Focus DIY's "Who Needs Nails?" - awful stuff..

[andrewpreece]

It doesn't dry in 10 minutes. I used it succesfully, but thn again I pinned the skirting to the wall with props and chocks etc, and left it to dry for hours. I also used plenty of the glue. IMHO there is though a limit to the use of glue on particularly wavy walls, as the amount of force necessary to get the skirting into contact with the wall in the dips is difficult to maitain. Then I would add a screw to the skirting to pull it in. Somewhat easier though, is just glueing the skirting to the high spots and then filling in behind the remaining with polyfilla later.

Andy.

[Abso]

Arghh.. Just spent far too long struggling to fix a moulded (polystyrene based) skirting to a plasterboard wall with this useless stuff. For anyone unfamiliar with it, it's a solvent free adhesive in the "No More Nails" mould.

Not impressed I'm afraid. It seems to be formulated way too thick. After struggling to squeeze it out of the tube using a trigger dispenser, I found that as the skirting was pressed against the wall the fixative did no more than squidge a bit then allow the skirting to peel away when the pressure was released. Lying prone in a bizzarre position with hands, elbow, knees and 1 foot pressing the skirting against the wall for 10 minutes rewarded me only with backache and a skirting that still just peels away of its own accord.

Has anyone else had similar problems with this stuff? Is it perhaps just the Focus DIY own brand that's dire, maybe I need to try a better brand?

Alternatively, how else can you fix this moulded skirt into position? It's a natural wood finish (to match a laminate floor), so nailing isn't an option as I won't be painting over.

[Rick Dipper]

I use "Grabs Like Nails" from B&Q, and bricks to hold it in place for a good long time.

Rick

[Fred]

I've used brass screws before and prefer this solution. Yes they are visible but the skirting can be removed for wall painting and carpet changing etc.

[Doctor D]

Have used Screwfix "I Can't Believe It's Not Nails" and Gripfill. Very different products in appearance, but both worked well for securing skirting, architrave and other wood fixing.

[Mike]

Screwfix's one is the same. Dirt cheap but nowhere near as good as the professional ones. Either buy these or press the skirting against the wall for at least two days.

[Doctor D]

I didn't find this at all. Nowhere near two days, 36 hours at the most :-)

The Screwfix one is a very thick brown gunge but it worked very well in my application. On my walls the bottoms are very uneven and the gunge spreads into the holes and holds the wood very well. It also doesn't ooze out around the edges as badly.

Bearing in mind how much cheaper it is than the "proper stuff" I don't think it's bad vfm.

[Rob Nicholson]

Yup - bricks, bits of furniture, wood props. This stuff isn't magic and needs to be held against the wall until it goes off.

Cheers, Rob.

[Suz]

I used the orginal "No More Nails" on the advice of this group's BigWallop and was very impressed. They were short lengths but did have to bend a bit. I was skeptical but followed the instructions and it bonded well very quickly. Where this it it gets bumps but hasn't budged. It wasn't possible to screw or nail as it was solid behind so this was the only solution and worth the money.

Suzanne

[Andy Burns]

Or just nail it on and be done with? The caulk covering my nail head will be dry before your skirting has fallen off ...

[Mike]

Into stone ? The nail or hammer will go off first.

[Mike]

Agreed - I use it by the packload. But I do have some PinkGrip to hand when I run out of props.

[Andy Burns]

Fair enough in that case I suppose, seems like a lot of people struggling to stick when fixing would be quicker though ...

[Stephen Dawson]

We love Pink Grip

[Tom C]

Grip Fill in the green tube. It's solvent-based and stinks for a while but it's bloody good! Just push it into place and forget it.

T

[Abso]

I think it wouldn't be suitable for this job if it's solvent based as it is to be applied to polystyrene skirting.

As it turns out, and by way of reporting back to the group, I junked the Focus product and bought a tube of genuine Unibond "No More Nails" from B&Q. What a difference, it actually works! Thin enough to squeeze easily from the tube and to squash enough to allow the skirt to sit snug against the wall, much more grippy a quicker drying. There is no comparison.

Focus Do-It-All, you can shove "Who Needs Nails?" right up your khyber pass. Utter utter waste of money and the presence of a Focus DIY logo on this tube of s**te devalues the entire brand in my eyes. I'll stick to B&Q in future.

[John Flax]

These products are not 'solvent free.' The solvent is water, which takes longer to dry by evaporation and/or absorption than an organic solvent. The fact that the skirting is plastic, rather than wood makes this process even slower.

It might be advisable to roughen the back of the skirting to help adhesion and to remove any release agent that may have been applied during the extrusion process.

It is vital to hold the objects together until the adhesive has dried completely.

[Abso]

Thanks. I've had much more success with "No More Nails" since my original post.