There was a time when it was uncommon to see adhesive tapes being used to attach functional items, decorative elements, or building materials to walls, ceilings, or floors. If they were used, it was mostly in retail or commercial settings. Traditionally, people relied on hardware like nails, screws, and wall anchors for these purposes.
But that's no longer the case. Today's adhesives are specifically designed to hold more weight and offer quick, easy, and durable mounting solutions. The best part? This shift opens up a world of business opportunities that might be right around you.
Here are just a few examples of where adhesive tapes are now being chosen over mechanical fasteners:
Nowadays, many soap and hand sanitizer dispensers are being attached to bathroom walls and mirrors using adhesive tapes instead of screws and anchors. These tapes usually feature a polyethylene (PE) foam layer with a double-sided acrylic adhesive. The PE foam helps the tape conform to any gaps between the wall and the dispenser and also acts as a shock absorber to reduce stress. Acrylic adhesives are favored in these cases due to their resistance to moisture.
In kitchens and bathrooms, adhesive tapes make it easy to quickly install tile mats and backsplashes on walls. Similar to the tapes used for soap dispensers, these are double-sided foam tapes with a moisture-resistant acrylic adhesive. This method eliminates the hassle of using messy, traditional glues, mastics, or mortars, as the adhesive is already applied to the product. The user simply removes the liner and mounts the tile mat. These products are available at home improvement stores and online, and are also popular for DIY and craft projects.
Luxury vinyl planks (LVP) and tiles (LVT) can be adhered directly to walls to enhance a room's decor. These products often come with adhesive pre-applied, and once the liner is peeled off, they can be mounted using a double-sided foam tape similar to those used for soap dispensers and tile mats.
Acoustical panels are increasingly popular in commercial and retail environments for their ability to reduce noise and enhance aesthetics. These panels often feature a combination of materials bonded together with a low VOC acrylic, pressure-sensitive adhesive suitable for water jet cutting. They can also be attached to walls using pressure-sensitive adhesives.
Adhesive tapes are also suitable for use with carpet tiles, LVP and LVT flooring products, and flooring underlayments. These double-sided tapes generally have a heavy adhesive mass that ensures a strong bond to uneven surfaces like concrete. High Performance Acrylic (HPA™) adhesives are preferred for their excellent holding power and resistance to plasticizers, along with tear-resistant liners for straightforward installation.
The potential for new applications using adhesive tapes could be closer than you think—perhaps right under your feet or on the walls around you! Avery Dennison Performance Tapes provides the adhesive technologies you need to seize these opportunities. To discover more about our products and how they can benefit your business, reach out to your Avery Dennison account manager.
Market Segment Manager Building & Construction / General Industrial
Quin is passionate about technical building applications since he designed and built his family home back in 2012.
Professionally, Quin held several positions as Product Manager responsible for the product life cycle of many technical applications related to the building environment, namely in adhesives, lighting and plastics.
He joined Performance Tapes Europe as a Market Segment Manager for tape applications in the construction and industrial markets where he teams up with customers and R&D to achieve tape solutions that improve the installation of buildings and related products and processes.
quin.dams@eu.averydennison.com
www.linkedin.com/in/quin-dams