Mapei Ultrabond Eco 985 is a specialized flooring adhesive used to secure wood subfloor material to concrete. A hybrid-polymer-based product, Ultrabond Eco 985 is superior to adhesives that contain water and/or epoxy resins. Metro uses Ultrabond Eco 985 for a high percentage of our flooring projects and our customers have had nothing but positive reviews of the the results.
What makes this flooring adhesive ideal for adhering wood to concrete is its ability to block all moisture that may seep upwards through cracks in and around a concrete subfloor. It also emits virtually no volatile organic compounds into the air. We find this product from Mapei easy to use because only a single application and drying period is necessary to form an extremely tight bond.
Product Features and Specifications Ultrabond Eco 985 is ready for use right out of the container. No mixing is required. A single layer of this bonding product creates a moisture and sound barrier between concrete and wood flooring. The strength of Ultrabond Eco 985 means a long-lasting bond between wood and concrete, and its slight penetrative qualities makes it the perfect adhesive regardless of wood species.
This product is the preferred adhesive for concrete/wood because:
It is a single-component bonding agent
It is more versatile than most competing products
It trowels more easily than epoxy resin products
It makes for a very easy clean up
It carries a lifetime bonding warranty
Metro’s founder, Joel Negron, was particularly impressed with how easy and effortless the cleanup process was. Joel had this to say about the product:
“We used it at the NWFA workshop for the Vets. We left glue residue on planks, not only overnight, but outside in the conditions as well. The next day was very hot; that adhesive should have been IMPOSSIBLE to get off at that point. It was wiped up and 100% gone with no more effort than simply wiping. That really impressed me.”
Because of its ability to deaden sound waves, this product is ideal for use in multi-family unit construction projects where sound dampening is required by local building codes. It can be used with ceramic, tile, or stone flooring materials as well as plywood subfloor surfaces.
Floor designs that call for strip wood bonding to concrete for the purpose of nail-down applications requires that an extremely strong bond be created between concrete and wood. Ultrabond Eco 985 is the strongest adhesive we have ever used for this type of flooring work.
Sustainable Adhesive
Mapei is also a leader in providing sustainable adhesives that don’t compromise performance. Those in the adhesives industry have had to modify their formulations in order to embrace the increased demand for “sustainable” flooring products. Here’s an informative Q&A from Hardwood Floors Magazine where we learn how rethinking the formulating process impacts overall performance: link to adhesive Q&A.
Applying The Product
In most cases, the included clip-on trowels are all the tools needed to key in and spread the product. The flat side of the trowel is used to key in the adhesive to the concrete subfloor, and the product is then spread with the ridge lines at a 90 degree angle to the long-side direction of the plywood or other wood floor surface.
Product Ratings
Mapei Ultrabond Eco 985 has been found to be a superior product in terms of sound reduction rating test results. It remains soft and workable for up to 60 minutes, meaning even large floor surfaces can be prepared in a single procedure.
A 1-gallon pail of Ultrabond Eco 985 will spread over approximately 40 square feet of surface when a bond is needed between concrete and plywood. For special underlayments such as cork, a thinner coat is preferred. We have found that nearly 125 square feet of surface can be coated when a thin underlay material such as rubber is being bonded to concrete.
Mapei is one of the most trusted names in flooring adhesive products and is a global leader in the manufacturing of superior floor materials setting compounds. Our customers are delighted with the speed at which the adhesives set. The bond is virtually secure the next day, meaning work on the floor covering can begin almost immediately. Metro Atl. Floors is proud to advertise the Mapei name on our flooring project samples literature.
