Repairing Neoprene
Which adhesive sticks neoprene, for repairing a tear in a wetsuit?
Selleys recommends Selleys Multi Grip for this — it will form an exceptionally strong waterproof bond onto the neoprene rubber. Selleys Power Grip may also be suitable for this repair.
Selleys does not publish a technical data sheet for Multi Grip, so we cannot give you a set time, an open time or a cure schedule for it here. Follow the directions printed on the pack. Power Grip does have published data, and it comes with two limitations that are worth knowing before you use it on a wetsuit — they are set out below.
What makes neoprene difficult
Neoprene is a closed-cell foam rubber with a fabric facing on one or both sides, and the repair has to do three things at once: bond to a low-energy rubber surface, stay flexible enough to stretch with the suit, and keep water out. An adhesive that manages the first two and fails the third leaves you with a repair that holds together and still flushes cold water down your back.
Which face you are bonding also matters. A tear through the fabric-faced side gives an adhesive a textured, absorbent surface to grip. A tear through the smooth-skin side gives it almost nothing.
Selleys Power Grip — published figures and cautions
| Property | Typical result |
|---|---|
| Colour | Transparent with a yellow tinge |
| Setting time | 3 minutes |
| Initial bond time | 12 hours |
| Service temperature | −15 °C to +120 °C |
| Pack sizes | 4 g, 5 g, 8 g, 10 g and 20 g tubes |
Indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.
Power Grip is described as a high strength household glue that is extremely flexible and shock/impact resistant, water and weatherproof, and able to withstand extreme conditions in both interior and exterior applications. Flexibility is the property you want on a wetsuit.
Two cautions from its technical data sheet apply directly here:
- Not for permanent water immersion. A wetsuit is not permanently immersed, but it does spend a lot of time wet, so this is a real limit rather than a formality. Rinse and dry the suit properly after use.
- It will yellow on direct exposure to UV. On a black suit that is cosmetic; on a coloured panel it may show.
Its listed substrates are metals, wood, ceramic, stone, brick, concrete, masonry, glass, foam, leather, laminate, fibreglass, vinyl, fabric, cardboards and most plastics — a long list, but note that rubber is not named on it. That does not contradict Selleys' answer for this page, which nominates Multi Grip first; it does mean Power Grip is the secondary option here, and worth testing on a hidden part of the suit before you use it on a visible tear.
Power Grip is also not for polyethylene or polypropylene plastics — use Selleys All Plastics for those.
How to repair the tear
- Turn the suit inside out if the tear is easier to reach that way, and lay the panel flat with the tear closed but not stretched.
- Clean both faces of the tear and let them dry completely. Salt, sand and sunscreen all sit in the bond line otherwise.
- Put something behind the tear — a piece of plastic sheet — so the two sides of the suit cannot bond to each other.
- Apply the adhesive following the pack directions. With Power Grip, apply to one surface, then bring the surfaces together and clamp or tape to support the joint until the adhesive sets.
- Neoprene is non-porous, so allow longer than the published initial bond time. Power Grip's TDS gives 12 hours for porous surfaces such as wood and ceramics and explicitly says to allow longer for non-porous surfaces. A useful tip from the same sheet: to reduce set time on non-porous surfaces, keep the surfaces apart for 30 seconds before bringing them together.
- Leave the suit dry and unstretched while the adhesive cures. Do not swim in it the same day.
Limitations and cautions
- Test on a hidden area first. Inside a leg or under a zip flap. Neoprene formulations vary and a solvent that hardens the foam creates a stiff patch that will crack.
- Do not use automotive gasket or windscreen sealants for this. Selleys' published data shows poor adhesion to neoprene and chloroprene rubber for Auto Fix Windscreen Sealant and Auto Fix Instant Gasket. They look like sensible flexible black rubber sealants and they are the wrong choice here.
- Power Grip: not for permanent water immersion; yellows under UV; not for polyethylene or polypropylene.
- Do not swallow, and clean up before the adhesive sets — Power Grip's uncured product can be removed with turps or acetone, cured product can be sanded and scraped.
Safety: what a wetsuit repair asks you to handle
Both adhesives named on this page carry the signal word Danger, and for different reasons. It is worth knowing which is which before you start, because the geometry of a wetsuit repair puts your face close to the work.
Power Grip is classified for eye damage, not eye irritation — H318, causes serious eye damage, Category 1. Category 1 means the effect is not assumed to reverse. It also carries H317 (may cause an allergic skin reaction, skin sensitisation Category 1A), H315 (causes skin irritation) and H335 (may cause respiratory irritation).
Read H318 against the method above. This is a 4 g to 20 g tube, squeezed by hand, held at close range over a tear you are trying to see clearly — and the step before it has you laying the panel flat and leaning over it. A tube that has warmed in a car or a pocket releases faster than you expect, and clearing a part-set nozzle is the moment it spits. Keep the nozzle pointed away from your face, and wear eye protection. A splash needs a 15-minute flush and a call to the Poisons Information Centre, not a rinse and a blink.
H317 at Category 1A is the more severe sensitisation sub-category. It is not irritation that settles — it is the immune system learning to react, generally permanently, after which much smaller exposures set it off. It builds from repeated casual contact, which is exactly what this page's test-on-a-hidden-area step plus a few repairs a season amounts to. Wear nitrile gloves rather than wiping your fingers on a rag.
All Plastics, the fallback for polyethylene and polypropylene, is a different problem: H225, highly flammable liquid and vapour, plus H319 (serious eye irritation) and H336 (may cause drowsiness or dizziness). The vapour is heavier than air and travels, so an ignition source low down and some distance away still counts. Work outside or with a window open, and not in a closed garage with a hot water unit in it.
The clean-up solvents this page names — turps and acetone — are flammable too, and a solvent-soaked rag left balled up is its own hazard. Spread it out to dry.
The lower-hazard option in the range. Selleys Marine Flex, already named in the questions below as the sealant alternative, is signal word Warning with a single classification: H319, serious eye irritation. No sensitisation, no flammability. It makes a thicker, heavier repair, as this page says — but if you are repairing several suits, or you already react to adhesives, that trade is worth making.
Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand.
Common questions about repairing neoprene
Will the repair be waterproof?
Selleys' answer for this job is that Multi Grip forms an exceptionally strong waterproof bond onto neoprene rubber. Power Grip is described as water and weatherproof, but is not for permanent water immersion.
Will it stay flexible?
Power Grip is extremely flexible and shock/impact resistant, and bends on impact — which is the behaviour a wetsuit repair needs.
How long before I can wear the suit?
Power Grip's initial bond time is 12 hours on porous surfaces, and the TDS says to allow longer for non-porous surfaces. Neoprene is non-porous, so give it more than a day.
Should I glue both sides of the tear?
Work to the pack directions for the product you are using. Whatever you do, keep a barrier behind the tear so the front and back of the suit do not bond together.
Can I use a marine sealant instead?
Selleys Marine Flex is the marine adhesive sealant in the range — a flexible, waterproof Sil-X polymer product that seals above and below the waterline, skins in about 40 minutes and cures at approximately 2 mm per 24 hours. It is a sealant rather than a fabric glue, so it will make a thicker, heavier repair than a tube adhesive.
What about neoprene tubes or gaskets rather than a wetsuit?
See a flexible adhesive to join neoprene tubes.
How do I clean up?
With Power Grip, uncured product comes off with turps or acetone; cured product can be sanded and scraped. Test any solvent on a hidden part of the suit first.
Will the repair be waterproof?
Selleys' answer for this job is that Multi Grip forms an exceptionally strong waterproof bond onto neoprene rubber. Power Grip is described as water and weatherproof, but is not for permanent water immersion.
Will it stay flexible?
Power Grip is extremely flexible and shock/impact resistant, and bends on impact — which is the behaviour a wetsuit repair needs.
How long before I can wear the suit?
Power Grip's initial bond time is 12 hours on porous surfaces, and the TDS says to allow longer for non-porous surfaces. Neoprene is non-porous, so give it more than a day.
Should I glue both sides of the tear?
Work to the pack directions for the product you are using. Whatever you do, keep a barrier behind the tear so the front and back of the suit do not bond together.
Can I use a marine sealant instead?
Selleys Marine Flex is the marine adhesive sealant in the range — a flexible, waterproof Sil-X polymer product that seals above and below the waterline, skins in about 40 minutes and cures at approximately 2 mm per 24 hours. It is a sealant rather than a fabric glue, so it will make a thicker, heavier repair than a tube adhesive.
What about neoprene tubes or gaskets rather than a wetsuit?
See a flexible adhesive to join neoprene tubes .
How do I clean up?
With Power Grip, uncured product comes off with turps or acetone; cured product can be sanded and scraped. Test any solvent on a hidden part of the suit first.