A Review Of Artificial Turf Adhesives
Artificial turf adhesive comes in many different flavors - but which one truly works the best? We’ve done our testing and have an answer. In this post, we’ll examine the common types of glue seen in the market and give you a quick review of each.
1.) Peel & Stick Tape
The first turf adhesive we're going to touch upon is peel and stick tape. It usually comes in a 6 inch wide format and, being an adhesive tape with no real bite, it doesn’t effectively hold turf pieces together. In fact, during our testing, we were very easily able to pull the turf right off the tape - a clear indication that this product wouldn’t provide any sort of long-term bond. It’s not an option we would recommend to a professional contractor, or anybody doing a turf job for that matter!
2.) Squeeze Tube Glue
Peel and stick tape isn’t an option for artificial turf so let’s move onto polyurethane glue. Polyurethane glue comes in a variety of formats but we’ll start with the squeeze tube. When we tested this type of product, we immediately realized it has a relatively low viscosity. So what does that mean and how can it impact a turf installation? While the squeeze bottle format is easy to use, the glue itself has a consistency between honey and maple syrup, depending on the temperature. And after a few seconds of being applied, it spreads out and becomes even thinner. The problem with that is the glue doesn’t provide enough height and is only going to hit the ridges on the turf backing, otherwise known as the stitch gauge. If you don't coat the entire back of the turf (including the valleys between the stitch lines), you're not going to have a very strong bond.
3.) Bucket Glue
A key characteristic we’re looking for in artificial turf adhesive is a high viscosity or thickness. Traditionally these high viscosity glues were sold by the bucket. We tested one of those products and here’s what we learned. While the glue itself is nice and thick, neatly applying it is a real challenge. (The last thing you want is glue getting on the turf blades!) We also discovered that for small jobs, these buckets of glue will leave you with a lot of waste – and saving excess in the container is not recommended, as it begins its curing process once the bucket is opened and may lack performance when used later.
And the winner is…
4.) Gator XP Glue
For over a decade, Gator XP Glue has been the go-to choice for contractors for a variety of concrete hardscape applications - and now it’s quickly emerging in the artificial turf space as well. Gator XP Glue is a moisture-cure polyurethane adhesive and its easy-to-use packaging and thick viscosity make it especially ideal for artificial turf.
Why it works so well with turf
Ease of use. 10 and 28oz. cartridges are clean and easy to use, very accurate to dispense, and eliminates waste
Thick viscosity. Reaches all areas of the backing, not just the high points
Be sure to watch our glue testing in this video, so you can see each product in action for yourself!
Discover the Gator X-Turf Collection by requesting a free sample box today.*
*Sample boxes available for professional hardscape installers and retailers only.