America has traditionally been a country of people on the move. Packing up and heading out to find a new home and better opportunities is practically part of the national ethos.
In recent years, however, people have been bucking that trend. Maybe it’s just a blip in our history exacerbated by the pandemic, the rise of remote work, a strong jobs market and higher interest rates. But people now are often staying put. In fact, the moving rate has declined for the past six years, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
At the same time — and perhaps related to this trend — people have wanted to remodel, renovate and redecorate their homes. After all, if you don’t want to move or simply can’t afford to, why not spend a little on the place you call home? Such projects include improvements to living rooms, bedrooms, dens, finished basements, home offices, man caves and she sheds, and more.
According to the 2023 Houzz & Home Study, nearly three in five homeowners remodeled or redecorated in 2022, with the median spend at $22,000. 23% of projects involved living rooms, 16% involved primary bedrooms, and 13% involved home offices.
How pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes are making homes even sweeter
This nesting desire has, however, collided with another pair of trends: the cost of building materials remains inflated, and the building and construction labor force remains tight. So, those renovations cost more, and homeowners may have difficulty finding someone to do the job.
What’s needed is an innovation that helps manage the cost of home improvement products while making them easier and faster to install. Enter pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes.
PSA tapes are being integrated into a variety of home improvement products. They can replace wet glues, mortars or mechanical fasteners as an installation method, making application faster and easier than traditional materials. They can provide “peel-and-stick” ease that gives a homeowner the confidence to tackle a job themselves. PSA tapes also allow for non-permanence that may be ideal for renters (i.e., landlords may discourage holes for screws and other mechanical fasteners).
For living room surfaces, PSA tapes offer multiple advantages over traditional fastening methods.
- Ease of use
Products that can be easily installed by less experienced tradespeople or DIY homeowners provide businesses with an advantage. PSA tapes adhere quickly with no mess, are conformable, and can be repositionable, removable and/or permanent. They require minimal training to install and are a reliable alternative to mechanical fasteners and wet glue systems.
- Application flexibility
Modern interior materials include masonry, drywall, tile, wood, painted surfaces and more. PSA tapes can be engineered to bond to various substrates, including these common building materials, along with low-surface-energy and irregular surfaces. They can also be used for mounting, gap-filling and gasketing applications.
- Strength and durability
Heavier features, such as framed artwork, shelving, sconces and light fixtures, require robust mounting solutions. PSA tapes provide exceptional dead-load shear performance. They resist plasticizers and other chemicals, UV light, humid environments and temperature extremes.
- Consumer safety
Consumer safety is not a “nice-to-have” but essential for a product’s viability and success. PSA tapes can be formulated to meet consumers’ comfort and safety needs, including low VOC levels, fire retardancy and more.
PSA tape applications for living space materials
There’s a wide range of potential uses for PSA tapes in residential living spaces:
- Decorative mirrors
- Pictures/artwork
- Window blinds
- Decorative stone/wood accent walls
- Wallpaper
- Crown molding
- Carpet squares or other flooring
The Avery Dennison portfolio includes a range of adhesive technologies and carrier options. Our customization and testing capabilities complement this expansive selection — if you can’t find an off-the-shelf solution, we can create one that provides the performance you need.
