# Melamine adhesive



## Bob Willing

I am gluing melamine edge to surface. Can I use gorilla glue and is it better than Titebond Melamine Glue? I will also be securing the joint with melamine fastners. I ran a sample glue up and when I broke the joint the glue held because it pulled the melamine saurface off and I had exposed composit board. I rough up the melamine surface before I applied the glue.


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## cabinetman

The recommended glue for melamine is Roo Glue. There are others that will also work to some degree. Polyurethane glues like Gorilla Glue, and Titebond III will also work to some degree. A two part epoxy will also work to some degree. The problem with melamine is there is a non porous surface. In addition to that a butt joint would be the weakest.

For a high stress joint, a method I use is to dado the board just enough to break through the surface, like 1/8" deep. Doing that will give a much better joint for even Titebond II to work well. If fasteners can be used the joint will be held until dry. Clamping also works well.


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## Bob Willing

Thanks 

For two of the largest joints I have made a dado 1/8 deep so I guess I am on going in the right direction. I'l see if I can find roo glue.


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## AndyDuframe

One thing I've noticed about gluing any kind of composite is how much and how quickly it soaks up glue into the fibers...much more than solid wood. That means I usually go too light with the glue, and end up with a weak joint. To avoid this problem, I just put on a "pre-coat" of glue, let it soak in awhile, then add another final coat before clamping.


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## Bob Willing

I have followed your advice with the dados and I also found fastners that are just for this type of board from McFeelys in Madison, WI. They are for MDF and Melamine. I also am using Titebond Glue III and am using enough glue because it has flowed out where I had to clean it up with a rag. Thanks for the advice. I find your advice very helpful.



cabinetman said:


> The recommended glue for melamine is Roo Glue. There are others that will also work to some degree. Polyurethane glues like Gorilla Glue, and Titebond III will also work to some degree. A two part epoxy will also work to some degree. The problem with melamine is there is a non porous surface. In addition to that a butt joint would be the weakest.
> 
> For a high stress joint, a method I use is to dado the board just enough to break through the surface, like 1/8" deep. Doing that will give a much better joint for even Titebond II to work well. If fasteners can be used the joint will be held until dry. Clamping also works well.


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## adhesive tape

Double-sided foam tapes are gaining ground in the furniture industry. They are used to attach profiles, decorative trim, and facias efficiently and securely, and also to secure goods for transportation.Try them once.


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## Julian the woodnut

Damned spammer! Get outta here with that crap!


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## rrich

Let me toss a few things out here for general discussion.

We very rarely glue melamine to melamine. (e.g. The white plastic surface to the white plastic surface.) The only place that I'm aware of this is when gluing back pine to the back of a cabinet or when two pieces of melamine are glued together to increase thickness. The best glue for this is (as Mike said) ROO glue. I've not tried the Titebond melamine glue, however Franklin makes good adhesives so I'm sure their glue would work well.

Melamine is usually bonded to a particle board substrate. When gluing an edge of a melamine sheet into a dado (or rabbet) cut into another sheet of melamine, this is *not* a melamine to melamine joint. The joint is particle board to particle board. For this joint, I prefer Titebond II. It works very well. When 3/4" melamine, 1/4" dados and tight dados, clamping is usually enough to hold a carcass together. I personally will shoot 1-1/2", 16 gage finishing nails into the joint "just to hold until the glue dries".  I have built a few cabinets where the nails would show. In these cabinets just clamps and cauls were used for the assembly process.

Just a note about melamine. Usually the sheets are between 1/128" and 1/64" over the nominal. Make your dados about 1/64" over and use a 120 grit sanding block to bevel the edges of the melamine sheet. The beveled edge will slide nicely into the dado. I almost always cut the dados on my table saw using a stacked dado. A snug fitting dado is surprisingly strong after the glue dries.


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