Costs of Contact Cement per Square Foot of Product

Thoughts on the economics of various contact cement application systems. June 12, 2014

Question
What do you guys figure the glue line costs using contact cement? Using some figures that I think come from Wilson Art.

Using the propane type tanks = 25 sq ft per pound at $205 for 27 pounds. That is $.31 per sq ft for bonded surface.

Using the same type glue in a pail = 144 sq ft per gallon at $145 for 5 gallons that is $.20 per sq ft for bonded surface.

Sound about right?

Forum Responses
(Laminate and Solid Surface Forum)
From contributor B:
We have studied this quite extensively and canisters are not the right choice for us. Canister glue (most brands) cost in excess of $.30 per unbonded SF. We cannot bury over $.60 per bonded SF of panel into our product costs and be competitive. As such, we stay with Wilsonart W800 which costs less than $.08 per unbonded SF. It is one of the best bonding glues on the market... I can say this because we have tried all major brand glues on the market and we always go back to W800 because of cost and bonding strength. May not be the best choice for your firm but it has proven itself worthy for ours.



From the original questioner:
Thanks. I wonder if it is available in California. Sounds like it is worth a try.


From contributor B:
W800 - I don't believe - is CA compliant. Maine just passed laws that will require us to move away from W800. The equivalent replacement for this (from Wilsonart) is its 1700 series glue. It's about double the cost per 5 gal pale of W800 but the solid content is much, much higher so the output per pail is greater. I've done some quick calculations and it may be even cheaper to spray than the W800. Knowing the laws in our State were going to change, we did a few experimental runs with the 1700 series and it performed similarly to the W800. It's got a bit of a funny smell, but the performance and coverage are pretty great.