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The Yellowing of Adhesives

One of the things to keep in mind if you are stone fabricator choosing an adhesive for use on porcelain is whether the glue is non-yellowing. Perhaps you have seen it already or you are trying to avoid it because you heard a horror story about an install that began to yellow as it aged. It is a real concern for fabricators to consider before the project begins. In this article, we will see why yellowing should be considered when choosing an adhesive and we will also look at what causes this to happen to adhesives that are used for hard surfaces like porcelain.

Is Non-yellowing Adhesive Required?

The short answer to that question is no. Fabricators are free to choose whichever adhesives they prefer. Additionally, not every project benefits from the added expense of a non-yellowing adhesive as long as the strength of the glue being used is sufficient for the project on which it is being used. That being said, there are cases where it makes perfect sense to select a non-yellowing bonding agent.

What Causes Adhesives to Yellow

Before we begin explaining when it makes sense to choose a non-yellowing glue for your project, we will first touch briefly on what causes it to occur. There are various things that can cause adhesives to change color. however, a common reason that glue yellows is due to the effects of UV light on the glue's ingredients. heat is another factor that can cause substandard performance in stone adhesives.

Sunlight is a source that generates both heat and UV rays. The UV light from sunlight can be the culprit is a case of adhesive yellowing. It makes sense then that not all projects can tolerate the use of just any glue.

Projects That Call for Non-yellowing Adhesives

Now that we have mentioned a common cause of adhesive yellowing, we can begin to explore when it might make sense to use a non-yellowing glue like one of the following:

Each of the above non-yellowing adhesives are a high performance glue for use on materials that benefit from non-yellowing glue. Glaxs is great for porcelain countertops like Neolith or Crossville surfaces. Mastidek, as the name suggests, is formulated and color matched for use on DEKTON, and StrongBond is the option for Lapitec. Each of these quality adhesives offers great strength and they are non-yellowing.

Outdoor Projects

Considering the role that UV light plays in the yellowing of stone glue and other specific adhesives, it makes sense that outdoor projects would benefit from the us of a non-yellowing adhesive. Therefore, we recommend the abiove non-yellowing adhesives for all outdoor projects where there respective materials will be installed.

Indoor Projects

It could be easy to conclude that since a project is indoors and not outdoors, then it does not need a non-yellowing adhesive. However, that is not necessarily the case. Some indoor projects will receive quite a bit of sunlight and some surfaces are even in direct sunlight. Selecting a non-yellowing adhesive for indoor projects that are exposed to sunlight is a simple way to ensure that your hard work does not get marred by the yellowing of the glue selected.

In conclusion then, it would be incorrect to say that every project needs a non-yellowing adhesive. Yet, as we have established, there are sound reasons for considering a non-yellow stone adhesive for a variety of projects; both indoors and out. Tenax offers a number of products designed to yield great results without yellowing.