May 28/June 4, 2018: Volume 33, Issue 25
By Lindsay Baillie
Adhesive manufacturers are continuing to develop premium environmentally friendly products as a means to stay in lockstep with the flooring industry’s continuous push toward greener floors. Many of today’s green adhesives are FloorScore certified, solvent free and contain zero VOCs—all of which help contribute points to LEED. These qualities are all beneficial to the end user and environment as well as the installers who handle the products on a daily basis.
What’s more, many of these eco-friendly products provide installers with easy-to-install, quick-drying solutions to help shorten installation time while also addressing specific subfloor issues found on the job site.
Following is an overview of some of the latest green products hitting the market.
DriTac
DriTac offers a full line of wood and resilient flooring adhesives that have been certified by CRI’s Green Label Plus Program and also tout zero VOCs/zero solvents. This includes DriTac 7800 Supreme Green, a hybrid polymer adhesive that provides unlimited subfloor moisture control with no testing required and a lifetime warranty.
Supreme Green is a premium, single-component, environmentally friendly sound- and moisture-control wood flooring adhesive designed to suppress concrete subfloor cracks. The problem-solving solutions contain zero VOCs, zero solvents and has been independently tested and certified by CRI for indoor air quality. Manufactured in the USA, Supreme Green can be used for the successful installations of multi-ply engineered plank, solid wood plank, bamboo flooring and more.
Utilization of DriTac 7800 Supreme Green allows end users to turn what has traditionally been a two-to-three-day process into a time-efficient, one-day installation that saves the consumer money. DriTac 7800 Supreme Green is also easy to clean off the surface of hardwood flooring wet or dry and contains zero isocyanates. With its ability to isolate old cutback adhesive, Supreme Green offers five installation solutions in one pail.
Henry
Henry, an Ardex Americas brand, has launched its new fast-track, roll-applied vinyl adhesive, Henry 647 Plum Pro, which is formulated with GreenLine technology.
“Since the early 2000s, the Henry GreenLine adhesives have been designed to provide high performance with extremely low odor and VOC emissions,” said Steven Newbrough, environmental programs specialist, Ardex Americas. “Henry 647 can endure RH levels up to 95% and a pH of 11, making it suitable for use in extreme environments.”
The vinyl adhesive has a long lifespan and is backed by a 20-year SystemOne warranty. As a result, Henry 647 spreads the environmental impact over a longer period of time, causing it to be lower per year than some products on the market, the company said. This impact is further reduced by its coverage of up to 400 square feet, as fewer packages and pails are needed to complete a job. Henry 647 also joins a number of Henry adhesives with FloorScore certification. It has been tested in accordance with CDPH v1.2-2017 and meets the indoor air quality emissions criteria of LEED, CHPS, The Green Guide for Health Care and a number of other healthy building programs.
Laticrete
Latapoxy BioGreen 300, a high-strength, chemical-resistant epoxy adhesive made with biobased material, is designed to provide an alternative to conventional, nonrenewable, petroleum-derived products.
Equipped for the most demanding installations of tile and stone, Latapoxy BioGreen 300 exceeds both ANSI A118.3 and ISO 13007 R2 requirements for epoxy adhesives and can be used in interior and exterior areas such as walls and floors, as well as wet and dry areas. Additionally, the bio-based epoxy adhesive can be used to install a variety of ceramic tile, marble and natural stone flooring products, and it will bond to most sound, clean surfaces, the company stated. It also spreads easily and can be cleaned with water while fresh.
Latapoxy BioGreen 300 is a component of the Laticrete Lifetime System Warranty, thereby providing one source, one warranty from the substrate to the grout.
Uzin
Uzin, a UFloor brand, now offers Uzin KE 2000 S, a premium, universal adhesive designed for the installation of various floor coverings on both porous and non-porous substrates. Thanks to its high-solids formulation, Uzin KE 2000 S has an extremely high coverage rate—up to 630 square feet per three-gallon pail, depending on the flooring, trowel size and substrate condition. It has high shear strength, high moisture vapor resistance, excellent resistance to plasticizers and is quick drying, thereby allowing for fast installations.
This installer-friendly adhesive is low odor (less than 20 g/l VOC), easy to trowel and is ideal for use in occupied buildings such as healthcare and educational facilities. Uzin KE 2000 S is compliant with both the strict California Specification 01350 (VOC emissions) and SCAQMD Rule 1168, and it is a LEED v4 contributing product. Furthermore, Uzin KE 2000 S conforms to the requirements of the International Maritime Organization’s Ship Safety Division 0736 and meets the extremely stringent GEV-Emicode EU standard for very low emissions. Uzin KE 2000 S can be used in both commercial and residential applications and is suitable for use with all radiant heat systems.
Schönox
One of Schönox’s most popular green adhesives, Schönox Roll and Go, is a rollable acrylic adhesive for luxury vinyl tile floors. It is suitable for bonding LVT on smooth, sound, clean, dry substrates in interior areas. This rollable, acrylic adhesive will contribute up to five points in a LEED v4 project. Schönox Roll and Go contributes to low-emitting materials, Environmental Product Declaration and Material Ingredients, and it has been recognized as an EC 1Plus-regulated product yielding very low emissions. Schönox Roll and Go can be easily applied to substrates and features an open time of approximately 24 hours. Schönox Roll and Go offers an immediately loadable surface for LVT installation.
For more than 125 years, Schönox products have been manufactured in Germany under the strictest quality standards. The company is certified under the ISO 9001 and 14001 quality and environmental management standards. In addition, the company’s research and development division works daily to develop solutions that are innovative with regard to performance as well as environmental stewardship.
