Working with Water-Based Laminate Adhesive

Roll out with a low-nap roller, and don't let the glue or a new countertop freeze. The good news: no odor or headaches. October 28, 2005

Question
I am getting into using a lot of laminate adhesive and would like to switch over to a water based adhesive but I am nervous about the reliability. Can anyone give me advice either good or bad about what product to use? OSHA regulations and environmental concerns are forcing me to go with water based.

Forum Responses
(Laminate and Solid Surfacing Forum)
From contributor C:
I use 3M's Fastbond 30-NF. It comes in a tan and green that I know of. I have been using this product for a year or two and have great results. I use it just the same as solvent base, although it does seem to go farther. Use a very low nap roller or you will get foam. There is nearly no odor at all with this product eliminating the headaches and complaints. Dry time is about the same as solvent based adhesive. It comes in quarts or gallons.

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From contributor J:
We have been using 3M 30-nf glue for over 7 years with great results. The best part is there's no odor. One thing to keep in mind when using any water base glue is to keep it from freezing. We’re in the northeast so if we make a top in the winter months we can not put it in our delivery van overnight. If we did the top would delaminate. The water in the glue crystallizes and causes the de-lam. Some would say the cure time is too long and many high production shops use solvent base glue because of that.

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The comments below were added after this Forum discussion was archived as a Knowledge Base article (add your comment).

Comment from contributor L:
We used the MP30 water based adhesive at OMSI and Promotional Products for many years to apply laminate to Baltic birch panels to build exhibits. We had almost no failures. It is easy and we sprayed it on.