Why silane adhesives do so well with wood is abundantly clear. In terms of elasticity, there is little on the market that perfectly follows the dimensional movements of a living product like wood. Silane adhesives do not only do well with wood, by the way. Think, for example, of glazing or gluing in a humid environment, where even repainting is possible. Moreover, they are truly universal. Thus, a primer is hardly ever needed and they enable the bonding of multiple materials, including floor heating floors, anhydride screeds, P3 levelling compounds, etc. To top it all off, we already made it clear how little negative impact there is on both the environment and the installer, and how silane adhesives allow a very fast commissioning of the site.

‘Silane adhesives changed the market’
‘Can we assume that silane adhesives will continue to do extremely well in the future, including LVT, PVC and vinyl?’ We put this question as an opener to Jo Indesteege, Business Manager EMEA MS Polymer™ Division of Kaneka.

‘You can certainly say that,’ responds Mr Indesteege. ‘Silane adhesives, by the way, are not really new anymore. In 15 to 20 years, they have changed the market considerably. Whereas at the time it was exclusively about hard adhesives, epoxy and PU, with the vast majority of adhesives even still solvent-based, you now see that silane adhesives are the adhesive of choice over other technologies. In doing so, we at Kaneka pride ourselves on literally being a forerunner in the replacement of indoor solvents, something we managed to do more than 20 years ago.’
Jo Indesteege then outlines how increasingly stringent legislation also prompted his company to explore various methods of application. Parquet flooring was a logical step, but there have been several expansions. These include applications for LVT, PVC and vinyl, and even tile adhesives.

Moving from hard to (semi-)soft adhesives
‘We are also committed to moving from hard solid adhesives to soft adhesives. We are working on a rich portfolio of MS polymer™ and a whole range of formulations to promote the widest possible range,’ we hear. ‘In all this, the focus is not only on a guarantee of delivering a top-quality product, but we never lose sight of user safety. Consider, among other things, how we are committed to using phthalate-free products. In this context, I can say that we now offer a particularly complete range. This means that there are fewer new products coming onto the market in recent years because our offering for other flooring such as PVC, LVT and vinyl is already pretty comprehensive.’

‘By the way, may I highlight how we as Kaneka offer MS polymer™ that are quite unique in the market? Our Acrylate modified polymers have the advantage of having good adhesion to difficult substrates such as LVT, PVC and vinyl, with an extension to EPDM.’

Replacing polyurethane
There is no need to talk about the cost. Silane adhesives may be slightly more expensive, but there are still more than enough reasons to opt for a high-quality product. What is interesting to dwell on is how silane adhesives, after supplanting solvent-based adhesives, are now displacing polyurethanes from the market. A milestone came on 24 August 2023, when new European legislation came into force for the safe use of (free) diisocyanates by professional processors.

‘I cannot stress enough how important this procedure is for general health. With the immediate comment that some things still go wrong with the actual implementation in practice,’ Jo Indesteege responds. ‘In my professional past, I worked with polyurethane for 18 years and I know all too well what isocyanates can do. You can hardly find any unhealthier product than this and, moreover, you should strongly avoid all skin contact.’

‘What we observe now is that for the time being there is little response to the new regulations, even though the replacement of polyurethanes is an urgent matter. Certainly at industrial level, professional users must be aware of the great danger posed by the release of harmful vapours, it is about much more than just putting on gloves! We notice that the replacement of PU-based products by silane-based products is taking place, but it is slow and there is still a lot to do. Hence, here's a call to employers: make sure your employees are always maximally protected!’

Rise of ‘modular houses’ and ‘sprayable’
At that moment, Jo Indesteege surprises us when he spontaneously makes the link to a totally new sales market for silane adhesives, that of modular houses: ‘Kaneka sees more and more future in this now that we notice, certainly in Europe, that there are too few residential houses and flats, while available land is becoming scarce. Factory-fabricated ‘modular houses’ on an industrial scale could facilitate the necessary progress for silane adhesives. To clarify: if you use a hard, rigid adhesive when making these ‘modular houses’, you are bound to face problems during transport to the final location. So you have to use an elastic adhesive, where we see new opportunities for silane adhesives. This new kind of house could require a lot of silane glue. If you ask me, these modular houses will soon just be made on a conveyor belt in the factory, including the bathroom and kitchen. Compare it to how Henry Ford introduced the assembly line for his automobiles at the time...’

‘Also in this application, and as well as a new development with MS Polymer™ to keep an eye on, I think is the development of ‘sprayable’ adhesives. They are currently already being marketed, but use is still early. Promotion is low for now, but I have no doubt it will be a success story in the future.’