Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

[erikgreen]

I'm finally getting back to installing my nautolex flooring.

Has anyone here used the 3m spray adhesive to install nautolex? I have a tub of the indoor/outdoor vinyl flooring cement you trowel on, but that stuff takes days to dry, and doesn't seem that strong. Plus you have to roll over the installed nautolex with a weighted roller to make sure it's spread out.

I've used some 3m super 77 adhesive for a couple things, and it's been suggested that super 90 might work well for installing carpet on the sides of the boat and the nautolex. Anyone tried this?

Erik

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

it's just a more convenient form of contact cement. should work,

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

As we speak ......errr write that is i am about to go out and finish that type of job. I tried using some conventional tac as you ...didnt dry at all. Went to home cheapo got some PL2 urethane glue in a tube and dried perfect little spendy but it is perfect.

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

Get a half gallon of the stuff upholstery shops use to anchor down vinyl roofs and other jobs. Spray it on with a siphon spray gun. It sprays very neatly and does not mist all over everything. You really hardly need to mask anything.

Multi-fold and position your flooring then spray glue on the floor and the vinyl and lay it down a section at a time. Start from the middle of the boat. Work forward, then turn around and work backward.

It is very neat with no mess and no excessive squishy glue. Guaranteed, it'll be down for the count. You can use the same stuff for your carpet.

3m spray adhesive is waaaaaaaaaay too expensive and there is no need for troweled glue or beads of glue.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

Umm ready for the race ..............even old barge's

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

 

[Coors]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

3m makes several spray adhesives, each for it's own purpose. 77 won't glue a blue tarp, but 80 is like a factory weld. you have to read the label real good.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

Okay, for the record, the Super 90 seems to have worked just fine. I used about two of the big cans securing my deck covering (about a 6 foot by 9 foot area, so it's really secured).

I'm going to try the same stuff for putting carpet on the sides as headliner.

I still need to use some bits of aluminum trim or something to secure the edges and hide a spot where I mis-cut a hatch, but it's looking pretty good so far. Pics when I get it all tied down.

Erik

 

[tomynoks]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

Did you ever take pics?? Can you post some please? After almost a year, has the 3M held up?

Thanks,

Tom Smith

 

[Mark42]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

Erik, I know you are already done, but why didn't you use the Nautolex adhesive? Its called Nautolex #88 Flooring Adhesive and sells for about $30 a quart and $60 gallon. A quart covers about 40 sq/ft.

Worth the piece of mind knowing its the right adhesive for that vinyl product.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

Wow, an old thread coming back.

Basically, if I did this again, I'd use the nautolex adhesive. The 3m spray has potential for carpet and lettering, but frankly it didn't work well for this task. The vinyl is already coming up in places, and frankly doesn't look that good.

I also found out that the patterns on the non solid color nautolex (mine is shark grey) are inked onto the top of the vinyl, so with a drop of the wrong solvent they can wipe off, which looks awful.

I did have some luck doing re-application using weldwood contact cement, but if I re-did things with Nautolex I'd use their sheet goods cement.

But probably I won't use it again, I'll either put carpet in a boat to sell, or paint a floor with nonskid or rhino liner to keep.

Erik

 

[rtpassini]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

wish i would have been here sooner. we use 77 at work. it wouldnt do so well with this.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

Yep, wish I would have seen this earlier too. The 3M 90 is great for laminates and the 77 is really nice for holding things like pattern templates that are temporary.

We tried the 90 for latex backed carpet and it didn't hold very long. It works if you can wrap the carpet and staple it to the back side like in a panel.

I went back to using I/O carpet adhesive which also works for Vinyl. The trick with using it is to have a plan and to use the proper spreader. You want to make sure you have it evenly spread using the serated edges of the trowel as a guide.

One huge benefit of using the spread type glue is the open time. You can adjust the carpet or vinyl as needed and rolling it out with a J-roller is the proper method for getting rid of trapped air.

I have a feeling that when we try to use spray's and contact cements, the initial bond is disrupted when we try to smooth out the material.

Spread adhesives should dry within 24 hours if they are applied at the proper thickness.

 

[jennis9]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

erik

I'm about to pull the trigger on getting the Nautolex... we have a 20' Starcraft supersport and are redoing the interior this winter. the carpet on our deck is shot so we were looking into this product as an option.

BUT after reading that you are disappointed - we may rethink. are you not satisfied mostly because of the adhesion method you chose or because of the product itself? I am curious about the pattern/solvent issue you are having... would you get a solid color?

My second thought was to do a rhino/grizzly grip on the deck and cut a mat of the nautolex in the front bow and seating area. this way we could have the back deck clear for all of the fish we bring in. But I may just get a hunk of I/O marine carpet and bind the edges and use it as a removable mat and achieve the same results. The only downside is that I read that one of the liner type products can get soft in the heat.

If you can post some pics that wold help too. I'd hate to go through the work for a disappointment too.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

jennis9, did you get samples of the Nautolex? I ask because I have samples of the Marideck vinyl deck covering and I can't imagine how difficult it would be to get dirt out of the crevices in that vinyl. It looks like its patterned after a berber carpet. I believe it was Nautolex that states on their website that their vinyl is for people who want the look of carpet but not the cleaning problems.

I have a sample of the Nautolex Deco Dot, and by comparison, it looks to be 500 times easier to clean than either the regular Nautolex or Marideck vinyl.

So if you are looking for a vinyl that is easy to clean, get some deco dot before placing an order.

BTW, has anyone found a good method of making seams in the vinyl? How about stainless trim for seams like in corners?

 

[jennis9]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

thanks for the info Mark42

I don't have my samples yet. I was at the boat show this past weekend and got a sample of the deckadence and liked it - but at second thought hated all of the nooks and crannies that the dirt could get trapped into. Even if you can rinse it off - it's a lot of crevaces too. I thought the nautolex looked sculptured and would be 'squishy' like the deckadence product but easier to clean - and is less expensive.

Looking at cost comparative - deco dot runs about 1/3 less than the deckadence. I like the rubber options for decking - especially for fishing.... and this one is appealing. great suggestion - i'll get a sample.

ps- been watching your hardtop conversion. cool project.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

Mark42 asked: "BTW, has anyone found a good method of making seams in the vinyl? How about stainless trim for seams like in corners?"
__________________

Making seams match in vinyl is easy if you use vinyl adhesive and make your cuts with a sharp knife and straight edge. The trick is to cut the material wide enough so that your can slide the joining piece back and forth enough to line up the patern. The paterns in vinyl repeat themselves so you just need find the point where it repeats and match them up.

Once you have that done, if you used a latex glue you can use a J-Roller to push the glue to the edge and out of the joint. Continue to wipe up the excess glue and roll it out until there is no more glue to push out. At this point you should have a hairline seam that will be very difficult to see.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

Mark42 asked: "BTW, has anyone found a good method of making seams in the vinyl? How about stainless trim for seams like in corners?"
__________________

Making seams match in vinyl is easy if you use vinyl adhesive and make your cuts with a sharp knife and straight edge. The trick is to cut the material wide enough so that your can slide the joining piece back and forth enough to line up the patern. The paterns in vinyl repeat themselves so you just need find the point where it repeats and match them up.

Once you have that done, if you used a latex glue you can use a J-Roller to push the glue to the edge and out of the joint. Continue to wipe up the excess glue and roll it out until there is no more glue to push out. At this point you should have a hairline seam that will be very difficult to see.

Will the hairline seam be water tight? I don't expect to have seams in the middle of the deck, but there will be some where deck meets seat bases, and and other corner areas. I want those seams to be water tight.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

If I got Nautolex again, it would be for a "simple" deck, one without lots of corners and seams. My deck ATM has a big hatch down the center for fuel tank access, a step down in the front, etc.

It's hard to get the nautolex to cover all that and look nice, especially since you really have to mechanically seal the edges to make it stay in place.

If I got any vinyl flooring again for a boat it would be solid color (or at least not with a screened on pattern) and I'd apply it with sheet goods adhesive (like the Nautolex), make sure I held down the edges mechanically, and I wouldn't try to use it on a complicated deck or one with more than one hatch.

Nautolex properly applied looks good and wears well. It just wasn't the right choice for my boat. I bet it would be perfect for something like a pontoon with a square deck plan and metal edging.

Erik

 

[sschefer]

Re: Nautolex and 3m spray adhesive?

Will the hairline seam be water tight? I don't expect to have seams in the middle of the deck, but there will be some where deck meets seat bases, and and other corner areas. I want those seams to be water tight.

I'm pretty sure you won't have a problem. I've done a lot of bathroom remodels and seamed a lot of the stuff and I've never had a call back. I use the glue that is for indoor/outdoor application in bathrooms. It is a latex based glue and is water cleanup but once it dries it is extremely water resistant. You can get it at HD its the one with the green labeling.

The important part is to spread the glue thin and as evenly as possible and use that J-Roller to work out all of the air and excess glue. If water gets under it, it's usually because of an air pocket that didn't get rolled out.