Gluing up PVC trim boards

[Stan Calow]

I need to glue up 8" PVC trim boards to make a 24x30 table top (child's play table). Not sure how to do this with glue, other than trying PVC pipe solvent. Any ideas?

[Eric Schmid]

For gluing PVC to itself, clear PVC glue is what you want. I usually buy the stuff sold by the manufacturer of the PVC, but I think it's the same stuff you use to glue pipe. For bonding to other surfaces (wood), PL premium or PVC Trim Welder. Any polyurethane glue will probably work though.

You don't need much clamping pressure to glue PVC to itself. You can probably just hold the pieces together for 30-60 seconds depending on the temperature.

[John Ziebron]

Eric is right in that PVC glue is best to glue PVC. And, unlike glues for wood, it is a solvent based glue. So if you're trying to maintain the nice, shiny surface of the PVC boards don't get any glue on them. You could probably use painter's tape near the edges. And most DYI'ers that have glued PVC pipe are probably familiar with the purple PVC primer that also acts as a catalyst for the glue. But they also make a clear primer which would be more suitable for your project.

Good luck. Let's see some pics when it's done.

[Alan Schaffter]

For the best joint, you need the watery stuff they sell at plastics distributors foruse with acrylic and polycarbonate like IPS Weld (it has various complex chemical names- Ethylene Dicholoride or 1,2-Dricloroethane). You don't want the thicker plumbing stuff you get a big box and hardware stores. The good stuff flows by capillary action into the already mated joint, softens the PVC, and solvent welds it together.

[Stan Calow]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the input.

[Mark Bolton]

The solvent the companies like Azek and others supply is water-based and its thick-ish. It allows a LOT more open time than the solvent based and is slower acting allowing the joint more time to come together than the 10 seconds you get with plumbing solvents. We put together quite a bit of Azek and Royal in the shop and have tested the joints from off the shelf plumbing solvent and the water-based from the manufacturer and there is no comparison.

"AZEK Adhesive provides a strong AZEK to AZEK bond. AZEK Adhesive is a water soluble pvc cement and is non-toxic, odorless, UV stable and during cure time can be cleaned up easily with water. This adhesive provides a 10-minute working time and a 24-hour curing time.

• Ideal for gluing AZEK joints to help prevent joint separation
• For use on smooth, clean surfaces
• 10-minute working time
• 24-hour curing time"

[Jerome Stanek]

I just use the plumbing pvc clear you can get at Home depot

[David Sofio]

The solvent the companies like Azek and others supply is water-based and its thick-ish. It allows a LOT more open time than the solvent based and is slower acting allowing the joint more time to come together than the 10 seconds you get with plumbing solvents. We put together quite a bit of Azek and Royal in the shop and have tested the joints from off the shelf plumbing solvent and the water-based from the manufacturer and there is no comparison.

"AZEK Adhesive provides a strong AZEK to AZEK bond. AZEK Adhesive is a water soluble pvc cement and is non-toxic, odorless, UV stable and during cure time can be cleaned up easily with water. This adhesive provides a 10-minute working time and a 24-hour curing time.

• Ideal for gluing AZEK joints to help prevent joint separation
• For use on smooth, clean surfaces
• 10-minute working time
• 24-hour curing time"

Hi Mark/others,

Mark, from your post & shop experience with PVC "boards," it seems like you'd be well-qualified to answer my question below.

I've been casting about for weatherproof materials with which to build balcony-railing newels. I'm liking the idea of lock-miter-joining four ea. ~5"-wide strips of 3/4" PVC, which I would assemble to form hollow posts. Per your post I would use plumber's (slow set) solvent-cement on those joints. I'd like to place a rabbet around the interior near the bottom of the post, used to 'trap' a square of aluminum plate or some such within the post (PVC being a bit too soft/flexible?) and use that as a concealed, centered, bolt-down point. (I'm still not sure whether there's an IRC requirement that a deck/balcony handrail meets any particular pound-force requirement against being pushed or pulled out of line, but obviously I'm interested in meeting or exceeding the 200lb requirement that exists in other regulatory realms.)

Any suggestions for this scenario?

Thanks - Dave

[Mark Bolton]

Hire an engineer

[David Sofio]

Well, I didn't mean to make you liable somehow for any negative outcome. I just wanted to know whether assemblies of PVC like this can be counted on to, say, break somewhere other than at the glue-joints, if stressed to the point of breakage.

[Tom Bain]

I used this for some PVC trim work I did on my shed. Worked well for me.

93500006-8B7D-43AC-BD94-31E0162F51F2.jpeg

[David Sofio]

Thanks, Tom - I'm gonna guess that was some form of PVC solvent-cement...but I can't view pix unless I'm a paying member (?)

[Tom Bain]

Thanks, Tom - I'm gonna guess that was some form of PVC solvent-cement...but I can't view pix unless I'm a paying member (?)

Yes, it’s Gorilla Brand PVC cement. I liked it for several reasons: It’s clear (although dries sort of milky which was fine with the white trim I was using), relatively thick, it’s a primer and glue in one, and a longer open time than most 2-part PVC systems. So it’s a one-step process with less risk of getting glue where you don’t want it.

Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/GORILLA-PVC-R...8448124&sr=8-1

[David Sofio]

So Gorilla makes a PVC cement? Who knew? (OK, *I* didn't...) Thanks for that.

Have you ever done any "destructive testing" of joints made with this or other solvent-cements? If so, how would you describe the strength? Does an assembly still break at the joint?

I've only ever used plumber's solvent-cement (no primer) on PVC baseboard - just butt joints - and while it's ample for that purpose, the strength of that bond isn't remarkable...but then again the material is cellular, not solid like PVC pipe, either.

[Mark Bolton]

Well, I didn't mean to make you liable somehow for any negative outcome. I just wanted to know whether assemblies of PVC like this can be counted on to, say, break somewhere other than at the glue-joints, if stressed to the point of breakage.

What I meant was, to my knowledge there is no PVC out there that has any structural component to it. You can call Azek/Royal/Versatex and unless something has changed, to my knowledge you would always have to have a structural member be it wood, or metal inside any PVC member, even if it were only supporting its own weight.

An engineer may override that from the manufacturer.

Im guessing you'd wind up reproducing what is commercially available i.e. a steel, stainless, or aluminum, box tube core that gets bolted down, and then you PVC wrap sleeves over it for cosmetics. You could of course build the structure into the post with studs protruding out the bottom if you had the ability to fasten them. But I dont believe you would ever be able to rely on the PVC alone.

There was a member here on the forum that I believe worked heavily/directly with versatex, maybe they will chime in. I know with Azek its is/was a no go.

The lock miter works great and we always used the azek solvent weld cement as its water based but I wouldnt be surprised if its no different than something off the shelf.