An old guy in a hardware store in Boise told me to use a wet towel on a glue-down job

This was maybe ten years back, I was picking up adhesive for a big vinyl sheet job. He saw my cart and asked if I was doing a full spread. When I said yes, he told me to lay a damp towel over the seam right after I rolled it. Said the moisture keeps the glue from skinning over too fast, gives you more working time to get a perfect bond. I tried it that afternoon on a kitchen floor, and the seam just melted together. Anyone else ever get a random tip that actually worked?

2 comments

2 Comments

hunt.shane6d ago

That damp towel trick is a game changer. I had a guy tell me the same thing for laying sheet vinyl in a bathroom. The extra open time made smoothing out the seams so much easier.

jamieburns6d ago

So is that just a regular towel you wet and lay over the vinyl? @hunt.shane I've always fought with that stuff setting up way too fast. Makes total sense that keeping it damp would buy you those extra few minutes to really work the seam. I'm doing a laundry room floor next month and I'm totally trying this. That open time is the difference between a smooth job and a lumpy mess.