Gripfill in its original solvent form, and also in the new solvent free format, has become a bit of a generic term in the building industry. Often a builder will say “Gripfill the skirting onto the stud walls,” even if he is using another adhesive. There is now plenty to choose from but Gripfill opened up the market, and gave tradesmen the confidence to stick rather than screw. That iconic green tube – some see it as a phallic symbol – is reassuring.

We all know that it sticks, but what else does it do? The key feature is that it is a gap fill grab adhesive. This means that it is ideal for uneven surfaces where the contact between the two materials is not 100%. The grab feature is optional. If you simply stick a skirting to the wall then the adhesive will take a few minutes to go off. If you want the adhesive to grab then you have to pull the skirting away again so that some of the adhesive is on the wall, and some is on the skirting board. If you allow the adhesive to ‘flash off’, before pressing it back on the wall again, the adhesive will grab hold. You need to make sure that you position the board accurately because, once it grabs, it is difficult to remove without pulling away the substrate.

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I have noticed that a nice fresh tube of Gripfill runs freely and doesn’t ball up. I asked the manufacturers if the formulation had been changed and they said it hadn’t, but then they added that the toluene had been removed on a health and safety directive. This could be why it seems to be freer flowing than it was originally. If you haven’t used Gripfill for a while give it a go and see what you think. No one adhesive is ideal for all jobs. Because Gripfill is a gap fill adhesive it isn’t best suited to fine joinery. The carpenter in the picture is using it to glue the dowel, but he has used a PVA where the surfaces meet as a belt and braces measure. Gripfill has too much body to allow a really close fit so,
where the joinery isn’t being painted, it might not be the best choice. The fact that you can use it inside and out, and that it sticks timber, brick, tiles, concrete, glass and metal to name but a few, makes it a perfect adhesive to keep in the back of the van. In fact, most builders I know tend to buy it a dozen tubes at a time.
www.bostik.com

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