adhering cove base or skirting

[kylenelson]

Johnsonite:

http://www.johnsonite.com/Portals/8/...EINS041708.pdf

[adam]

Obviously its done several different ways. Some of our customers use Boa Tape only in certain situations like for nonporous surfaces or healthcare, others use it just at the corners, and others use it for every foot of the installation. My observation is that their applications for the tape progresses over time.

[Peter Kodner]

You guys finally hit on a subject I have hands on experience with !!!! That was my niche while working summers in high school. Still wasn't very good or fast I was a back spreader versus wall spreader. I was way to sloppy too do it any other way (maybe I should tell the story of the first time they had me spread cutback in a room w/o supervision A week for it to set up ). We also used a roller for all of our base.

Definitely used 1/8 material. Not worth the penny or two for .080 gauge. Tried always to use cove, even with carpet.

We changed to white acryli9c base adhesive as soon as it came out. Batches tended to be so different in the old brown cove base adhesives; One pail easy spread, second pail snap the handle off the spreader. Armstrong's was the worst!!!

We tried very hard to get our guys to use guns but only a few guys liked them so we stopped using it. Also had a bear getting them to clean the nozzles (we furnished the guns early on). They would come back to the shop completely ruined.

The only returns we ever had problems with were those one inch jobs. Even used brads on occasion for those

One thing we were very careful of was getting into the job minutes the vinyl hanger had to trim between 1/4" and 1/2" from the top of the top before we started. POed more than a few supers and paper hangers in my career...

[Barry Carlton]

Peter Kodner said You guys finally hit on a subject I have hands on experience with !!!! That was my niche while working summers in high school. Still wasn't very good or fast I was a back spreader versus wall spreader. I was way to sloppy too do it any other way (maybe I should tell the story of the first time they had me spread cutback in a room w/o supervision A week for it to set up ). We also used a roller for all of our base. Definitely used 1/8 material. Not worth the penny or two for .080 gauge. Tried always to use cove, even with carpet. We changed to white acryli9c base adhesive as soon as it came out. Batches tended to be so different in the old brown cove base adhesives; One pail easy spread, second pail snap the handle off the spreader. Armstrong's was the worst!!! We tried very hard to get our guys to use guns but only a few guys liked them so we stopped using it. Also had a bear getting them to clean the nozzles (we furnished the guns early on). They would come back to the shop completely ruined. The only returns we ever had problems with were those one inch jobs. Even used brads on occasion for those One thing we were very careful of was getting into the job minutes the vinyl hanger had to trim between 1/4" and 1/2" from the top of the top before we started. POed more than a few supers and paper hangers in my career...

I am sorry, I do not understand this statement.

[Peter Kodner]

barrycarlton said I am sorry, I do not understand this statement.

The recording of the conversation during job meetings are called minutes. The are mostly held in filthy site trailers with mud driveways and no parking. I always loved having to attend them whilst wearing a suit, NOT!

The minutes were usually typed up and the first order of business the next month is to state any corrections you wanted from the previous month (or week). The meetings can be rather fun experiences and you can be a real prick a lot of the time in them.

See all the fun you residential guys miss?

[Barry Carlton]

I was reading 'minutes' in the time context. I understand fully now. My bad!

[BrianM]

Peter Kodner said The recording of the conversation during job meetings are called minutes. The are mostly held in filthy site trailers with mud driveways and no parking. I always loved having to attend them whilst wearing a suit, NOT! The minutes were usually typed up and the first order of business the next month is to state any corrections you wanted from the previous month (or week). The meetings can be rather fun experiences and you can be a real prick a lot of the time in them. See all the fun you residential guys miss?

*
I had quite a few run ins trying to get the the paperhanger to trim his wall covering where my base would not overlap more than 1/4" to 1/2". The salesmen and even the OWNERS of my shop were pretty cluesless and never even thought about such an issue to be brought up IN ADVANCE so the super and paper hanger's boss would back me up. So for a half a dozen to a dozen jobs very early in my career I made a complete fool out of myself and they literally laughed in my face when I tried to get the job done to specs. I wasn't even a journeyman yet. So that's that and to this day I don't give it a second thought. Whatever is on that wall is getting cove base. That's what they pay me for. That's what they get.

[FlooringGirl]

My best cove base installers use the large cove adhesive tubes which fit into caulk guns, gouge the corners unless I'm specified to provide preformed, and use tapes on the corners, most recently Boa tape (thanks so much to Adam, they are loving it for all kinds of things, and as soon as your free samples are gone, you'll be seeing some orders, I'm sure of it!).

We do have guys who lay an excellent floor and then put on cove base no better than a five-year-old could do. AND, the guys that are good at it, hate doing it. This is why I keep thinking that would be a sweet little side job for me!

Tia

[BrianM]

kylenelson said Out of curiousity Brian, how do you gouge your corners? With a gouge or by hand? I'll admit that I'm no commercial guy and probably install cove base 2 times a month and usually not in large quantities. And have you ever used one of those guns I linked to above" I'm sure you're pretty confident you can go faster with a putty knife. But, the gun will apply adhesive faster than I can walk down the wall.

'

I use the base gouge for all my outside corners. It's set to take out about 2/3 of the material or more. Inside corners will "wrap" with black or brown rubber base on square, plumb corners. Light colors, irregular walls/floors or vinyl plastic material typically require scribing.

I barely recall using the base gun once or twice. I'd give it a try if someone I worked for wanted to buy glue tubes rather than buckets but honestly I never gave it a fair shot. I think it would be fine with Burke base on perfect walls but the three lines of glue oozed through the nozzle would telegraph through certain colors, gauges and types of base so it's not going to be something I would consider standard or universal.

I can see where 12 foot of base here and there under toe kicks a couple times a month would be efficient to have the tube/nozzle set up. It's just not what I see being done on commercial jobs to any extent.

[Peter Kodner]

Probably get an argument or two here, but the way to use gun is to push the glue, not pull it, i.e. the nozzle is behind the beads.

[Robert Akin]

Here in the Northwest it is all roll base. I honestly cannot remember the last time I hung 4ft base. All done with a base gun. The trick to the gun is the angle you hold it. The higher you hold it the less adhesive comes out the nozzles. The lower you hold more adhesive you leave. I do believe you get a nicer outside corner if you contact it because it holds the toe and the lower part of the base better to the wall. Keeps the base from riding up at the toe. Especially if you have some floor unevenness.

The telegraphing is usually caused by to much adhesive. It does not take much to hold it on there. Also one thing you have to keep in mind is base adhesive shrinks as it sets up in effect as to suck the base tighter to the wall. So using it as a filler can cause issues.




Rob

[FlooringGirl]

You mean to hold the gun at the angle into your work instead of coming off it. Seems to me that would have the potential to be messier on the tip of the tube? Just curious. Can't say I've ever thought about that detail ...

Tia

Peter Kodner said Probably get an argument or two here, but the way to use gun is to push the glue, not pull it, i.e. the nozzle is behind the beads.

[BrianM]

kylenelson said Here's a link to Ray Thompson's cove base article in FCI. How to Install Coved Wall Base - Archives - Floor Covering Installer He sticks pretty close to reccomended procedures but suggest a deeper gouge on the corners.

Everything was pretty much right on except the contact cement at the outside corner. It's overkill and we just don't do it that way.

[Al Gladden]

i use a crain corner molder for corners, i do not like to gouge them..

[rgfloor]

Having hung pallets, yes pallets of the stuff, I'll tell ya I like the look of continous roll material, but prefer working with 4 ft.

And I am with Peter, push that gun.... don't pull that thang. You have a whole lot better control of the amount applied. It may be a little slower than pulling but not much. I personally wore out two of the big metal Gundlach guns.

Contractor calls one day and says "I need ya to hang some base" me (OK where at) "the courthouse renovation he says, everything will be delivered on Friday can ya start Mon?" Me: "sure" When I showed up on Monday there were 3 pallets of base and a pallet of adhesive tubes 12,000 ft of black 4 inch coils. Late 80's and getting 50 cents a foot, took two weeks.