Builders, contractors, electricians, painters, and DIYers are no stranger to the power of adhesive tapes. These protection tapes have many applications, which is why they always come in handy for construction, renovations, and for everyday repairs and maintenance. They’re great to have in your toolbox, but which type should you get and where can you use it? Keep reading for answers!
Adhesive Tape and the Science Behind It
Adhesive tape is a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) laminated to a backing material, such as paper, film, or foil. It is used in many applications to bond or join objects together in place of fasteners, screws, or welding.
PSA works through physical reactions. It’s made from materials like silicones, acrylics, and rubbers, mixed with tacky resin to make it stick better. The backing is the side of the tape that faces out and won't stick to your fingers. An adhesive primer is added to help the glue stick better. To prevent the adhesive from sticking to itself when rolled up, it’s covered with an anti-cohesion material, usually polyvinyl carbamate.
The layers are applied in large sheets, rolled up, and cut into the 1-, 2-, and 3-inch-wide tape rolls you buy at stores.
Different Types of Adhesive Tapes
Adhesive tapes come in different adhesion strengths. The common types available include:
1. Single-coated adhesive tapes
Single-coated adhesive tapes feature a backing with adhesive on one side. Packing tape is a great example of this, which is often used for sealing boxes, bundling items, and bundling materials. This type of tape is suitable for general-purpose applications, is easy to use, and comes in many varieties.
It adheres to different surfaces like cardboard, wood, glass, metal, plastic, and paper. Here’s where you can apply it:
- In construction: Surface protection, such as window frames, door frames, furniture edges, and other edges from paint or dust during construction or renovations. A great example is this low tact frame tape. Single-coated adhesive tapes are also suitable for insulation and repairing frayed wires and cables using PVC silage tape.
- In home repairs/maintenance: Holding loose parts for appliances until they can be repaired, holding cracked or damaged wall panels, and adhering to torn pieces of wallpaper. Sealing small gaps around windows and doors using low tack tape. Fixing small leaks in automotive hoses or securing loose parts with duct tape.
2. Double-coated adhesive tapes
Double-coated adhesive tapes, or double-sided tapes, have adhesive on both sides. This allows two surfaces to be bonded together with the tape in between. For instance, you can use this tape to mount lightweight signs or fixtures on walls without the need for drilling or hardware. It’s also good for protecting surfaces as it causes less damage than traditional mounting methods.
Here are its other uses:
- In construction: Mounting wall panels temporarily during installation, securing mouldings or trim without visible nails, and mounting safety or directional signs on construction sites.
- In home repairs/maintenance: Attaching hooks, repairing upholstery by securing loose fabric without sewing, and for displaying lightweight frames on walls so they won’t leave holes or cracks, among other things.
3. Transfer adhesive tapes
There’s a bit going on with transfer adhesive tapes in terms of how they look and work, but to put it simply: they have a thin adhesive film and a release liner. The liner peels off when applying the adhesive tape to the second surface.
Unlike double-sided tape, transfer tape has just one layer of adhesive and no material separating the adhesives. Here’s where you can use it:
- In construction: Bonding materials (e.g., metal, plastic, or glass), mounting fixture, and attaching trim or moulding. A vinyl transfer tape may be better if you want more control or something that will last longer than regular ones, such as for temporary floor protection installation.
- In home repairs/maintenance: Labelling for organisation. Sticking laminate planks back down until you can apply a more permanent fix. For mounting lightweight light fixtures, ceiling decorations, and wall hooks.
You never know what repairs you’ll need, so it’s always best to have all three types of adhesive tape on hand. If not, at least have one type from each category.
For more options, give this guide a read next: The Builder’s Guide to Different Tapes. You can count on some of these tapes for quick fixes for your FR Floorgard Corry Board, correx sheets, and other projects!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at hello@s-pgroup.com or call +44 (028) 9442 8611. SP Group is a temporary floor protection supplier based in the UK and Ireland.