Congoleum sealers

[highup]

Have a seam to re seal in a Congoleum product that's a good 10 years old. I was told it was a Congoleum Gold product.

I have already fixed the loose sections using a high quality super glue. Now I want to top coat the entire seam...... the old sealer did not stick. It peels off.


I notice that the SU 102 and 106 now comes with a scotch bright pads and a dowel to rub the seams with before coating. I don't recall seeing this before in their kits.


OK, so already I had part bottles of Tarkette's DT 65 seam sealer (also a two part sealer) I mixed some up and applied it to a test piece. It did not stick to the surface either.


If I can't get the Congoleum product, I am thinking about abrading the seam at this jobsite in a way similar to Congoleums method.......... and then use the DT 65 sealer.

Any thoughts on this?

http://www.congoleum.com/pdf/sheet_seam_sealing.pdf

 

[DarisMulkin]

What about using the super glue for sealer? Just asking, never tried it.

Daris

 

[highup]

What about using the super glue for sealer? Just asking, never tried it.

Daris

It dries pretty hard, so it wouldn't flex with the material.
I did find a way to use it for re adhering loose seam edges. Messy, smelly, and takes a lot of blue tape, alcohol and paper towels, but the fix is almost instant.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Years ago I did a vinyl job, Congoleum I think, but we couldn't get a seam to hold. Replace the vinyl and it still wouldn't hold. Come to find out the seam was right on top of Dependable. Congo sent us a bottle of super glue-Titebond ll. It held after that.

Daris

 

[highup]

Years ago I did a vinyl job, Congoleum I think, but we couldn't get a seam to hold. Replace the vinyl and it still wouldn't hold. Come to find out the seam was right on top of Dependable. Congo sent us a bottle of super glue-Titebond ll. It held after that.

Daris

This is the product I used, the one called Insta-cure. It has the words 'Gap filling' on the label. So if you find a seam that has shrunk open and curled like the one I fixed, it does a really good job filling up the gap. I waited a day before applying a seam sealer because I don't know about the compatibility of the fresh glue and the sealer.
My camera died, so no photos of the process.

http://www.bsi-inc.com/Pages/hobby/ca.html

Bob Smith Industries private labels their products, and I get mine at a local True Value store. Call their 800 number and they can tell you the closest retailer.

The curved plastic syringe can be found at a Farmers Coop or feed store........ and they are cheap.

Monoject is the one I used and it's very common.
http://www.hobbico.com/tools/hcar3785.html

Basically, blue tape the seam so that absolutely NO vinyl surface is showing on either edge of the seam, and rub the tape so no adhesive gets under it. Apply the tape 3 layers wide on each side as it can be messy. You want absolutely none of this adhesive to drip or spill onto the floor surface.

Apply the adhesive under the loose seam using a curved, one piece syringe, then use a one inch putty knife as your roller, to sort of squeegee out the excess adhesive and onto a waiting paper towel. I used a metal putty knife because the adhesive can be cleaned off with a razor blade.

Immediately rub the seam down hard with another paper towel, followed up with a paper towel wetted with rubbing alcohol, then a dry one again.
Keep rubbing the seam hard and continuously from the very beginning of this process, then remove the tape and apply a weight.
I also used a seam roller, then another pass with a paper towel wetted with alcohol.
Remove the tape, then apply weight. A narrow strip of wood will work over the seam area, and you can just stand on it for 30 seconds or so.
If you use a strip of wood tho, you will also need a thin strip of black plastic between the wood and the vinyl so the wood doesn't stick to the floor.
The end result depends on how bad the seam was and what is expected. A curled seam will continue getting worse, an ugly seam that's adhered well will give many years more life to the floor. Fortunately, my seam ended up looking pretty nice.
Oh yes............ always use pure white paper towels, and not the 99 cent ones.

This adhesive dries hard in very short order, and you might need to scrape the seam down with the back side of a lino knife if there is any adhesive protruding from the seam. If you rub and clean the seam as I described, there will be little or none to scrape.
Not a miracle cure, but it will give the floor a lot more life.