How To Glue Acrylic Splashback to Wall
What should I use to glue an acrylic splashback to a painted wall?
Liquid Nails Mirror & Metal is ideal for this application. It forms a very strong bond and — the property that matters most on a splashback — it will not bleed or show through. That is why it is the product nominated here rather than a general construction adhesive: a coloured splashback is effectively a large sheet held against a wall with the adhesive visible from behind, and many adhesives telegraph through or discolour the panel.
You will need to hold the splashback in place with tape or clamps while the adhesive develops strength. Selleys' answer to this question gives 24 hours or so; the product's own technical data sheet asks for support until the adhesive develops strength, normally 72 hours. Take the longer figure — a splashback that slips at hour thirty is not something you can quietly re-do.
The figures
| Property | Liquid Nails Mirror & Metal |
|---|---|
| Technology | Neutral cure silicone |
| Colour | Translucent |
| Packaging | 310 g cartridge |
| Skin time | 10–15 minutes (weather dependent) |
| Tack free time | 45 minutes |
| Cure time | 2 mm / day |
| Support bond for | Normally 72 hours |
| Temperature resistance | −60°C to 150°C |
Indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.
It is heat and steam resistant with high UV resistance, non-corrosive, and gives good gap filling on uneven surfaces — useful on a plastered wall that is not perfectly flat.
Why the adhesive must not spread into a continuous film
This is the detail that decides whether the job works, and it is the same principle that governs fixing a mirror.
Mirror & Metal is a neutral cure silicone that cures at 2 mm per day using moisture from the air. Behind a solid acrylic sheet on a solid wall, the only air is what is left in the gaps between the adhesive strips. The general application instruction is to apply as for mirrors and press the surfaces together immediately, and the mirror instructions are explicit: apply strips or beads approximately 8 cm apart, and when the panel is pressed on, the strips must not spread into or touch one another — a gap must remain between them. Do not apply the adhesive as blobs or dollops.
Those gaps are the air channels that let the adhesive cure. A splashback bedded on a continuous smear of adhesive will have soft, uncured product behind it for a very long time, and it will slump.
Stay in from the edges as well — the mirror instruction is at least 5 cm — so that adhesive is not squeezed out along the perimeter where you will have to clean it off the finished face.
The painted wall
Two conditions from the data sheet apply directly to a painted kitchen wall.
- Painted surfaces should not be flaky or peeling. Whatever the adhesive grips, the paint has to hold — and behind a splashback, a failure means removing and replacing the panel.
- Freshly painted surfaces should be allowed to dry for at least 7 days before the job is done. If the kitchen has just been repainted, wait.
Test compatibility on painted surfaces before using. This is a stated tip on the data sheet, and it is worth ten minutes on a hidden section of the same wall.
How to fit the splashback
- Check the acrylic sheet manufacturer's own installation guidance. Splashback suppliers often nominate an adhesive and a fixing pattern, and their guidance takes precedence.
- Confirm the wall is painted, sound, dry, not flaky or peeling, and at least 7 days since painting. Ensure the surface is free from oil, grease and dust.
- Test the adhesive on a hidden area of the painted surface.
- Dry-fit the panel and mark your position. Sort out how you will tape or clamp it before any adhesive is opened.
- Cut the cartridge, fit the nozzle and cut it to size — approximately 5 mm. Apply with a caulking gun.
- Apply strips or beads of adhesive approximately 8 cm apart, keeping well in from the edges. Do not apply as blobs or dollops.
- Place the panel against the wall immediately, before the adhesive skins — within 5 minutes.
- Press it on so the strips spread, but check that they do not touch one another. A gap must remain between them.
- Tape or clamp the panel and support it. Leave the support in place for 72 hours.
- Leave any squeeze-out to cure and trim it, avoiding cutting into the bond. Clean uncured product with mineral turps.
- Seal the perimeter joints afterwards, once the adhesive behind the panel has cured. Do not seal the panel in on day one — the same air-circulation logic applies.
Limitations
- Freshly painted surfaces need at least 7 days to dry before the job, and painted surfaces should not be flaky or peeling.
- Test compatibility on painted surfaces before using.
- Glue lines may be visible through surfaces that are not perfectly opaque. A dark or heavily pigmented acrylic splashback hides them; a light, translucent or back-painted panel may not. Test on an offcut with a piece of the actual panel material.
- Do not apply adhesive as blobs or dollops, and do not let the strips touch each other.
- Support the bond until the adhesive develops strength, normally 72 hours.
- Uncured product removes with mineral turps; cured product needs Selleys Sealant Remover or mechanical action, neither of which is kind to an acrylic face.
- Acrylic is not glass. Check with the panel manufacturer before using any solvent-based cleaner on or near it, since solvents can craze acrylic.
Common questions about gluing an acrylic splashback
How long do I tape it for?
The data sheet asks for support until the adhesive develops strength, normally 72 hours. Selleys' short answer to this question gives 24 hours or so — take the longer figure.
Will the adhesive show through the panel?
Liquid Nails Mirror & Metal will not bleed or show through the splashback. That said, glue lines may be visible through surfaces that are not perfectly opaque, so test on an offcut of your actual panel.
How should I apply the adhesive?
In strips or beads about 8 cm apart, never as blobs or dollops, keeping well in from the edges and leaving gaps between the strips.
Why do the strips need gaps between them?
The adhesive cures at 2 mm per day using moisture from the air. The gaps are the only air path behind a solid panel.
Can I fit it to a freshly painted wall?
Not immediately. Allow at least 7 days for the paint to dry, and test compatibility on the paint before using.
Will it survive the heat behind a cooktop?
The adhesive is heat and steam resistant with a temperature range of −60°C to 150°C. The acrylic panel has its own temperature limit, though — check the splashback manufacturer's clearance requirements from a cooktop.
Can I fix it straight to bare plasterboard?
The data sheet's mirror guidance is that unpainted timber, plaster, concrete or brick should be painted first. Paint the wall.
How many cartridges do I need?
It comes in a 310 g cartridge. A run of strips at 8 cm spacing across a typical kitchen splashback usually takes more than one.
When can I seal the edges?
After the adhesive behind the panel has cured. Sealing the perimeter early closes off the air the adhesive needs.
How do I clean up squeeze-out?
Mineral turps on uncured product. Once cured, leave it and trim it rather than scrubbing at the acrylic face.
How long do I tape it for?
The data sheet asks for support until the adhesive develops strength, normally 72 hours. Selleys' short answer to this question gives 24 hours or so — take the longer figure.
Will the adhesive show through the panel?
Liquid Nails Mirror & Metal will not bleed or show through the splashback. That said, glue lines may be visible through surfaces that are not perfectly opaque, so test on an offcut of your actual panel.
How should I apply the adhesive?
In strips or beads about 8 cm apart, never as blobs or dollops, keeping well in from the edges and leaving gaps between the strips.
Why do the strips need gaps between them?
The adhesive cures at 2 mm per day using moisture from the air. The gaps are the only air path behind a solid panel.
Can I fit it to a freshly painted wall?
Not immediately. Allow at least 7 days for the paint to dry, and test compatibility on the paint before using.
Will it survive the heat behind a cooktop?
The adhesive is heat and steam resistant with a temperature range of −60°C to 150°C. The acrylic panel has its own temperature limit, though — check the splashback manufacturer's clearance requirements from a cooktop.
Can I fix it straight to bare plasterboard?
The data sheet's mirror guidance is that unpainted timber, plaster, concrete or brick should be painted first. Paint the wall.
How many cartridges do I need?
It comes in a 310 g cartridge. A run of strips at 8 cm spacing across a typical kitchen splashback usually takes more than one.
When can I seal the edges?
After the adhesive behind the panel has cured. Sealing the perimeter early closes off the air the adhesive needs.
How do I clean up squeeze-out?
Mineral turps on uncured product. Once cured, leave it and trim it rather than scrubbing at the acrylic face.