Selleys Direct Stick
What is Selleys Direct Stick, and where should you use it?
Selleys Liquid Nails Direct Stick is a high modulus, or semi-rigid, polyurethane flooring adhesive. That technology is described as ideal for strip and parquet flooring, and the reason is what happens after it cures: floors are held firmly in place, preventing cupping and rafting, with reduced hollow spots and drumminess.
It is a high strength bond with a foaming action that fills gaps, and it is a fast cure adhesive — floors can usually be sanded the next day. The page also describes it for timber, particleboard and MDF work.
The condition attached to all of that: it is not suitable for wet or damp substrates. A polyurethane flooring adhesive going down on a slab that is still passing moisture is the classic way a timber floor fails months later, and it is why the moisture barrier products in this range exist.
Key figures
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Technology | High modulus (semi-rigid) polyurethane |
| Coverage | 2m² per 1L; 20m² per 10L |
| Cure | Overnight — sand and finish the next day |
| Application temperature | Avoid application in temperatures below 10°C |
| Trowel | Strip flooring / parquetry trowel |
Selleys directs you to the product's technical data sheet for the recommended trowel size and coverage for your job.
What "high modulus" and the foaming action mean in practice
Modulus, in an adhesive, is a measure of how much it resists being deformed. A high modulus, semi-rigid adhesive holds the board where you put it rather than allowing it to move on a flexible glue line. That is precisely what you want under strip and parquet flooring, and it is why the stated outcomes are the absence of specific defects — cupping (boards curling at the edges), rafting (sections of floor lifting and moving as a group), and hollow spots and drumminess (the drum-like sound of a board that is not in contact with the adhesive underneath).
The foaming action is the second half of that. As the adhesive cures it expands, which fills gaps and helps it wet onto the underside of the boards rather than leaving voids. That expansion is why the adhesive can compensate for slightly uneven surfaces — and also why you need to protect surrounding finishes from foaming expansion. Adhesive that has expanded onto a skirting board or a finished surface is far harder to deal with than adhesive you masked against in the first place.
On coverage, 2m² per litre is a demanding rate — a 10 litre unit covers 20m². That figure is tied to using the correct trowel, because the trowel is what sets how much adhesive goes down.
Why the trowel is not a detail
Selleys is unusually specific about this: only use the trowel recommended for strip flooring. It provides the optimal spacing and height for the adhesive ridges, and those ridges do three jobs at once — bridging any gaps between the overlay and the sub-floor, wetting onto the underside of the boards, and giving the foaming action something to work with so it can compensate for slightly uneven surfaces.
Use a trowel with the wrong notch and you change all three at once. Too little adhesive and you get hollow spots; too much and you get squeeze-up between boards and a coverage rate that does not match the figures above. Check the technical data sheet for the recommended trowel size for your job.
How to lay a floor with it
- Prepare the surface so it is clean and dry.
- Apply the adhesive using the correct trowel — the strip flooring or parquetry trowel.
- Lay the flooring into the wet adhesive. Do not let the adhesive skin before the boards go down.
- Allow it to cure overnight.
- Sand and finish the floor as required the next day.
Limitations — where it should NOT be used
- Not suitable for wet or damp substrates. If the slab is passing moisture, the adhesive is not the fix — a vapour barrier is.
- Avoid application in temperatures below 10°C.
- Protect surrounding finishes from foaming expansion. The adhesive expands as it cures, and it will find any surface it is not masked away from.
Where it fits in the Selleys timber flooring system
Selleys presents a complete timber flooring system, on the basis that proper subfloor preparation is essential to the longevity of a new floor. The adhesive is the last step in that sequence, not the first. Where a concrete slab needs sealing against moisture, that is the job of VBS Vapour Barrier or VBS Rapid; where the substrate needs levelling, SLC50 Leveller covers that, with VP30 Primer as the bridging primer between them. Each of those has its own data sheet and its own requirements.
Hazard classification
Classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7, with the signal word Danger. This is the most heavily classified product in the Selleys flooring range, and the page above contains no safety information at all, so read this section before you open a sausage or a pail.
- Respiratory sensitisation — Category 1. H334: may cause allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled.
- Skin sensitisation — Category 1. H317: may cause an allergic skin reaction.
- Carcinogenicity — Category 2. H351: suspected of causing cancer.
- Acute toxicity, inhalation — Category 4. H332: harmful if inhaled.
- Specific target organ toxicity, repeated exposure — Category 2. H373: may cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
- Skin corrosion/irritation — Category 2. H315: causes skin irritation.
- Serious eye damage/eye irritation — Category 2A. H319: causes serious eye irritation.
Not classified as Dangerous Goods by the criteria of the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail or New Zealand NZS 5433 — a transport judgement only, and not a comment on how it behaves in a room.
The Safety Data Sheet held for this product does not include a composition table, so no chemical entities, CAS numbers or proportions are published here.
Respiratory sensitisation is the classification to understand, because it is the one that can change a person's working life. It is not irritation and it is not a headache from a smell. It is the immune system learning to react to the material, and once that has happened it is generally permanent: thereafter, exposures far smaller than the one that caused it can set off asthma symptoms or breathing difficulty, and the reaction tends to worsen with each subsequent exposure rather than fade. It is the mechanism behind occupational asthma, and it is the reason a tradesperson can work with a product for years and then abruptly be unable to be in the same room as it.
Polyurethane flooring adhesives of this kind cure by reacting with moisture, and the reactive chemistry used for that in the trade — isocyanates — is the chemical class most strongly associated with respiratory sensitisation classifications. That is a statement about the chemistry of the product type, not a sourced attribution: without a composition table, the Safety Data Sheet does not name which component carries the classification. What is sourced is the classification itself, and it is Category 1.
Now connect that to where the adhesive is actually used. Laying strip or parquet flooring means kneeling over a trowel, at floor level, working across a whole room, for hours — usually inside a closed building, often before the windows and doors are finished. That is close-range, prolonged, poorly ventilated exposure to a fresh adhesive that is foaming as it cures. The Safety Data Sheet's instruction is unambiguous: use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, and where ventilation is not adequate, wear a suitable respirator. On a flooring job, "well ventilated" means deliberately opening the space up and moving air through it, not relying on a door being ajar.
The skin sensitisation classification pushes the same way. It develops from repeated ordinary contact rather than one dramatic exposure, which on this job means adhesive on the fingers being wiped off on a rag, day after day. Gloves are not for the neat appearance of your hands; they are what stops the exposure pattern that causes sensitisation in the first place.
Finally, the Category 2 carcinogenicity classification — suspected of causing cancer — is a further reason not to treat inhalation exposure as an inconvenience to be endured until the floor is down. Taken together with H373, the message of this Safety Data Sheet is consistent: the risk here is dose over time, and ventilation and respiratory protection are what reduce it.
Protection
- Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. Natural ventilation is adequate under normal use conditions; where ventilation is inadequate, a suitable respirator must be worn.
- Gloves — nitrile rubber is suitable for intermittent contact. Glove construction varies, so make your own assessment for a full day on the floor.
- Eye and face protection.
- Overalls or protective clothing and safety shoes. Contaminated work clothing must not be taken out of the workplace, and must be washed before storing or reusing.
- Wash hands, face and all exposed skin thoroughly after handling, and before smoking, eating, drinking or using the toilet.
- Storage — a cool, dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight, away from foodstuffs, incompatible materials and sources of heat or ignition. Keep containers upright, closed and locked up. Do not exceed 50 °C; unopened containers are best kept below 30 °C.
First aid
| Exposure | What to do |
|---|---|
| Inhalation | Remove the person from exposure without becoming a casualty yourself. Remove contaminated clothing and loosen the rest. Let them rest in the most comfortable position and keep them warm until fully recovered. Seek medical advice if effects persist — and treat wheeze, breathlessness or chest tightness after working with this product as something to raise with a doctor rather than wait out. |
| Skin | Remove contaminated clothing and flush the affected area with running water. For gross contamination, drench immediately with water and remove all clothing, then keep flushing with plenty of water, and soap if the material is insoluble. Cover skin burns with a clean dry dressing until medical help arrives, and do not break blisters. If swelling, redness, blistering or irritation occurs, seek medical assistance immediately. |
| Eyes | Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes, removing contact lenses if present and easy to do, then continue rinsing. If eye irritation persists, seek medical advice and attention. |
| Swallowed | Rinse the mouth with water. Do not induce vomiting. Give a glass of water to drink. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. If vomiting occurs, give further water. Get medical advice and attention if you feel unwell. |
If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or the Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand — with the container to hand. Selleys emergency line: 1800 220 770 in Australia, 0800 220 770 in New Zealand.
Common questions about Selleys Direct Stick
What type of flooring is it for?
It is described as ideal for strip and parquet flooring, and the page also refers to timber, particleboard and MDF projects.
How much will I need?
Coverage is stated as 2m² per litre, or 20m² from a 10 litre unit, using the correct trowel. Check the technical data sheet for the recommended trowel size and coverage for your job.
How soon can I sand the floor?
Floors can usually be sanded the next day, after the adhesive has cured overnight.
Can I use it over a damp slab?
No. It is not suitable for wet or damp substrates.
What is the minimum temperature for application?
Avoid application in temperatures below 10°C.
Why does it foam?
The foaming action fills gaps and helps the adhesive wet onto the underside of the boards, which is part of how it compensates for slightly uneven surfaces.
Does the foaming cause any problems?
It can if you have not planned for it. Protect surrounding finishes from the foaming expansion before you start.
Does it matter which trowel I use?
Yes, and it is the most important detail on the job. Only use the trowel recommended for strip flooring — it sets the spacing and height of the adhesive ridges, which is what the coverage rate and the gap-bridging depend on.
Do I lay the boards immediately?
Yes. Lay the flooring into the wet adhesive.
What stops the floor going hollow or drummy?
The high modulus adhesive holding the boards firmly in place, combined with correct trowel ridges and the foaming action wetting onto the underside of the boards.
Is there a more flexible alternative?
Yes — Timberflex Timber Flooring Adhesive is the flexible, trowel-grade adhesive in the same range, and it has its own suitability list and limits.
What is Selleys Direct Stick used for?
Selleys Liquid Nails Direct Stick is a high modulus, semi-rigid polyurethane flooring adhesive designed for strip and parquet flooring, as well as timber, particleboard, and MDF projects. Once cured, it holds floors firmly in place, preventing cupping and rafting, and reducing hollow spots and drumminess.
What sizes/formats is Selleys Direct Stick available in?
Selleys Liquid Nails Direct Stick is available as a 700g sausage (Product Code: 930069711468601) and a 14kg container (Product Code: 930069711367201).
What is the coverage rate of Selleys Direct Stick?
Selleys Direct Stick provides coverage of approximately 2m² per litre, meaning 2m² for 1L and around 20m² for a 10L quantity.
How long does Selleys Direct Stick take to cure?
Selleys Direct Stick cures overnight, allowing floors to be sanded and finished the next day.
What is the recommended application temperature for Selleys Direct Stick?
Selleys Direct Stick should be applied at temperatures between 10°C and 30°C. Application in temperatures below 10°C should be avoided.
Can Selleys Direct Stick be used on wet or damp surfaces?
No, Selleys Direct Stick is not suitable for wet or damp substrates.
What are the directions for using Selleys Direct Stick?
The directions are: 1. Prepare the surface (clean and dry). 2. Apply the adhesive using the correct trowel. 3. Lay the flooring into the wet adhesive. 4. Allow the adhesive to cure overnight. 5. Sand and finish the floor as required.
What adhesive technology does Selleys Direct Stick use?
Selleys Direct Stick uses polyurethane adhesive technology, specifically a high modulus, semi-rigid polyurethane formulation ideal for flooring applications.
Is Selleys Direct Stick classified as a dangerous good for transport?
No, according to the knowledge base, Selleys Liquid Nails Direct Stick is not classified as Dangerous Goods under the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail or NZS5433: Transport of Dangerous Goods on Land, although it is classified as hazardous with a 'Danger' signal word under Safe Work Australia GHS 7 criteria.
Is there emergency support available for Selleys Direct Stick, and what are the contact numbers?
Yes, emergency telephone support is available in Australia at 1800 220 770 and in New Zealand at 0800 220 770.