Wood adhesives play an important role in the manufacture of unique and beautiful furniture in your homes. These adhesives bond wooden materials with each other or other materials to create beautiful furniture, doors, windows, and much more. The strong bond and the clean finish of these adhesives along with the growing furniture market are driving the overall growth of the segment.
The high sealant and non-rust properties of these adhesives are some of the factors that are expected to drive the growth of the wood adhesives market from $4.1 billion in 2021 to $4.9 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 3.4%. Although the market is currently dominated by products made from plastic resins, synthetic rubber, inorganic chemicals, and refined petroleum products, manufacturers are exploring sustainable alternatives. The coming years are likely to see the introduction of low VOC wood adhesive products that are eco-friendly.
Image Source: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/wood-adhesives-market
Choosing the Right Type of Wood Adhesive is Important
Woodworking includes the production of timber for DIY projects and wood-based products for furniture, cabinetry, carpentry, flooring, framing, general assembly, and boat design. The industry requires the use of special blades, cutting tools, fastening bits, and special woodworking adhesives besides bulk hot melt applicators and glue guns. These adhesives penetrate into the wood in two ways:
- Gross Penetration occurs when the liquid resin flows into the porous structure of wood.
- Cell Wall Penetration occurs when resin diffuses into the cell wall or flows into the micro fissures.
Wood is easy to bond but ensuring that the bond remains durable even when the moisture level changes or in high-temperature conditions or high loads is important. This requires careful consideration in choosing the right type of wood adhesive. Some factors that help in choosing the right product are the application area, the curing time, strength, viscosity, and the water resistance ability of an adhesive. The chosen wood adhesive should be able to accommodate large dimensional changes that occur in wood (it swells or shrinks) due to a change in moisture conditions. You should also look for an adhesive that is load bearing.
Popular Woodworking Adhesive Options
Hot Melt Adhesives: These adhesives are ideal for applications where high speed and early adhesion are important. These thermoplastic materials have, however, limited heat resistance. The most frequent use of hot melt adhesives in woodworking is for edge banding of panel boards.
Image Source: https://www.gluemachinery.com/industries/woodworking-adhesives/
Polyvinyl Acetate Wood Adhesive (PVA): These adhesive glues are water-based and generally used for the manufacture of furniture especially high-volume adhesion processes such as bonding of decorative papers on the surfaces of windows, doors, external door frames, stairs, and wooden furniture that is water vapor and moisture resistant. This type of adhesive is commonly known as white or liquid glue and should be used at room temperature in the form supplied by the manufacturer.
Double Component Epoxy Wood Adhesive: This category of adhesives has high filling properties and does not require pressing. The water-proof nature of epoxies makes them highly suitable for adhesives. They can be blended with a dry-colored powder to match the color of the wood. Since epoxy glue is a two-part mix with a curing agent, it is not affected by the temperature and moisture levels. The global epoxy adhesives market size is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6% from 2021 to 2028.
Rapid Adhesives: As the name suggests, these adhesives are quite effective in providing a strong adhesion in a very short time. Often used to bond small pieces of wood, these adhesives are useful for minor repair work. Often used as a coating for small wooden items, gel adhesives yield faster results when used with accelerator activators.
Polyurethane-based Adhesives: Very useful and highly demanded, these adhesives can bond any material including ceramic, fabric, glass, metal, and stone to wood. Good for use in areas that are continuously exposed to water, these polyurethane-based adhesives do not result in any damage to the greasy and waxed components of wood.
Polyurethane Assembly Adhesive: Widely used for assembling components of cupboards or bonding of all types of building materials, this adhesive is also called a liquid nail. Its waterproof performance makes it highly suitable for use in kitchens and bathrooms. The polyurethane assembly adhesive is an-all substance adhesive that is also quite effective in high-temperature areas.
Apart from choosing the right adhesive product for your woodwork, you need to take adequate care of the preparation of the wood surface.
