Adhesives [^]

1. Why are there so many trowel recommendations for carpet on Capitol USA adhesives?
Capitol USA adhesives are designed to work with a wide variety of carpet backings. At last count, there are in excess of 40 different types of carpet backings commercially available and the textures range from smooth to extremely rough. It is very important to know what the backing is prior to selecting a trowel because of this fact. To use a fine notch trowel on a rough backing will result in carpet bubbling or complete bond failure under high traffic conditions. To use a heavy notch trowel on a smooth back carpet may result in adhesive being oozed up through to the face pile and most certainly a reduction of adhesive coverage.

2. Why is the trowel notch selection so important to proper flooring installation?
On all of Capitol USA's adhesive packaging you will find bold references to the proper trowel notching required for specific flooring types. It is important to follow these recommendations for several reasons. First of all, these recommendations are designed to give the maximum performance with the adhesive for the type of flooring to be installed. We've tested all of these installation conditions and the trowel recommendation is our way of helping you achieve a superior installation. Secondly, the trowel recommendation gives you the most cost effective solution for the adhesive balanced against the flooring selection. Sure, you can use a smaller trowel notch to get better coverage but you also risk not having enough adhesive on the floor for proper bonding. Let the technical experts at Capitol USA take the guesswork out of trowel selection.

3. What does Open Time mean?
This is the amount of time required by the adhesive to flash-off prior to having the flooring covering installed. To install into the adhesive prior to this amount of time may result in bubbling and unnecessary rolling in order to get proper bond.

4. What does Working Time mean?
This is the amount of time when the troweled adhesive can still accept and fully bond to the flooring material being installed. If an adhesive is allowed to be open beyond its working time, it is possible that the bond will be less than adequate for a proper installation.

5. Are Capitol USA adhesives freeze/thaw stable?
At Capitol USA, we test all of our adhesives for stability down to 10ºF. The adhesives are then brought to room temperature and then run through the cycle three times. Capitol USA adhesives will maintain their performance attributes even after this rigorous test protocol. It is not recommended, however, that you allow Capitol USA adhesives to be stored in temperatures below 10ºF. If this condition occurs, the adhesive will no longer be useable.

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6. Can you use Capitol USA adhesives over existing vinyl sheet flooring?
Yes, as long as the surface of the existing floor has been cleaned well and any wax or polishing agents removed from the surface. Keep in mind that installing over an existing floor creates a non-porous condition on the substrate and special attention need be made to allowing the adhesive the proper open time prior to installing the new floor. The answer can also be "NO" if the existing vinyl floor is a perimeter bond type of floor. The best test for this is to cut a small opening in the center of the old floor and lift up to see if is bonded to the subfloor. If it is not you must assume that it is a perimeter-bonded floor and as such must be removed prior to installation.

7. Can you use Capitol USA VCT adhesives to install new VCT over old Vinyl Asbestos Tile?
No. Old vinyl asbestos tile (VAT) have an inherent porosity that new VCT does not. To install directly over old VAT could result in trapping moisture under the new tile. This will result in telegraphing of the old tile through to the top of the new.

8. Can Capitol USA adhesives be used over old asphalt cutback adhesive?
Only SAFoT 480 Thin Spread VCT Tile adhesive has been developed to work over old asphalt cutback adhesive. To use any other Capitol USA adhesive, it is required that you remove as much of the old adhesive as possible. Care must be taken with the removal of old cutback adhesives as they may contain asbestos. Make sure to follow the directions written in the Resilient Floor Covering Institute publication "Recommended Work Practices for the Removal of Resilient Floor Coverings" and OSHA regulations. Once the old adhesive is removed, it is highly recommended that a primer be used to insure proper bond and to prevent bleed-through of old adhesive.

9. Why are there so many multipurpose adhesives and what are the differences between them?
At Capitol USA, we're proud to be able to manufacture a wide range of flooring adhesive products built to meet critical customer demands. We manufacture a variety of multipurpose adhesives to satisfy several key performance and cost factors. Our base grade products such as SAFoT 003 and FAST 50 are built for the value conscience buyer who is looking for a product that can do the job at a reasonable cost. These base grade products are lower in solids and therefore lower in cost. They are perfect for low-traffic commercial or residential installations. For high traffic and long-term installations, select SAFoT 001, FAST 400 or FAST 95. These high solids, rubber and resin rich adhesives are built to stand the test of time and traffic.

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10. What is Capitol USA's warranty position on its multipurpose and carpet adhesives?
Capitol USA manufactures all of its adhesives to the highest quality standards in the industry. As such, we offer 10, 5, and 2-year performance warranties on all of our adhesives regardless of what flooring type or manufacturer installed. All of our warranty positions state that if the adhesive is found defective within the pre-defined time period, we will replace the entire floor up to and including removal, replacement, and reasonable and customary labor (at Capitol USA's sole discretion).

11. How long will adhesive be good to use after I open the lid?
A lot depends on what happened after you opened the can. If you took out a small portion for use and then put the lid back on, the product will probably be good for another year as long as it is kept at 65ºF. If you are using this product to install flooring and are scooping up excess adhesive from the floor and placing it back in the bucket, the life span of the adhesive will be considerably shortened. The process of scooping up adhesive from the floor to put back into the bucket inadvertently puts unknown substances into the adhesive, which may radically alter its performance and stability.

12. Why do flooring adhesives sometimes get stringy or ball up under my trowel?
The most common cause for this condition results from troweling adhesive under extremely hot, arid conditions. Most flooring adhesives are water-based and as a consequence when they are applied in arid environments they have a tendency to flash faster than expected resulting in balling or stringing under the trowel. Capitol USA always recommends for best product performance that you install in conditions around 65-75ºF. If this conditions still occurs under "ideal" conditions, it is possible that you are installing the adhesive over dry, dusty concrete; over concrete that has a pH in excess of 12; or over a gypsum substrate that has not been primed. Under these conditions, adhesives will have a tendency to de-stabilize and get gummy under the trowel. To solve this problem, Capitol USA recommends that you use a primer such as LL-400 to treat the substrate prior to installation.

13. What are Capitol USA's moisture requirements for their adhesives?
Capitol USA manufactures adhesives that are robust enough to take just about any type of moisture condition and still perform (floods excluded). The answer really depends on the type of flooring installed and that is where we defer to the flooring manufacturers recommended allowances. Most flooring manufacturers suggest a maximum allowance of 5 lbs. of moisture /1000 sq.ft/24 hours for most porous flooring types. For non-porous flooring products a maximum of 3 lbs. of moisture/1000 sq.ft./24 hours is suggested. Capitol USA recommends using the CaCl3 test method for determining moisture content since it is a rate dependent calculation and gives a truer indicator of moisture transmission in concrete slabs.

Seam Tapes [^]

1. What is the best way to get "peak-free" seams in carpet installations?
First and foremost, Capitol USA recommends that you always seam carpet together on a hard surface. This can be done either in a workroom environment or by using a seam board during the heating process. Seaming over a hard surface does several good things for a seam. First, it insures that the thermoplastic adhesive is forced up into the backing of the carpet. Secondly, seaming over a hard surface insures that the two pieces of carpet stay in proper position during the process and not get spread apart as the iron is forced down into the pad as it is moved along. Always seal the edges of carpet using a latex based seam sealer such as Capitol USA's 017 Latex Seam Sealer. This added step insures that the yarn near the cut remains intact and won't be pulled out with traffic.

2. What types of Capitol USA seam tapes are available for double-stick installations?
Capitol USA recommends that you always use seam tape on double-stick carpet installations just because most of them are set up for high traffic areas and using a seam sealer just isn't enough power to hold the pieces together long term. Capitol USA recommends either DoubleStik I or DoubleStik II for these types of installations. DoubleStik I is built on a releasable paper liner that is simply removed prior to placing the carpet into the troweled adhesive. DoubleStik II is built on a narrow paper that has a layer of sticky, pressure sensitive adhesive on its back for placement on the pad prior to seaming. The adhesive is troweled up to the seam tape and the carpet installed. Once the carpet is in place, the installer can seam the pieces together.

3. Can I install carpet using Capitol USA seam tapes and the iron I use to iron my clothes?
No.

4. What causes seam tape telegraphing?
This condition is most often noticed on low pile or extremely plush carpets and can be the result of several different factors. The first cause may be the result of not seaming on a hard surface. Not seaming on a hard surface may result in not getting the proper thermoplastic penetration up into the backing of the carpet and instead of getting a nice smooth seam, you wind up with a bump under the carpet. The other cause could have been from using a seam tape with too much thermoplastic adhesive. Capitol USA manufactures a wide variety of seam tapes that are specifically designed for different types of carpet backings and face pile conditions. On low pile, velvets, or plush carpets, we'd suggest using a lower profile seam tape such as TiteLoc, GreenLine or BlueLine. The low profile nature of these tapes will insure that they will not be visible from the top of the carpet. And always make sure you seam on a hard surface.

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5. What causes "tunneling" on double-stick carpet installations?
Most carpet seam tapes are built on a silicone-backed paper. This silicone backing acts as a release agent and will not adhere to the adhesive under the carpet. Over time, the seam tape will release from the adhesive creating a "tunnel". Further, it is not recommended by Capitol USA that you simply sand the back of standard carpet seam tape to remove the silicone layer prior to installing into the adhesive. You will still have to deal with the 1/2" of paper on the edge of the seam tape that will not be bonded to the backing of the carpet. This little 1/2" zone will result in small tunnels on both side of the seam.



6. Can I use GripStrip to secure an area rug over an existing wall-to-wall carpet?
No. GripStrip is a very aggressive pressure sensitive adhesive and WILL NOT RELEASE from the face pile of the wall-to-wall carpet. Capitol USA suggests that you use KwikStik or Premier Non-Slip Rug Underlayments for this type of application.

7. Can I use GripStrip to place vinyl and rubber trim?
Yes. GripStrip is a very aggressive pressure sensitive product and will hold both vinyl and rubber transition pieces very well.

Flooring Installation [^]

1. Is it necessary to use a seam sealer on commercial glue down carpet installation?
Yes. According to CRI 104 guidelines it is still a recommended practice to bond seams together using a seam adhesive. Further, proper application of this adhesive is extremely important to insure success. The adhesive, such as Capitol USA's 022 or 033 seam sealers, must be placed on the edge of the carpet primary and secondary backings and not be placed directly on the floor. Follow the simple instructions on the packaging for both 022 and 033 for proper seam adhesive placement.

2. Can you use standard multipurpose flooring adhesive to install VCT?
The answer to this question is yes with certain reservations. Although Capitol USA multipurpose flooring adhesives will bond VCT and do it well, they are not designed with the shear resistance required for most typical VCT installations nor do they have extended working times required for large-scale application.

3. Why is it that when I install vinyl composition tile that sometimes the tiles slide after they've been placed in the adhesive?
Laying the tile into adhesive that is still "wet" usually causes this. If the adhesive is still wet, it will roll over on itself causing tile to slip. It is important for all pressure sensitive flooring products, like SAFoT 380, 480, 100, 200, and 300, that you allow the adhesive to "flash" to complete dryness.

4. Why is it so important to acclimate flooring materials to the room temperature of the area to be installed?
Flooring materials are subject to the same expansion and contraction due to changes in temperature. To install flooring product that has not been acclimated to the room conditions runs the risk of shrinkage or growth resulting in open seams or bubbles. Capitol USA always recommends that you condition the flooring material and adhesives for 48 hours prior to the installation.

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5. What caused all the seams on my VCT installation to open?
The most probable cause was improper conditioning of the floor tile prior to installation. It is possible that the tile were stored in a very warm environment and as a consequence were at their peak expansion point. After they were installed and the temperature of the flooring material dropped to room temperature, the tile may have contracted back to its original size thereby opening up all the seams around the tile.

6. Why is it important to allow WOODY P88 wood flooring adhesive to remain "open" for 30-minutes prior to installing?
WOODY P88 contains chlorinated solvents that are heavier than air and take a long time to evaporate out of the adhesive. The 30-minute flash time is required to get as much of this solvent out of the adhesive as possible before the wood flooring traps any remaining solvent beneath it. Installing wood over WOODY P-88 in advance of this open time requirement runs the risk of trapping excess solvent into the adhesive and thereby significantly effecting the dry time of the installation. Trapping excess solvent in this adhesive may extend the dry time of the installation out beyond 3 weeks so it is extremely important to let it flash for 30 minutes. Fans and open windows can assist in speeding up the flash time period but you should never shorten this 30-minute time frame.

7. How do you keep carpet pad from bunching up over concrete floors when installing carpet?
Carpet pad should be attached to a concrete subfloor using Capitol USA's JetBond, 029, 029C or 039 Pad Cements. Any of these products will hold the pad to the concrete floor and will keep it from bunching up as you move the carpet over the surface.

8. Should I put duct tape over the seams of carpet padding prior to installing carpet?
Capitol USA does not recommend this practice as it will create a different feel under foot that may result in a customer dissatisfaction.

9. How do I remove adhesive from the surface of my newly installed floor?
If the adhesive is still wet, you may be able to remove it with a dampened white cloth. If the adhesive is dry, Capitol USA suggests using 011 Cleaning Solvent and a white cloth. Do not saturate the area with 011 Cleaning Solvent but rather place the solvent on the cloth and work the adhesive residue from the surface.

ACCUPLY [^]

1. Can I install ACCUPLY over concrete subfloors?
No. When preparing a concrete subfloor to receive a new floor, the best method to make sure it is smooth, flat and free from defects is to use a cement based underlayment. These products are readily available and most mix with water to make a smooth paste. Using a flat-sided trowel and a cement-based underlayment, you can usually remedy most defects in a concrete subfloor. If the floor is extremely damaged or out of level you should consider using a self-leveling cement based underlayment product. These materials mix with water into a pourable, self-leveling liquid that can be raked out to create a smooth and level subfloor.

2. Should I use adhesive under ACCUPLY along with nails or staples?
Applying adhesive under ACCUPLY is not recommended. As long as you are using the proper staple or 1-1/4" ring shank nails, ACCUPLY will be properly attached.

3. Why do I have to use 1-1/4" galvanized ring shank nails to install ACCUPLY?
There are several reasons why 1-1/4' ring shank nails are recommended for the installation of ACCUPLY. First, their textured surface insures that they will remain in the wood and not work loose creating bumps or squeaks. Secondly, the galvanized coating insures that they will not rust or create stains onto the flooring material. Using nails other than 1-1/4" ring shanks may result in stain floors, squeaks, bumps, and will void the ACCUPLY Lifetime Warranty.

4. What is the best way to cut ACCUPLY?
Capitol USA recommends the use of a carbide tipped blade on a circular saw or a jig saw equipped with a blade that leaves a smooth cut. It is also recommended to try and keep any cuts at the perimeter of the installation so that the factory-milled edges are in the field where they will be virtually invisible when installed correctly.

5. Should I patch the seams of ACCUPLY?
Patching the seams of ACCUPLY is not necessary when installed correctly. The installation instructions for ACCUPLY direct that the seams should be lightly butted together and not forced. If gaps do occur during the installation of ACCUPLY, Capitol USA recommends the use of a latex modified cement based underlayment be used as a patching compound. In all cases, make sure to acclimate ACCUPLY to the ambient room temperature for 48 hours prior to the actual installation.

6. Will the fastener marks on the surface of ACCUPLY show through on the surface of my new vinyl floor?
The fastener marks on the surface of ACCUPLY are made with an ink that has been tested against migration and will not stain the surface of any flooring installed over its surface.

7. Can I install ACCUPLY over an old strip wood floor?
Strip wood subfloors are prone to excessive movement due to changes in ambient humidity and temperature and as such are not suitable for the installation of ACCUPLY underlayment. It is recommended that a 3/4" plywood panel be installed first over the strip wood prior to the application of ACCUPLY.

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8. Can ACCUPLY be used as a backer board for ceramic tile installation?
ACCUPLY can be used as a backer board for ceramic tile as long as it is not used in areas where excessive moisture exposure may occur. It is therefore not recommended that ACCUPLY be used in shower or bath enclosures. ACCUPLY can be used as a backer board for ceramic tile on floors as long as the subfloor is sound and free from structural defects. Further, the entire thickness of the subfloor must be no less than 1-1/4" and be placed on floor joists with 16" centers. For more information on ceramic tile installations, please refer to the Tile Council of America at www.tileusa.com.

9. Can ACCUPLY be installed over radiant panel heating systems?
Due to the fact that ACCUPLY must be fastened to the floor with either nails or staples, it is not recommended for installation over radiant panel heating systems. To level floors with radiant panel systems installed, it is recommended to use gypsum or cement based underlayments.

Tackstrip [^]

1. What is the proper distance away from the wall that I should place tackstrip?
The recommended distance away from the wall is approximately 1/4".

2. What are the differences between standard, extra wide, acoustical and architectural tackstrip?
The differences are strip width. Standard width tackstrip is 7/8" wide, extra wide is 1" in width, acoustical is 1-1/4" and architectural is 1-3/4 in width. The benefit of greater strip width is greater holding power. This greater holding power allows for stronger stretches and tighter flooring installations.

3. Can I use GripStrip in place of tackstrip?
Yes and no. Yes you can use GripStrip in place of tackstrip when you are installing carpet in an area where you do not plan to stretch it in place. You should not use GripStrip in areas where you plan to stretch the carpet, as it is a soft adhesive and will move under stress.