IS GLUE EVER ENOUGH?!

[andyryan23]

Hi,

New user here.

I am resurfacing my stairs with some lovely oak boards.
The original stairs are concrete and i am fixing 12mm battens to this to allow a space for noise insulation/underlay and then fixing the oak boards to the battens.

I was told that i could use glue for this purpose and have fixed the battens to the steps with Wickes no nails glue. I am however worried about whether this will not be strong enough to hold the steps in place. I dont want it to fail and to break somebodies neck. The problem is i dont want visible fixings and thought glue would be the quickest and most simple solution.

Any thoughts welcome.

 

[Burnerman]

Personally I'd fix your battens to the concrete with traditional screws and plastic plugs. You can then fix your oak treads and risers to the battens using either CSK screws and filler or preferably cut plugs that you press into a counterbored screw hole.
John

 

[andyryan23]

thanks John.

Thats the ideal scenario i know but i have 4 battens per step and 14 steps...thats 64 holes to drill before i even get to fixing the oak treads.

Then i would probably need at least 2- 4 screws to drill per step and then plug after and the scale of the task seems immense.

Not to mention the fact that im not convinced i could achieve an "invisible" looking plug to the hole.

This is why i was going down the glue route

 

[Burnerman]

Well, yer takes the chance etc.....however, if your oak does tend to move a bit, I don't think no nails would hold it.
I'm too much an old timer I guess!
John

 

[wreckedit]

There are far better glues to use for what you would like to do and they are not found in Wickes. For a start I would suggest a proper wood glue that's used in marine construction. Its still in tubes so easy to use. Also, make test pieces to check the strength of what you are making if you are not going to use screws. But, you should as advised take your time and use screws as well for the battens on the concrete. Sink the screw heads in to the batten. If it takes your an hour to drill the holes what's that in a life time.
For somebody of your nonails experience you be advised to take things cautiously.

 

[andyryan23]

Thanks for the advice.

It seems like the feeling is to screw the battens to the wood and then either screw the boards to the battens (with hidden fixing) or glue but with specialist wood glue.

Could you provide a link to such a glue so i know what i am dealing with?

One more question regarding drilling the holes for the battens:

In the past when drilling through wood and into concrete/masonry i have had to drill through the wood first with a normal drill bit and then change to a hammer drill and masonry bit to continue the hole. Is there a way to do it without having keeping changing bits?

 

[pompeyal]

By the time you finish asking questions on this one you could have drilled all the holes in the wood and then drilled through the concrete, if you cut all the wooden battens to suit their positions then drill them all together, site each batten then drill the concrete you only have to change the drill bit once. Think the job out and make it easy for yourself......

 

[andyryan23]

alright mate im not retarded. Im at work when asking these questions. DIY time's for the evening and weekends...so im not wasting any time. Thanks for such a useful response though.

(which one of these smiley faces lets you know im being sarcastic? maybe this one )

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

im not wasting any time.

Your boss might disagree though?

 

[andyryan23]

no, he's a kind boss and wants me to have the best stairs possible.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I like the cut of your jib Sir!

 

[andyryan23]

so back to the question....can anyone point me to a super strong wood glue that will hold my tread to my battens?

 

[wreckedit]

These are a couple or three.

Best marine glue
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cascamite-500g-Tub-Extramite-Adhesive/dp/B0001OZIA2

Polyurethane glue
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Adhesives+Sealants/Wood+Adhesive+PVA/d180/sd3198

If the surfaces are smooth the bottle will do otherwise use the tube. The tube glue will lift a board up as it gap fills. Either method use weights if not screws.

When making stair alterations you must be aware of the safety. It would be good to trap the rear edge of the step.

Be sure to do test pieces first.

 

[andyryan23]

Ive been looking at a lot of wood glues and they all seem to claim to "form a bond stronger than the wood itself" even standard PVA. Does this mean what it sounds like? and if so aren't they all suitable to fix my treads to battens as essentially the battens and tread would just perform as a single piece of wood?

 

[chappers]

Ditch the battens and just fix the oak directly with a decent solvent based parquet adhesive, such as Sikabond T54 or Bona S760