. Success means structurally sound joints that stay tight without callbacks.
Prepare bonding areas by sanding lightly and cleaning with xylene. Maintain 0.1–0.25mm glue-line thickness for optimal strength.
Marine environments demand adhesives that resist prolonged moisture, temperature swings, and flexing without compromising bond integrity.
Unobond’s D4 classification and resilience under thermal stress make it ideal for mixed-material assemblies in boats. Lightly abrade metal surfaces, clean with xylene, apply evenly, and clamp firmly. Success means a durable, water-tight join that withstands harsh conditions.
For dense or non-porous materials, lightly mist the opposite surface to accelerate moisture-cure and ensure a full, reliable bond.
Unobond is a structural moisture-curing polyurethane adhesive for bonding timber and mixed construction substrates. It’s used for general construction, flooring, cabinet making, furniture, display work, and exterior woodwork, including applications exposed to moisture and weather. Its D4-rated water resistance and slight expansion during cure help form strong, durable joints in a wide range of assemblies.
Yes, Unobond is suitable for exterior and marine-exposed environments due to its D4 water-resistant classification. It withstands a 72-hour boiling water test and is designed for internal and external use where joints may be exposed to wet or harsh conditions. As with any critical application, ensure substrates are compatible, structurally sound, and correctly prepared for first-time-right performance.
Unobond typically skins in about 10 minutes and reaches full cure in approximately 24 hours at 23°C and 50% relative humidity. Working time is around 10–15 minutes, and pressing or clamping time is roughly 1 hour at 0.6 N/mm². Cooler temperatures, lower humidity, or low substrate moisture content will slow cure, so allow additional time under less favourable conditions.
No, Unobond is an adhesive, not a gap-filling mastic, and its strength is reduced when used to fill wide gaps. It’s designed for close-fitting joints with a glue line around 0.1–0.25 mm that can be clamped or mechanically fixed. For filling cracks and non-structural voids, use a dedicated gap filler from the Adheseal range rather than relying on Unobond.
Unobond bonds to most common building substrates without primer when they are clean, sound, and have sufficient moisture. Suitable substrates include softwood, hardwood, plasterboard, particleboard, fibrous cement, concrete, brick, metals, EPS foam, and many plastics (testing recommended). Light abrasion and solvent cleaning (for example with xylene) are important on metals and dense materials to achieve predictable performance.
| Application / Use Case | Key Benefit | Primary Trades |
|---|---|---|
| General construction bonding of timber, board products, and concrete | Delivers structural moisture-curing bonds with D4 water resistance for long-term durability in internal and external conditions. | Builders, Carpenters, Joiners |
| Flooring systems and squeak reduction in tongue-and-groove panels | Slight expansion takes up voids in joints, helping prevent floor movement and squeaks for a more solid, professional finish. | Builders, Flooring Installers, Shopfitters |
| Manufacture of furniture, cabinets, and internal joinery | Fast pressing times and strong adhesion across timber, board, and some metals support efficient production with fewer rejects. | Cabinet Makers, Furniture Manufacturers, Joiners |
| Display signs and mixed-material assemblies | Reliable bonding of metals, board products, and some plastics reduces the need for multiple adhesives on complex builds. | Shopfitters, Sign Manufacturers, General Fabricators |
| Exterior woodwork and marine-related timber bonding | D4 classification and resilient polyurethane chemistry support tough, water-resistant joints in exposed or damp environments. | Boat Builders, Marine Fabricators, Exterior Joiners |
Correct surface preparation is critical to achieving structural bond strength and long-term performance.
Ensure surfaces are structurally sound, dry on the surface and free from dust, loose material, oils, curing compounds, and contaminants. Allow new concrete to cure for at least 28 days. Lightly sand timber where necessary, then remove dust before bonding.
Lightly abrade metals and dense surfaces to create a key. Use the two-wipe method with a suitable solvent such as xylene and clean cloths to remove oils and release agents, changing cloths regularly to avoid smearing contamination.
Prepare the cartridge correctly to maintain a consistent bead and control glue-line thickness.
Cut the cartridge tip, fit the nozzle, then trim the nozzle at a 45° angle to the required bead size. Insert into a suitable cartridge gun and ensure even trigger pressure for a steady flow.
Hold the gun at approximately 45° with the nozzle in contact with the surface. Apply Unobond around 10 mm in from the edge to minimise squeeze-out, then spread with a spatula to achieve a glue line of roughly 0.1–0.25 mm.
Bringing the joint together under even pressure is key to achieving structural performance.
Bring the mating surfaces together immediately after application. Use clamps, screws or nails to close joints and generate pressure across the bond line. Aim for some visible squeeze-out as an indicator of full contact.
Maintain pressure for at least 60 minutes at 23°C and 50% RH with a pressing load of around 0.6 N/mm². Full cure is typically achieved after approximately 24 hours under standard conditions.
Good cleanup and storage practice extends product life and keeps future work clean and efficient.
Clean tools and spills with xylene while the adhesive is still wet. Once cured, Unobond can only be removed by mechanical means such as scraping or sanding.
Use suitable hand wipes for skin cleaning. After use, seal the cartridge nozzle to limit contact with air and store in a cool, dry place between 15°C and 25°C to maximise shelf life.
Wear suitable overalls, gloves, safety glasses and, where inhalation risk exists, an organic vapour/particulate respirator meeting AS/NZS 1715 and AS/NZS 1716 guidelines. Gloves made from nitrile rubber are generally suitable for intermittent contact, but users should confirm suitability for their specific conditions. Always wash hands before eating, drinking, smoking, or using the toilet and launder contaminated clothing before reuse.
Use Unobond with adequate ventilation, particularly in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas. Avoid breathing vapours or mist. Where ventilation cannot be improved, use appropriate respiratory protection and limit exposure duration in line with site safety procedures.
Store in a cool, dry place between 15°C and 25°C, away from incompatible materials. Although the cured product is classified as uninflammable, normal good housekeeping should be maintained. Keep containers tightly closed when not in use and prevent spills from entering drains or watercourses.
Seek medical attention immediately in all cases of serious exposure or if symptoms persist. For urgent advice, contact a doctor or Poisons Information Centre (Australia 13 11 26, New Zealand 0800 764 766).
Ensure timber is structurally sound, stable, and free from dust, dirt, oils, coatings, or release agents. Lightly sand to create a fresh surface where required, then remove dust. Substrate should have a moisture content of at least approximately 8% but be free of standing surface water.
For critical structural joints, ensure close-fitting contact and adequate clamping pressure to achieve the specified glue-line thickness.
Allow new concrete to cure for at least 28 days. Substrates must be dry on the surface, structurally sound, and free of laitance, dust, curing compounds, oils, and contaminants. Mechanically prepare if necessary to remove weak or friable material, then vacuum clean.
On very dense or weakly bonded surfaces, conduct site adhesion tests and consider additional mechanical fixing as required by project specifications.
Lightly abrade to remove oxidation and provide a key, then perform a two-wipe solvent clean using fresh cloths and a suitable cleaner such as xylene. Remove all oils, cutting fluids, and surface treatments that may interfere with adhesion.
Always perform adhesion tests on coated or unknown metal finishes to confirm compatibility. Ensure joint design allows access to atmospheric moisture to support proper curing.
Check that boards are dry, free from dust, and firmly fixed or supported as required. Remove surface dust with vacuum or clean cloth. For melamine or laminated surfaces, lightly scuff to reduce gloss and wipe clean to remove any release agents or contaminants.
Where adhesion to specialty laminates or coatings is critical, carry out site testing through the Adheseal Bond Adhesion Testing (BAT) program.
Ensure foam surfaces are clean, dry, and free from dust or loose material. Take care not to damage the surface skin when trimming or shaping panels before bonding.
Always carry out a small test area to confirm that the adhesive expansion and cure are suitable for the foam density and application.