Which grab adhesive?

[pete]

I need some sticky stuff (treated/unpainted wood to powder coated metal, little shear/peel force, exterior use and will have some exposure to rain/dew, no direct sunlight)

My first inclination is to get out the power tools, drill through the p/c steel and screw it to the woodwork. Although this is complicated, since the steel is in place, so it's difficult to get screws through the steel, into the woodwork. The work also has to be done up a ladder, so dismantling and acrobatics are not possible.

However I'm aware of all these "new fangled" adhesives and wonder if any of them are up to the job. There won't be any load-bearing, just supporting the wooden panels at the top. Their weight is suppported by what they are resting on.

Looking at the toolstation catalog, they have a plethora of offerings, in price order:

Glue Screws - solvent free (their own brand) Glue Screws - solvent based Gripfill * Pinkgrip Gripfill solvent free ** Pinkgrip solvent free ** Stixall M.S. polymer Sticks Like

• the only one that explicitly mentions exterior use

** specifies interior use only

The question is: which one to use. I don't want to have to go back and redo the work for at least 10 years, yet apart from the superlatives that make up the descriptions of each product, there's little to say which ones are better or worse - or more/less suitable for my task.

So, which ones do you use? War staories about exceptional performance (either good or bad) appreciated.

[Tim Watts]

pete (no-one [e-mail]) wibbled on Saturday 29 January 2011 11:53:

There's a link to an adhesion specifier.

But, with your problem, I would start phong then and Everbuild (who make PinkGrip):

ask them if they would recommend anything in particular. Ask for "technical".

I've done this with several companies where I had a non standard problem to solve and they were all generally very helpful.

HTH

Tim

[The Medway Handyman]

Stixall. Unbelievable stuff.

[pete]

Thanks chaps. Looks like it'll be the Stixall. It does sound like rather handy stuff.

[Rick Hughes]

I fitted all my skirting with Pinkgrip seems a good product, just bought some Evostick "Evograb adhesive ... it was USELESS .. it says high grab in seconds, it was pathetic ...

[Olav M]

Completely agree. Snatched at some recently, because my favourite (Gripfill, solvent) was out. Did NOT do what it says on the tube. Unfortunately, second time I have been disappointed with an Evo product. Years ago bought their bathroom sealant "with extra 30% grip and fast cure" to install WHB and shower enclosure. It just would not cure, kept redissolving when wetted. Phoned tech support. They told me it was an Acrylic emulsion, which will do that until cured. AND quoted cure times apply to 2 mm thickness, my thickness would take weeks. It did. I never saw it on the market again.

[Jonathan]

Jonathan

[Skipweasel]

Acrylic sealant is pants. I noticed lately that some high-street firms are passing it off as silicone sealant by cunningly not actually mentioning what sort it is anywhere on the tube, leading less careful buyers to fall into the trap.

[Huge]

AKA "mould food".

[pete]

Followup, some weeks after posting this. I went with the advice and used Stixall. Did the job nicely.