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Flooring Won’t Stick To Gypsum?
Why Won’t It Stick?
Many installers experience a huge problem when applying flooring on new or old gypsum substrates: their glue or patch just won’t stick to the slab. More often than not, this is attributed to gypsum lacking the integrity to accept many floor coverings. Thankfully, there is a simple method for making gyspum work with nearly any patch or floor covering!
Check for Dust
If you find yourself on a gypsum concrete slab struggling to get your glue or patch to stick, the first thing you want to do is check for dust. If you are unsure whether or not the slab is too dusty, use “the tape test.”
How to Perform “The Tape Test”
- Adhere a piece of duct tape directly to the slab, ensuring that it is bonded with the surface.
- Sharply rip the tape off of the slab.
- Check the tape: If it easily peels off or is covered in white dust, you will need to treat the gypsum
Prime Time
Once your gypsum has been tested, sweep the floor clean of any loose contaminants remaining on the surface & prepare for the priming process. To achieve the best finish for your floor, we recommend using an acrylic primer, such as Dependable’s PRIMER A.
Using a high-speed drill, mix your Primer A with water using a standard mix ratio of 3:1 (3 parts water to 1 part primer). Once you have a homogenous mix, firmly sweep the primer onto the floor with a soft bristle broom.
The primer coat must remain wet on the surface for 15 minutes. If the coat dries too quickly, add water to your mix and try again. If the mix ratio surpasses 10:1 to remain wet for 15 minutes, a second primer coat may be required. In this case, your ratio of water should be halved (i.e. “14:1” becomes “7:1”).
Check for Dust (Pt. 2)
Once the primer is installed and tack-free, check the primed area for bond by using the same tape test discussed earlier. If the tape rips off the slab without peeling off any primer or gypsum, you can now install your floor!
Click the link below to download a Printable PDF of this method.