I've used pl premium on some stairs I did in my own house. As good as the day i installed them.

 

Yup, pl premium for me on anything like this.

 

PL premium. Not anything else in the pl line....the premium. Keep some mineral spirits nearby for cleaning

 

as kent said. its also a good idea to keep a empty 5 gallon bucket with you so you can set the caulking gun into so the glue doesnt ooze out all over the place

 

That's a really good idea Kirk. Why I didn't think of that earlier!

 

Another vote for PL premium.

 

Thanks guys. Had loads of PL from the complaint I made about the tubes keep pumping out adhesive after I stopped pumping so that worked out good.

Got a whole case left so I got plenty for the treads and risers when they go in too.

 

I use a 16d nail to plug the nozzle and then some blue tape to keep the nail inside - otherwise the pressure will actually push the nail out. Low tech and I always have the items required to do it. Keeps the PL premium fresh for months if necessary.

Years ago I saw a more elegant solution in Fine Homebuilding. It was a stand made of scrap wood in the shape of an "L," with a nail on the bottom. You put the nozzle onto the nail and lean it up against the wood. Gravity keeps the nail in the nozzle and it's always ready to go. Never bothered to do it though. Seems like it would work well for gluing down lots of subflooring, but I don't do enough of that.

 

I use a 2 1/2" screw and lean it against the wall between uses. Sure is messy but the ONLY adhesive I use for wood flooring.

 

I really don't find it all that much better than PL200. If you glue two boards together with PL200 you will break the wood before the glue bond anyway so why pay double the price for premium?

Premium is better for damp areas as that helps it cure, and will bond to nearly anything...but for wood I really don't see an advantage.

Also polyurethane expands as it cures, pump out a big blob of it and after it cures you will see that it's covered in faults and cracks because the outside cures first then the inside expands and forces the cured bits apart. This helps with coverage, as you can just smear a little on and it will increase coverage automatically, but it also causes pockets and movement when it cures.

That being said I'd put a nice even coat of solvent based pl200. (not the new latex crap)

Also premium cleans up better with acetone, 200/400 clean up better with mineral spirits.

 

Bostik's Best has worked well for us.