Manufacturer source check

The manufacturer TDS requires support above 5 kg and for overhead work; initial grab is not full cure. It permits water-based paint after 24 hours, while the retail page says to paint when fully cured. Follow the applicable label and confirm paint compatibility where the sources differ.

What is Selleys Liquid Nails Extreme Grab, and where should you use it?

Selleys Liquid Nails Extreme Grab is a moisture-curing construction adhesive for vertical applications. Its high initial grab can reduce the need for temporary fixings, but support requirements still apply: objects above 5 kg and all overhead applications require support.

It is UV, heat and water resistant, remains flexible, adheres to wet and damp surfaces, bridges gaps up to 9 mm, and is suitable for interior and exterior use. It comes as a 290 mL cartridge in white.

The thing to be clear about before you rely on it: instant hold is not a finished bond. The adhesive holds immediately but must not be disturbed until cured, and full cure takes 7 days. There are also weight and overhead limits — covered in detail below — that the headline "no clamps needed" claim does not convey on its own.

Technical specification

Property	Typical result
Appearance	Smooth white paste
Technology	Moisture cure
Instant grab	Up to 400 kg/m²
Strength	Up to 100 tonnes/m² (timber to timber bond in shear at 1 mm spacing)
Repositionable	Up to 15 minutes
Cure time	7 days
Service temperature	Up to 70°C
Gap bridging	Up to 9 mm
Paintable	With water-based paints after 24 hours
Shelf life	12 months
Packaging	Cartridge, 290 mL, white

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

What the key numbers mean in practice

The published grab figure is not a design load for your joint. Substrate, temperature, bead geometry and loading affect performance. Do not scale the headline figure into a safe hanging weight; follow the support limitations and confirm the assembly is suitable.

The 15 minute repositioning window is generous for an instant-grab product. It means you should place the item, then check and adjust — a level, a reveal, a line against the piece next to it — rather than trying to land it perfectly first go. After 15 minutes, what you have is what you get.

The 5 kg threshold is the most important number Selleys publishes for this product, and it is the one the marketing bullets leave out. Support must be used where objects exceed 5 kg, or in any overhead application. The "no fasteners or clamps" claim applies to lighter work on suitable substrates — it is not a blanket permission. Weight is also restricted for non-porous substrates such as metal and glass, and on hot surfaces.

Porosity changes the result. This is a moisture-cure adhesive, and Selleys states that best results are obtained where one substrate is porous. Bonding two non-porous faces together — glass to metal, for instance — is the hardest case for it, and it is exactly the case where the weight restriction applies. Expect longer cure times for less porous surfaces, and in cold or less humid weather.

Gap bridging up to 9 mm is a genuinely useful tolerance on real building work, where a stud face or a masonry wall is rarely as flat as the thing you are sticking to it. It means you do not have to pack or shim minor irregularities.

The 100 tonnes/m² strength figure carries a specific condition: it is a timber-to-timber bond in shear at 1 mm spacing. It is not a general-purpose number, and Selleys is explicit that the product must not be used as the sole support for structural bonding.

Where to use it

Liquid Nails Extreme Grab is suitable for use on:

• Timber
• MDF and particleboard
• Masonry and concrete
• Metals
• Glass
• Tiles and ceramics
• Some plastics — test compatibility first

It is intended for indoor and outdoor bonding within the TDS limits. Keep support in place where required, including for objects over 5 kg and every overhead application.

How to apply it

1. Ensure the surfaces are clean and free from dust, oil, grease or loose particles.
2. Use a high thrust caulking gun and the supplied V-nozzle, applying in vertical stripes 5 cm apart. Ensure the V shape is angled upward as you apply.
3. Position the materials and press them together firmly. Because of the high initial hold, support during cure is not usually necessary — subject to the weight limitations below. Use mechanical fasteners in high stress applications.
4. Add support where it is required: for anything over 5 kg, for overhead applications, and where you are working on non-porous substrates or hot surfaces.
5. Reposition within 15 minutes if you need to.
6. Leave it undisturbed until cured. It holds instantly, but the bond is not finished until it has cured — 7 days.

Limitations — where it should NOT be used

These are the manufacturer's stated limits, and they are more restrictive than the headline claims suggest:

• Do not use as the sole support in overhead applications.
• Do not use as the sole support for structural bonding.
• Support must be used where objects exceed 5 kg, or in overhead applications.
• Weight is restricted for non-porous substrates such as metal and glass, and on hot surfaces.
• Not suitable for polyethylene, polypropylene, PTFE or some rubbers. Test compatibility with plastics and rubbers before use.
• Not suitable for surfaces or areas that will exceed 70°C.
• Holds instantly but must not be disturbed until fully cured. Expect longer cure times in cold or less humid weather, and for less porous surfaces.

If you take one thing from this section, make it the 5 kg rule. A bathroom cabinet, a heavy mirror, a run of shelving or a stone-look panel will all exceed it comfortably, and those are exactly the jobs people buy an instant-grab adhesive for.

Painting, clean up and storage

Paintable with water-based paints after 24 hours. Solvent-based paints may be used, but only after first painting with a water-based paint. That order matters — going straight to a solvent-based topcoat is not what the product supports.

Clean up with turps before the adhesive cures. Cured adhesive can be removed by scraping or sanding, or with the help of a silicone remover.

Shelf life is 12 months.

Hazard classification

Classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7, with the signal word Warning.

• Sensitisation, skin — Category 1. H317: may cause an allergic skin reaction.
• Eye damage/irritation — Category 2A. H319: causes serious eye irritation.

Two classifications, both moderate, and no flammability classification — which is the expected profile for a moisture-curing adhesive rather than a solvent-based one, and a real difference from the solvent adhesives in the same range.

H317 is the one worth pausing on, because of the way this particular product is used rather than because of its severity. Skin sensitisation is not irritation. Irritation is direct chemical damage: it hurts at the time, it resolves, and the same exposure produces the same result next time. Sensitisation is the immune system learning to recognise the substance. It is generally permanent once acquired, and from then on a far smaller exposure — a smear that would previously have meant nothing — provokes a reaction. Crucially, it develops from repeated low-level contact, not from a single large one.

Extreme Grab is bought precisely for jobs where you press something onto a wall by hand and let go. Bare-handed pressing, a thumb run along the squeeze-out to tidy the edge, a wipe on the trousers, repeated across a day and across jobs, is the exposure pattern that produces sensitisation. Gloves are not about any single application; they are about the hundredth one.

The eye classification matters for the same reason the product exists: this is a vertical and overhead adhesive. Anything that drops from a bead above head height drops towards a face. Safety glasses are the control for that, and the 400 kg/m² grab figure is not a reason to skip them — a heavy item being pressed into place is exactly when squeeze-out is forced out fastest.

Protection

• Gloves — nitrile rubber is indicated for intermittent contact; make your own final assessment for your conditions and glove construction. This is the main control against the sensitisation hazard.
• Eye protection — safety glasses, particularly for overhead and vertical work.
• Clothing — overalls and safety shoes. Wash contaminated clothing and protective equipment before storing or reusing.
• Ventilation — natural ventilation is adequate under normal use conditions.
• Wash hands before eating, drinking, smoking or using the toilet.

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Eyes	Hold the eyelids apart and flush continuously with running water — until told to stop by the Poisons Information Centre or a doctor, or for at least 15 minutes — then go to a doctor or hospital.
Skin	Effects may be delayed. Remove contaminated clothing immediately and flush skin and hair with running water. If swelling, redness, blistering or irritation occurs, seek medical assistance.
Inhalation	Move the person to fresh air without becoming a casualty yourself. Loosen tight clothing, let them rest comfortably and keep them warm until fully recovered. Seek medical advice if effects persist.
Swallowed	Rinse the mouth with water. Do NOT induce vomiting. Give a glass of water. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Seek medical advice.

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 Liquid Nails Extreme Grab

How much weight will it hold instantly?

Up to 400 kg/m² is the published initial-grab claim. It is not a safe working-load rating for an individual joint; the support and substrate limitations apply.

Do I really not need clamps or bracing?

For lighter work on suitable substrates, support during cure is not usually necessary. But support must be used where objects exceed 5 kg or in overhead applications, and weight is restricted on non-porous substrates such as metal and glass.

Can I use it overhead?

Not as the sole support. Overhead applications require support, and the product must not be the only thing holding the item.

How long until it is fully cured?

7 days. It holds instantly, but must not be disturbed until fully cured. Cold or less humid weather and less porous surfaces all extend that.

Can I move something after sticking it?

Yes, it is repositionable for up to 15 minutes.

Can I paint over it?

With water-based paints after 24 hours. Solvent-based paints only after first painting with a water-based paint.

Will it fill a gap?

It bridges gaps up to 9 mm.

Can I use it on damp surfaces?

It adheres to wet and damp surfaces. Best results are obtained where one substrate is porous.

Can I use it outdoors?

Yes — it is suitable for interior and exterior use and is UV, heat and water resistant. It is not suitable for surfaces or areas that will exceed 70°C.

Will it stick to plastic or rubber?

Not to polyethylene, polypropylene or PTFE, and not to some rubbers. Test compatibility with plastics and rubbers before use.

What gun do I need?

A high thrust caulking gun, used with the supplied V-nozzle, with the V shape angled upward as you apply.

How do I lay the adhesive?

In vertical stripes 5 cm apart, then position and press firmly.

How do I clean it up?

With turps before it cures. Once cured, scrape or sand it off, or use a silicone remover to help.

What size cartridge does it come in?

290 mL, in white.

What should I use for structural work?

Not this on its own — it must not be used as the sole support for structural bonding. For general construction bonding with mechanical bracing, see Liquid Nails Heavy Duty or Liquid Nails Construction Adhesive. For vertical mounting jobs, Selleys Hold Up is the comparable product.