[PrecisionFloors]

What are you guys using now?? Armstrong is now recommending their latex crap for everything (which I can't see being a good idea on traditional felt backed goods). None of the supply houses are carrying any vinyl or urethane sealers at all. Even Lowe's and Home Depot have stopped carrying any.

Admittedly I haven't done much sheet vinyl in a few years but this is asinine imo. We recently picked up the slack for a shop that was having a very hard time finding vinyl crews worth a damn (shocker). We threw a price out in an effort to dissuade them and I'll be damned if they didn't bite anyway. Now we have several hundred yards of back log and potentially 6-8 houses a month after that to do. I had a can of old Congoleum sealer that worked pretty good but I ran out yesterday.

Every job has multiple seams, some 16+'. All new construction, with multiple trades putting traffic on them before closing. I just don't feel comfortable sealing them with latex and wiping the surface off. Not to mention a handful of them are rain slabs that get multiple layers of patch. Not a good situation to do a seam repair on... Any ideas?

 

[rusty baker]

Have you tried contacting Congoleum directly? About the only vinyl I see around here anymore is IVC, so I haven't shopped for sealer for a long time

.http://www.shagtools.com/tools/Congoleum-SU80-SU92-Seam-Sealers-30-SU80-92.cfm

 

[PrecisionFloors]

Thanks for the link Rusty. I guess I'll have to order some stock of it in case. What's your thoughts on using latex?

 

[rusty baker]

It is only for glue direct carpet IMHO.

 

[PrecisionFloors]

It is only for glue direct carpet IMHO.

Yeah - same here.

 

[MIKE ANTONETTI]

I saw it at surfaces last year on an IVC demo, but it was fiberglass back. Can't remember exactly how they installed it, I think they double cut it, spread the glue (PSA) applied seam sealer to one side and placed other piece in.
A lot of seam failure I was told for felt back was adhesive contamination. Spreading glue and applying sealer to one edge on a thinner felt back product is sure to get adhesive all on side and top of seam.
We hardly ever install sheet vinyl anymore. Not much new construction in my area anymore. Every once in a while a customer does whole house in wood grain sheet vinyl and we get the job, crazy how customers complained about seeing seams and now a lot of products are in pieces with thousands of seams .

 

[ccoffer]

Armstrong is recommending latex under felt backed material? That's a new one on me. Taylor has a product called Infuze that I've used quite a bit. It's a mess, but cleans up well with acetone. It has about the same consistency as S-200 if anyone remembers that wonderful goop.

 

[MIKE ANTONETTI]

I think that's the same stuff, seams it's migrating to felt back products. I just want to know how seam curling is affected.

 

[rusty baker]

A few years ago, when IVC first showed up here, no one could tell me what seam sealer to use. So I found a number and was told that they had no tech dept. But the secretary told me she thought they used latex. I finally ran into a rep and he gave me a card. Over that next year, they changed sealers several times from latex to acrylic and back again. They also changed installation instructions several times. Roller or broom it out. Spread glue with a trowel or paint roller. It changed constantly.
I installed it about once a month and called him every time to see what had changed. Haven't done any lately.

 

[PrecisionFloors]

Chuck, they're calling for S-761 on all sheet goods seams now.... They call it seam adhesive, I call it the same thing we were sealing glue down carpet with 20 years ago.... It doesn't bond the wear layer edges together at all - in fact you wipe the excess off of the surface with a wet rag (yeah wet with water...meaning water soluble)

 

[PrecisionFloors]

A few years ago, when IVC first showed up here, no one could tell me what seam sealer to use. So I found a number and was told that they had no tech dept. But the secretary told me she thought they used latex. I finally ran into a rep and he gave me a card. Over that next year, they changed sealers several times from latex to acrylic and back again. They also changed installation instructions several times. Roller or broom it out. Spread glue with a trowel or paint roller. It changed constantly.
I installed it about once a month and called him every time to see what had changed. Haven't done any lately.

I went through the same thing with IVC myself in 05-06 time frame I believe.

 

[ccoffer]

Apparently Armstrong has done something to radically alter the dimensional stability of their felt backed products then. Hooray.

If you get a chance to use that Infuze stuff, you should try it. Just be careful with it. I think it's that crap they sell to fix a tennis shoe. Shoegoo.

 

[BKM Resilient]

Chuck, they're calling for S-761 on all sheet goods seams now.... They call it seam adhesive, I call it the same thing we were sealing glue down carpet with 20 years ago.... It doesn't bond the wear layer edges together at all - in fact you wipe the excess off of the surface with a wet rag (yeah wet with water...meaning water soluble)

It's the old Interflex glue. I used that as an apprentice 30+ years ago. Not since. I never really worked with residential goods again (homes, apartments & condos) since I was training.

I can only speak from the commercial perspective. Works OK on the Corlon but I wouldn't want to do any BIG jobs with this method unless I had unlimited time and absolutely perfect site conditions-------perfect substrate, PLENTY of lighting and access to hot water and clean rags.

"THEY" think chemical welds/seam sealers can save a buck compared to heat welding.

Bull****.

 

[ccoffer]

It's the old Interflex glue.
S-670? I don't think so. That wouldn't squirt. Back in the heyday of interflex, I quit buying 670 and started using Nafco 400. Same compound, just a little more water in it. It's hard set vinyl plank adhesive.

Interflex is gone now. I was told it only existed in two markets. It was invented by a guy who worked for R.A Seigel. Just threw the idea to Armstrong and they ran with it. It started with Timespan and then evolved into a broader bevy of products. I wonder about that story, though. After all, Tredway had been around.

 

[PrecisionFloors]

It's definitely not interflex glue. I did miles upon miles of it down here in the land of retirement trailer-home land... Personally I never had much of an issue with it, but most installers hated it. I know what you're saying BKM, but welding sheet goods that are supposed to appear seamless, in a residential setting, doesn't work. On a commercial job though - it's completely asinine not too. Chuck, it's goo down carpet sealer I swear...

 

[rusty baker]

Last time I talked to Al Gladden, (it's been a while) interflex was still big in Atlanta and someone on the DIY chatroom was talking about buying some last week. Have not seen any myself for 10 years or more.

 

[rusty baker]

It's definitely not interflex glue. I did miles upon miles of it down here in the land of retirement trailer-home land... Personally I never had much of an issue with it, but most installers hated it. I know what you're saying BKM, but welding sheet goods that are supposed to appear seamless, in a residential setting, doesn't work. On a commercial job though - it's completely asinine not too. Chuck, it's goo down carpet sealer I swear...

I remember when the lino seams all had a piece of metal over them, back in the 50s. But it was loose layed and had either tar paper or newspaper under it.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

...I know what you're saying BKM, but welding sheet goods that are supposed to appear seamless, in a residential setting, doesn't work. On a commercial job though - it's completely asinine not too. ...

I agree that it just won't fly sometimes, but I've never regretted talking someone into welded seams. I have regretted not talking someone into welded seams.

 

[ccoffer]

Interflex doesn't exist anymore. Both Domco and Armstrong got out of it.

 

[MIKE ANTONETTI]

It's the only sealer Lowes carries now, I bought all their clearance 670 back a year ago, all out.
They call the infuze " universal" I guess it sounds better than multipurpose, might confuse people.