Kwik Grip Spray on Foam Rubber

Can you use Kwik Grip Spray adhesive on foam rubber?

Selleys Kwik Grip Spray should be fine to use on sponge-type foam rubber, such as the padding used in furniture, if it is only a small area — and Selleys' advice is to conduct a test on an offcut first.

For larger areas, try Selleys Kwik Grip Horizontal or Selleys Kwik Grip Gel. Again: always test first on an offcut.

Why the test on an offcut is not optional

"Foam rubber" covers a wide range of materials, and they do not all respond to a solvent adhesive the same way. Some foams are unaffected. Others soften, collapse or shrink where the solvent touches them, and the damage shows up as a hard, dished patch under an otherwise good-looking bond. There is no way to tell from looking at a foam which kind you have.

The scale of the job matters for the same reason. A small area of foam gets a small amount of solvent and a lot of exposed edge for it to escape from. Coat a whole cushion and you have far more solvent, far less escape route, and a much bigger investment riding on the outcome.

Selleys' published limitations on the spray range make the same point from the other direction: Kwik Grip High Temp Spray lists polyurethane foam among its suitable materials but carries an explicit limitation that it is not suitable for use on polystyrene foam. Two different foams, two different answers, from the same can.

How to test properly

1. Take an offcut of the same foam — not a similar foam from another job.
2. Spray or apply the adhesive as you would on the real job, at the same coverage.
3. Let it dry as directed and bond it to a scrap of whatever it is going onto.
4. Wait. Solvent damage to foam is not always visible in the first ten minutes.
5. Check for softening, shrinkage, a hardened crust or a collapsed layer at the glue line, then try to peel the bond apart.

Using the spray

Selleys' published directions for its spray contact adhesive (Kwik Grip High Temp Spray) give a clear method that is worth following on any aerosol contact adhesive:

1. Use only in a well-ventilated area. Avoid contact with skin and eyes, and do not swallow.
2. Ensure the surface is clean and dry.
3. Shake the can well. Holding it 20 cm away, spray both surfaces liberally and evenly.
4. Keep the surfaces apart up to 5 minutes, or until the adhesive is touch dry — no more than 10 minutes.
5. Position the items carefully and, when perfectly aligned, press the surfaces together with even pressure.
6. Clamp, or run a roller over the bonded surfaces.
7. Full bond strength is reached in 24 hours.

Clean the nozzle after use: invert the can and spray until clear propellant comes out. Nozzles may be soaked in turps to keep them clean. Clean up wet adhesive with mineral turps.

Using the tube or can products on larger areas

For anything bigger than a small patch, the brush-and-spread products give you more control over how much adhesive goes on:

Property	Kwik Grip Vertical Gel	Kwik Grip Horizontal
Open time	20–40 minutes	20–40 minutes
Full cure	24 hours	—
Heat resistance	130 °C	130 °C
Application temperature	10 °C – 35 °C	—
Coverage	0.25 m² per 40 g of one surface	—
Pack sizes	40 g tube; 400 g, 800 g, 3.2 kg cans	—

Indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.

Apply to both surfaces and spread evenly, keeping them apart until the adhesive is almost dry — approximately 20 minutes, no more than 40 — then press together. It grabs immediately on contact, so align before the faces meet. Secure with a roller or by hammering through a padded block from the centre outwards.

Budget your quantity on 0.25 m² per 40 g per surface. Foam is porous and absorbs more on the first coat, so a foam job will use noticeably more than that figure suggests.

Limitations

• Test first on an offcut — for small areas and large.
• Not for polyethylene or polypropylene plastics. Use Selleys All Plastics for those.
• Kwik Grip High Temp Spray is not suitable for polystyrene foam.
• Do not use Kwik Grip Vertical Gel below 10 °C. If it has thickened in cold storage, warm it to room temperature for 24 hours, or stand the can in the sun or in hot water briefly, stirring occasionally.
• Ventilation. These are solvent products; ensure contents are completely dry before disposal.

Common questions

Will the spray damage my foam?

It should be fine on sponge-type foam rubber over a small area, but the only way to know for your foam is to test on an offcut.

How big is "a small area"?

Selleys' guidance draws the line at small repairs for the spray, and directs larger jobs to Kwik Grip Horizontal or Kwik Grip Gel.

How long do I leave the surfaces apart?

With the spray, up to 5 minutes or until touch dry — no more than 10. With the tube and can products, approximately 20 minutes and no more than 40.

How long until it is at full strength?

24 hours for both the spray and Kwik Grip Vertical Gel.

Can I reposition the foam once it touches?

No. Contact adhesive grabs immediately on contact. Position it carefully and only press down when it is aligned.

Will it hold in a hot car or caravan?

Kwik Grip Vertical Gel and Horizontal both have heat resistance to 130 °C; Kwik Grip High Temp Spray is heat resistant to 90 °C and is also water and saltwater resistant.

How do I clean up?

Mineral turps for wet adhesive. For cured product see how to remove Kwik Grip once dry.

What if my foam is polystyrene rather than foam rubber?

Different answer entirely — see how to glue polystyrene.