glue pre-finshed plywood to vertical plywood

[stephen wood]

I've partitioned a closet with birch plywood. Now I want to apply a pre-finished plywood onto the birch. I think I've figured out how to use cauls to apply some pressure once its in place.

But what glue type should I use to get good adhesion along with a nice flat surface?
-liquid nails-type adhesive from a caulk gun? If so do I spread it out with a notched trowel?

-Or do I roll on titebond glue? Won't it drip down the vertical panel?

-How best to press the pre-finished panel on? by hand, with a special roller? I don't want to scratch the surface.

Thanks,
Stephen

[John Hemenway]

How thick is the pre-finished? Is it finished on both sides? I have some 1/4in. that is finished on one side so regular wood glue would work. If yours is finished on both, there is a glue made for it. It's 'Roo Glue'.

[stephen wood]

How thick is the pre-finished? Is it finished on both sides? I have some 1/4in. that is finished on one side so regular wood glue would work. If yours is finished on both, there is a glue made for it. It's 'Roo Glue'.


1/4 unfinished on glue side.

[Brian Tymchak]

Hmm. Just thinking out loud here... I wonder if contact cement could work for you. Assuming you can work out good ventilation of the solvent as it dries, being 1/4" ply, I think it should be flexible enough to use a laminate roller to get a good adhesion as you place it. No clamps needed. And you don't have to worry about the panel sliding in the wet glue, or managing squeeze out. Just worry about getting it positioned right the first time.

I think rolling glue/cement on with a little trim roller (3") should eliminate or minimze any runs/drips on the verticals, not to mention giving you a nice uniform layer of glue. And if you have a large area to cover, a roller is the way to go.

[stephen wood]

What happens if I don't get it positioned right? Is it stuck on for good?

[Jim Rimmer]

What happens if I don't get it positioned right? Is it stuck on for good?

If your referring to the contact cement suggestion, yes. Normally you would put slats between the sheets and position the sheet then pull the slats out but that's kind of hard to do on a vertical installation. :rolleyes:

[Larry Edgerton]

Titebond makes a trim glue that is thicker that may just be the ticket for what you want to do. Its not worth a tinkers damn for trim as it is TOO thick, but it does not run easily and would work for what you want to do well I believe.

Larry

[Jeremy Greiner]

I would think tightbond would be plenty strong enough, to handle the squeeze out, you can apply some blue masking tape to the edges of the plywood, once the glue sets you should be able to just peel away the tape.

You can google a couple different methods of handling glue squeeze out and find one that works for you I'd practice on a test peice first though.

-jeremy

[Alan Bienlein]

What happens if I don't get it positioned right? Is it stuck on for good?

No it's not stuck for good. If you make a mistake and not position it correctly you can fill a glue bottle with lacquer thinner and drill a 1/32" hole in a new tip. You'll use this to apply the lacquer thinner between the two pieces while pulling slightly on the piece you applied while applying the lacquer thinner sparingly. After the thinner dries you can reapply a light coat of contact cement and try again. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation if you need to do this!

[Jamie Buxton]

The usual method for putting up plywood paneling is construction adhesive. There are versions of it specifically intended for paneling. Look in your local HD or the like.

Unlike contact cement, construction adhesive allows moving the panel to put it in exactly the right place. Unlike Titebond, construction adhesive needs no clamping or cauls. Unlike many wood glues, construction adhesives can stick to varnished surfaces.

[tyler mckee]

i would probably just use contact cement. test fit to make sure every thing fits perfect, maybe make a reference mark or two for positioning, and go for it. If possible i like to leave whatever i can a little proud and trim flush with a trim router.

[stephen wood]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I went with contact cement. Worked out great.