LIQUID NAILS® Construction Adhesives: Tips & Tricks

Using LIQUID NAILS® Brand Construction Adhesives in Freezing Conditions

One of the many challenges in residential construction is working with adhesive on frozen lumber. This typically occurs when installing subflooring to joists, and improper installation techniques can lead to long-term issues like floor noise. Here are some tips for working with construction adhesives when the temperature drops:

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  • Remove as much ice, snow and moisture from the bonding surfaces as possible. Water — frozen or otherwise — will prevent your construction adhesives from contacting the bonding surface, resulting in a poor bond.
  • Keep your construction adhesives as warm as possible until the time that it is to be used. Keeping the construction adhesives warm will lower the viscosity and will allow them to better wet (or coat) the surfaces to be bonded.
  • LIQUID NAILS Brand Subfloor Adhesives are formulated to provide excellent bonding at low temperatures (down to 22°F for the latex version of this construction adhesive).
  • Apply construction adhesives so that surfaces can be joined quickly. Nailing or screwing should also be done as quickly as possible after panel installation. These tips help ensure that the construction adhesives will form a good bond.
  • Choose construction adhesives that meet either the American Plywood Association AFG-01 specification or the American Society for Testing and Materials D3498 specification. Ideally, choose a product that has been tested and certified by an independent third-party testing laboratory (LIQUID NAILS Brand Subfloor Adhesives are certified by PFS Laboratories to meet these standards).