It goes without saying that using the right adhesive for the job is essential to ensure your edge banding goes on and stays on, and that you don&#;t make a mess of your project. Using the wrong glue in the wrong way could spell disaster!
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Here&#;s our complete guide on how to use edge banding adhesives to help make sure you don&#;t land in a sticky spot&#;
This is the crucial bit. Firstly, you need to know about the different types of adhesives and which projects and materials they are a best fit for. You can use glue pellets or cartridges depending on which your edge banding machine is compatible with.
Most edge banding is applied with hot melt glue. The two main choices for hot melt glues are EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) and PUR (Polyurethane). Each has its advantages and disadvantages depending on your project and the material you are working with.
EVA Adhesive is a multi-purpose hot melt glue used in a wide range of applications and suitable for pretty much all edge banding including PVC, melamine, ABS, acrylic and wood veneer. It&#;s at the more affordable end of the market, has a fairly standard water and heat resistance, but is easy to work with and to clean up after.
It can be repeatedly re-melted, handy when refilling glue compartments on your edgebander in between jobs and for cleaning. This also means it is sensitive to high temperatures, so be wary of using it for furniture or worktops that will be exposed to excessive heat. It&#;s pretty flexible, helping to reduce the risk of your edge banding cracking or peeling with the normal movement of wood and boards.
You can get filled or unfilled EVA hot melt glues for edge banding. The traditional EVA adhesive is filled, so called because it has added minerals that reduce annoying &#;stringing&#; and make it easier to work with. Unfilled hot melt adhesives, however, can be applied thinner to give a tighter joint. It just comes down to preference for your working style and the practicalities of the job you are working on.
Polyurethane (or PUR) based hot melt glues harden when dry and cannot be re-melted. They form an incredibly strong bond quickly, meaning little room for mistakes and the need to work fast. Some can set in seconds, with full cure time being 24 hours.
PUR hot melt glue creates a bond that&#;s highly resistant to moisture and heat up to 150 degrees. The glue line itself is more resistant to cleaning agents, making it a good choice for bathroom or kitchen products.
Because PUR adhesives bond by &#;moisture cure&#;, meaning they harden via a reaction with moisture in the air and the product they are applied to, they have to be stored in sealed containers.
It can get a little messy, as it expands and slightly foams as it cures. Unlike water based glues, which soak into the materials being bonded together, a PUR adhesive sits on the surface.
This type of adhesive is high strength but also flexible (it can be set hard or remain rubbery). Go for this in projects using hard to bind materials such as affixing porous to non-porous. It is generally a little more expensive than EVA hot melt glue, but you don&#;t need to use as much PUR to get a really successful bond.
Top Tip: Make sure you don&#;t put too much glue on or you&#;ll end up with an untidy bondline. Used correctly, PUR hot melts should give a pleasing, thin bondline.
Low melt adhesives, as the name suggests, work at a lower temperature so are safer to use, with reduced risk of burns. As a result, they are great for working with softer materials that could be damaged by a higher temperature, such as foam or polystyrene. Higher temperature hot melt adhesives are your best bet for bonding edge banding, but it&#;s worth knowing about the whole family of glues available to you.
Contact adhesives (also known as contact cement) are rubber based, fast acting glues that create a strong, flexible bond. Very effective on non-porous materials that other glue won&#;t stick. It is applied to both surfaces and allowed to air dry for around 20 minutes before sticking. It bonds almost immediately, so again, you can&#;t hang about and there&#;s little room for error. Often used for bonding large surface areas of wood veneer or plastic laminate to boards, contact adhesives can also be used very effectively used for edge banding.
Edge banding is best applied using an edge banding machine. The glue compartment is filled with the appropriate glue and the machine glues and rolls the edging onto your boards simultaneously, for a precise finish that stays in place for the lifetime of your product.
Machines range from small home versions to industrial sizes capable of edging tens of metres of panel at a time. Check with your manufacturer which type of glue is compatible with your machine and whether to use pellets or cartridges.
Make sure you keep your equipment clean and in good working order and that the edges of your boards are clear and ready for application. Here are a few top tips for perfectly applying your edging adhesive:
As with any aspect of production, using adhesive (particularly hot glues) requires a few safety precautions. Follow these simple tips and procedures to avoid any unfortunate accidents:
Once you&#;ve safely applied your adhesive and your edging is perfectly in place, there are a couple of other things left to do to ensure everything stays in tip-top condition. The first of these is cleaning up after the application process.
Always clean your equipment after use, especially where PUR glue has been used in your edge bander machine. As it cannot be re-melted, it will harden inside your equipment if it is not completely purged and cleaned &#; pretty impossible to get off.
As EVA glue does re-melt, if you&#;re doing several jobs one after another, it might not be necessary to clean after every single use, possibly just when the glue tank is empty. Always check the directions for use with your edge bander machine. No-one really wants to spend hours cleaning up glue, so make life easier for yourself and use specialist cleaning products for the adhesive you&#;re using.
Before delving into the adhesive selection, it&#;s important to understand the different edge banding materials available. Here are the most common types:
PVC: Highly durable and resistant to heat, PVC edge banding is great for high-traffic areas.
ABS: Similar to PVC in durability but more eco-friendly, ABS edge banding is an excellent alternative for those seeking a greener option.
For more information, please visit Adhesive Edge Banding.
Wood Veneer: This is an attractive and natural-looking option, ideal for high-quality furniture and cabinetry.
Melamine: This affordable option comes in a variety of colours and styles, but is not as durable as PVC or ABS.
Acrylic: Known for its glossy, high-end look, acrylic edge banding is resistant to scratches and UV light.
Sometimes things may not go as smoothly as expected. Here are some common edge banding issues and how to solve them:
Glue Squeeze Out: Too much adhesive can cause squeeze out. Make sure to adjust the amount of adhesive being used or check the application pressure.
Peeling or Loose Edges: This issue may be due to inadequate glue, faulty machine settings or improper preparation of the material. Review your process to identify any shortcomings.
Bubbling: Can be caused by using the wrong type of adhesive or applying too much heat. Adjust your settings accordingly.
Discoloration: Using an adhesive that is not suited to your material can lead to discoloration. Choose your adhesive carefully.
In the modern world, sustainability matters. Different adhesives have different environmental impacts. For example, water-based adhesives are generally more environmentally friendly than solvent-based ones. Understanding the environmental impact of the adhesives you choose can help you make more eco-friendly decisions.
Sometimes, your project requirements might outgrow your current machinery. If you&#;re experiencing frequent issues or if your edge bander can&#;t handle the volume or complexity of your work, it may be time for an upgrade.
By keeping these factors in mind, you can ensure you choose the right adhesive for your edge banding needs.
If that all sounds like hard work, you can take advantage of our Cut & Edge service, where we provide your boards and edges glued and ready as a finished product.
Ho to Apply Veneer Edge Banding
Edge banding is very easy to work with. The only tools required are a clothes iron and an edge-trimming tool. Any cheap clothes iron will work but I've found that the smaller travel size versions are the easiest to work with. For goodness sake, you might consider buying one instead of "borrowing" the one that your spouse uses to iron your Sunday best. There's nothing quite like the look of confused disgust when there is hotmelt glue coming off the iron and spreading onto a clean pair of pants... especially when you're already late for work or church!
Avoid this common mistake: do not seal the edges of the panel with shellac or any other coating. The hot-melt adhesive on edge banding adheres best to a porous and slightly roughened surface.
Getting Started
Cut a piece of edge banding about 1" longer than the length of the panel that you are banding. You can use scissors to cut it or simply fold it in half and it will snap apart. If you're planning to use a dye or any high-penetration stain, you'll want to pay attention to splice lines in the edge banding. These zig-zag lines occur randomly throughout the roll and are mostly invisible if you are only applying a clear coat but some dye stains can make them more visible.
If you are applying the edge banding to two joining sides, its best to work with the least visible side first. For example, if you are placing the edge banding around the four side edges of a rectangular piece of plywood, then start by edge banding the back side edge. Then move on to the left and right sides, and finish up by applying the banding to the front side of the material. This will help to hide the corner joints in an easy and eye-pleasing way.
Heat It Up!
Turn on the clothes iron and set the temperature to the "high" or "cotton" setting. The ideal temperature is 390°F. Consider clamping the panel in a bench vise in the upright position so the clothes iron can be held horizontally. Start by placing the edge banding near one end of the panel and center it on the edge. The banding is slightly wider than the panel thickness so it is not critical that it is lined up perfectly with the edge. You can make minor adjustments to keep the banding straight as you go along.
Starting at one end of the banding and work towards the opposite end with the iron. Move the iron slowly along the banding while applying downward force. Keep your fingers away from the heat and exercise case to avoid getting stuck by splinters on the edges of the banding. The hot melt adhesive requires roughly 20 seconds of time under the hot iron. Some suppliers suggest pressing the edge banding in place for 20 seconds and then taking up the clothes iron and moving further down the edge and repeating the pressing. I don't think that is necessary or even ideal, so I press the iron down on the first section of banding and wait 10 seconds. Then I continue moving the iron along the edge slowly so that every inch of banding has been under the iron for about 20 seconds.
You should be able to see a small bead of adhesive expand out from the underside of the banding if the adhesive is activating. To get the best bond possible, go over the edge banding with a block of wood or MDF (held at a 45° angle) immediately after each side of the panel is ironed down. For the most part, the hot melt adhesive can be worked for about 45 seconds after it has been heated.
If the side edges of the banding lift slightly from the substrate, simply use the block of wood or MDF to press the edge back onto the substrate while the adhesive is still warm. You can also reheat the banding if needed.
End Trimming
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