Selleys Ask an Expert: Tips for Using Adhesives
What does the Selleys adhesives section of Ask an Expert cover?
This is the adhesives half of Selleys' Ask an Expert library — real customer questions about sticking one thing to another, each with the Selleys answer. Almost every question here takes the same form: I have material A and material B, what do I use? That is the right way to ask it, because adhesive selection is decided by the pair of surfaces and the conditions around them, not by how strong a glue claims to be.
Use the frequently answered questions search on this page to find your combination. If your question is about a silicone seal rather than a bond, it will be in sealants; if it is about removing dried adhesive, look in cleaning.
The five families of Selleys adhesive, and what each is for
Knowing which family your job falls into narrows the answer considerably before you search.
Two-part epoxies — the Araldite range. Rigid, very high strength, mixed from resin and hardener immediately before use. Reach for these on small, rigid, load-bearing repairs in china, metal, glass, stone and most plastics. The choice inside the range is made on working time rather than strength: Araldite Rapid sets in 90 seconds, Araldite Super Strong in 5 minutes, and Araldite Extra Time in 60 minutes.
Construction adhesives — the Liquid Nails range and Hold Up. Gun-applied, gap-filling, used in beads or dobs to fix panels, mirrors, pavers, capstones and fixtures. These are chosen by substrate and exposure: Mirror & Metal for mirrors, metals and glass, Landscape for stone, concrete, capstones, terracotta and timber outdoors.
Wood glues — the Aquadhere range. Aquadhere Interior for interior joinery, Aquadhere Exterior — a cross-linking PVA — where weather resistance is needed, and Aquadhere Durabond, a moisture-curing polyurethane, for oily or tannin-rich timbers and for bonding wood to materials that are not wood.
Contact adhesives — the Kwik Grip range. Coated onto both faces, allowed to dry, then joined; the bond forms instantly on contact and cannot be repositioned. These suit broad, close-fitting surfaces such as laminate to a substrate. Kwik Grip Horizontal is the flat-work version and Kwik Grip Vertical Gel the version formulated for vertical work.
Multipurpose sealant-adhesives — hybrid and polyurethane products such as 650 FC, Flexiseal FC and 3 in 1. These bond and seal in the same pass, and they stay flexible, which matters wherever the joint will move.
What actually rules a product out
The answers in this section turn on limitations far more often than on strength, and three limitations come up repeatedly.
Polyethylene, polypropylene and PTFE. Almost nothing in the range bonds these. The Araldite epoxies, Kwik Grip Horizontal, Hold Up, Aquadhere Durabond and Fix & Go Shoe Repair all carry the same exclusion. If the plastic is one of these three, a general adhesive is the wrong answer.
Water immersion. A large number of Selleys adhesives and sealants are water resistant but explicitly not rated for permanent immersion or below-waterline use. That distinction decides most pool, pond and plumbing questions.
Heat. Epoxy bonds soften at temperature — Araldite Super Strong and Rapid are rated to 60°C, Extra Time to 80°C — with strength restored once the temperature drops again. This is why an epoxy repair to something that holds hot liquid is not recommended.
Safety: the fourth thing that narrows the answer
Family, substrate and exposure narrow the choice, and there is a fourth filter worth applying on the same pass: hazard classification varies enormously within these families, not just between them. Picking the right family does not tell you what you are about to open.
The wood glues are the clearest case. Aquadhere Interior and Aquadhere Exterior are not classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7 at all — no signal word, no hazard statements. Aquadhere Durabond, in the same range and on the same shelf, carries Danger and is the most heavily classified adhesive Selleys sells: H334 (may cause allergy or asthma symptoms if inhaled, Category 1A), H351 (suspected of causing cancer), H373 (may cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure), plus H332, H317, H335, H315 and H319. It earns that by bonding wood to metal, glass, ceramics and masonry. If your job is wood to wood, the unclassified product does it and there is no reason to take the classified one.
H334 is the classification to understand before you reach for Durabond. Respiratory sensitisation is not irritation that clears when you leave the room — it is the immune system learning the substance, it is generally permanent, and afterwards much smaller exposures trigger the asthma response. It builds from long, enclosed or repeated exposure, which describes a workshop rather than a one-off repair. Ventilate, and treat it as a product you use occasionally rather than as your default wood glue.
The same spread runs through the construction adhesives. The solvent-based Liquid Nails products carry H225, highly flammable liquid and vapour — the vapour ignites, it is heavier than air, and it travels, which matters because construction adhesive gets used in subfloors, stud walls and behind baths, where the pilot light usually is. The moisture-curing members of the range, such as Liquid Nails Extreme Grab and Hold Up, carry Warning with H317 and H319 and no flammability classification at all. In a confined space with an ignition source you cannot remove, that difference decides the product.
Contact adhesives. Kwik Grip Horizontal and All Plastics both carry H225 and H336 (may cause drowsiness or dizziness). The exposure is not the application, it is the 20 to 40 minute flash-off during which the solvent is leaving the film. Plan the ventilation for that window, not for the minute you spend spreading it.
Every product page here carries its own full classification, protective equipment and first aid. Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand.
Common questions about choosing a Selleys adhesive
How do I search this section?
Use the frequently answered questions search on this page, and search by the two materials you are joining rather than by the job.
Which Araldite should I choose?
Choose on working time. Rapid sets in 90 seconds, Super Strong in 5 minutes and Extra Time in 60 minutes. Longer set times give you more time to align and clamp a complex assembly.
What if my plastic is polyethylene or polypropylene?
The epoxies, contact adhesives, Hold Up and the shoe repair adhesive all state they will not bond PE, PP or PTFE. Selleys directs these jobs to All Plastics, a two-step primer and adhesive system.
Which wood glue for outdoor work?
Aquadhere Exterior is the cross-linking PVA intended for exterior, non-structural work. For oily or tannin-rich Australian hardwoods, Aquadhere Durabond is recommended instead because PVAs can discolour in the presence of tannins.
Do I still need screws or mechanical fixings?
Often, yes. Several answers here make the point directly — for benchtops, tack strips and structural work, mechanical fasteners do the work and adhesive is supplementary. Liquid Nails Landscape states it should not be used as the sole bonding agent for structural bonding.
How long do I need to hold a job together?
It varies widely and it is on the data sheet. As a sample: Aquadhere Exterior wants 30 minutes clamping on softwood and an hour on hardwood; Liquid Nails Mirror & Metal normally needs support for 72 hours; Hold Up must not be disturbed for at least 48 hours.
Where do I find the numbers for a product?
On its page under Glues and adhesives, which carries the technical data sheet figures and the product's stated limitations.
My question is about removing glue, not applying it.
Those answers are in cleaning — including removing dried Araldite and removing Liquid Nails.
More adhesive questions
Browse more answered questions about bonding materials, choosing glue and repairing household items.
- How To Adhere Velcro Strips
- Araldite Toxicity
- Best Adhesive To Bond Aluminium to MDF
- Best Epoxy for Assembling Golf Heads With Shafts
- Best Glue for Bakelite
- Best Glue for Frameless Shower Screens
- Best Glue for Australian Hardwood
- Bonding Tack Strip for Carpet to Concrete Floors
- How To Fix a Broken Tail Light
- D3 PVA Adhesive
- Adhering EVA Foam to Unpainted Aluminium
- Gluing and Sealing a Mirror
- How To Adhere Concrete Mailbox to Exposed Aggregate Driveway
- How To Glue Aluminium to Aluminium
- How To Glue Black Rubber to Solar Panel
- How To Glue Fibreglass Insect Screen to Canvas
- How To Glue Fridge Handle to Fridge
- How To Glue Glass to Glass
- How To Glue Marine Carpet to a Boat
- How To Glue Rubber to Concrete
- How To Glue Rubber to Fibreglass
- How To Glue Rubber to Steel
- How To Glue Stainless Steel to Timber
- How To Repair an Audio Speaker
- Kwik Grip Spray on Foam Rubber
- Oven Door Repair
- Repairing Neoprene
- Best Glue for Leather-to-Leather Bonding
- Preparing Broken Terracotta Pots
- Glue for Soft Wood Dowels
- Best Adhesive for Fixing Your Rubber Shoe Sole
- Villa Board Hebel Blocks Timber
What is the Selleys 'Ask an Expert: Adhesives' page about?
The page provides expert advice from Selleys to help visitors find the best adhesive for their project, covering a selection of adhesives including acrylic, epoxy, and more.
What company publishes the Ask an Expert adhesives page?
The page is published by Selleys, an Australian adhesives, sealants and fillers brand and a division of DuluxGroup (Australia) Pty Ltd.
Who founded Selleys and when?
Selleys was founded by Martin Selley in 1939 in Sydney, Australia.
What is the parent organization of Selleys?
Selleys is a division of DuluxGroup (Australia) Pty Ltd, which is listed as its parent organization.
What is the URL of the Selleys Ask an Expert adhesives page?
The page is located at https://www.selleys.com.au/ask-an-expert/adhesives/.
What types of adhesive questions can be answered using Selleys' expert guidance?
Selleys' adhesive expertise covers product selection (best adhesive for materials like timber, metal, concrete, or plastics, and differences between construction adhesives), application and performance (application methods, cure times, bond strengths, surface preparation, and suitable temperature ranges), compatibility and limitations (suitability for materials like polyethylene or polypropylene, incompatible materials, and structural bonding limits), and specialized applications (adhesives for mirrors, metal, glass, gap filling, and bonding different material combinations).
Can Selleys' adhesive expert advice help with choosing between interior and exterior use products?
Yes, the guidance available covers which adhesive products work for interior versus exterior applications.
Does the Selleys adhesives expert resource address bonding of specific materials like glass or metal?
Yes, it includes specialized guidance on which adhesive to use for mirrors, metal, or glass, as well as products best suited for gap filling and bonding different material combinations.