How To Glue Rubber to Concrete

What is the best glue for sticking rubber to concrete?

Check the Liquid Nails Landscape specification

Selleys' product page and its dated technical sheet disagree on Landscape's chemistry, colour, paintability and pack size. Landscape figures below from the November 2020 technical sheet describe that document, not a confirmed specification for every current cartridge. Confirm the matching instructions before painting, choosing a colour, or relying on cure and loading times. See the source comparison and dated documents.

Selleys recommends either Liquid Nails Landscape or Selleys 650FC Adhesive/Sealant. Both are highly water resistant and weatherproof, which is what you need for a rubber strip fixed to a concrete slab, driveway or path.

There is one condition attached to that recommendation and it is worth taking seriously: if the rubber is going to be in a high-traffic area, or will have vehicles driving over the strip, you should also secure it to the concrete with mechanical fasteners. An adhesive bond on a trafficked surface is loaded in peel every time a tyre rolls over the edge of the strip, and peel is the weakest way to load any adhesive.

Which of the two to choose

They are different chemistries with different strengths.

Landscape values are from the November 2020 TDS; applicability to the current pack requires confirmation. See the source comparison above.

Property	Liquid Nails Landscape	Selleys 650 FC
Technology	Neutral cure silicone	Silane modified polymer (hybrid)
Colour	Grey	Grey, black, white
Skin time	10–15 minutes	20 minutes
Cure rate	2 mm / 24 hrs	2.5 mm / 24 h
Tack free time	35 ± 5 minutes	—
Shore A hardness	~30	40 ± 5
Elongation at break	>300%	>500% (ASTM D412)
Joint movement	—	±20%
Application temperature	—	5–35 °C
Service temperature	—	−40 °C to +70 °C, brief points at 100 °C
Paintable	No	Yes, once cured
Packaging	300 g cartridge	300 mL cartridge or 600 mL sausage

Indicative data only. Contact Selleys before using this data for setting specifications.

Liquid Nails Landscape is the landscaping product — stabilising stone and interlocking masonry retaining walls, bonding pavers to concrete, bonding capstones, repairing rockeries, stabilising loose stone steps. If your rubber strip is part of a garden or path job, it is the natural fit and comes ready to gun in a 300 g cartridge. For Landscape, confirm the specification for your cartridge: the manufacturer sources disagree.

650 FC is the higher-specification option and it is explicitly rated for trafficked areas — its uses include indoor and outdoor applications for pedestrian and traffic areas such as parking decks and car parks, and movement and connection joints in floors. If vehicles are involved, it is the one designed for that duty. It is also paintable once cured and has ±20% joint movement capability, so it accommodates the concrete moving underneath it.

Preparation, which is most of the job

1. Concrete must be sound, dry and free from oil, grease and loose powdery material. Concrete that has been down for years usually has a dusty laitance layer on it, and an adhesive bonded to dust is bonded to nothing. If necessary, clean the surface with mineral turpentine and let it dry.
2. Clean the back of the rubber. Release agents and mould oils from manufacture sit on the surface of new rubber.
3. Pre-test. Selleys' guidance on 650 FC is that it generally has good primerless adhesion to common building materials, but in some instances a primer may be required and a pre-test to ensure suitable adhesion is recommended. Bond a short offcut, leave it several days, and try to peel it before committing to the full run.
4. For Liquid Nails Landscape, cut the cartridge tip, fit the nozzle and cut it to roughly a 5 mm opening. For Landscape, confirm the specification for your cartridge: the manufacturer sources disagree.

Applying it

Liquid Nails Landscape: apply dobs or beads of appropriate thickness to ensure sufficient contact and spread between both surfaces, keeping at least 12 mm in from the edges to minimise squeeze-out. Bring the surfaces together before the product skins — within 5 minutes — and apply enough pressure to spread the adhesive. Do not wipe excess squeeze-out; wait until it cures and trim it with a sharp blade, taking care not to cut into the bond. Leave the job undisturbed while it cures, and do not allow traffic for at least 24 hours. For Landscape, confirm the specification for your cartridge: the manufacturer sources disagree.

650 FC: ensure the surfaces are clean, dry and free from oil, grease, release agents, dust and loose material, apply in lines or beads, then firmly press the parts together. Use a suitable fixing to hold the parts until the adhesive has cured.

Remember the cure rates. At 2 mm/24 hrs and 2.5 mm/24 h respectively, a thick bead is a multi-day proposition, not an overnight one.

Limitations — read before you buy

Liquid Nails Landscape:

• Not for permanent water immersion.
• Cannot be painted over.
• Not for soft or crumbly materials — friable, flaking concrete needs repair first.
• Do not use as the sole bonding agent for structural bonding.
• If you reposition anything, fresh adhesive must be applied to achieve bonding.
• The product releases methyl ethyl ketoxime during cure.

650 FC:

• Do not apply if air or substrate surface temperature is below 5 °C.
• Requires atmospheric moisture to cure.
• Not recommended for continuous submersion or below water line use.
• Do not apply in the presence of curing silicone or polyurethane sealants — the cure may be affected.
• Avoid contact with solvent cleaners during cure.
• Do not use for structural glazing.
• May affect the drying of alkyd and oil-based paints; white may yellow slightly with age and sun exposure.
• Classified as hazardous — wear gloves and safety glasses.

Common questions

Are these products waterproof?

They are highly water resistant and weatherproof, which covers rain, hosing and wet weather. Neither is rated for permanent immersion or below-waterline use, so do not use them inside a pond or pool.

How soon can I walk or drive on it?

With Liquid Nails Landscape, do not allow traffic on stairs or use walls for at least 24 hours. Both products cure at roughly 2–2.5 mm per 24 hours through the bead, so a thick bond line takes several days to reach full strength — hold vehicle traffic off until then. For Landscape, confirm the specification for your cartridge: the manufacturer sources disagree.

Do I really need fasteners as well?

For a high-traffic area or anywhere vehicles drive over the strip, yes — that is Selleys' own recommendation, and neither product should be used as the sole bonding agent for structural bonding.

Can I paint over it?

650 FC can be painted once cured; use water-based paint, or prime first with a water-based primer if you are using solvent-based paint. Liquid Nails Landscape cannot be painted over at all. For Landscape, confirm the specification for your cartridge: the manufacturer sources disagree.

Will it stick to all rubbers?

Pre-test. Rubber compounds vary widely, and 650 FC's own guidance recommends a pre-test where adhesion is uncertain.

How much will I need?

650 FC coverage is published by joint size: a 600 mL sausage gives about 6.0 m at a 10 × 10 mm bead, or about 3.0 m at 20 × 10 mm. Add 10–15% for wastage.

How do I clean up?

Mineral turps before the product cures, for both. Cured product must be removed mechanically — for Liquid Nails Landscape, Selleys Sealant Remover can help. See also how to remove Liquid Nails.

What if the concrete is fresh?

The surface must be sound and dry. A green slab that is still releasing moisture is not a sound substrate for either product.