marvelseal 1311 and ethafoam or plastazote

[almuart]

Dear All,

I am writing just to ask you for some information related to marvelseal 1311 as I have read it could be used for lining art crates. I was wondering if it has the same properties as marvelseal 360 and if foams like etahfoam or plastazote could be adhered to it.

Thank you very much for any information you may supply

[Chris Barber]

Hi almuart,

Marvelseal 1311 was specifically designed for attaching to wood crate walls and wood storage surfaces. It has the same barrier materials found in 360, plus a textured polycotton-scrim facing that is meant to grip adhesives better than the smoother product. The texture shows on both sides. We keep a roll of 360 in stock, and have tried a roll of 1311. My shop did not notice a compelling difference with the roll we tried. Both attach to wood crate walls fairly adequately with simalfa, a squeegee and plenty of drying time. (We also wrap it just over the edges prior to assembly for a little extra grip.) Both hold ethafoam pads in place with a generous application of hot glue. I did not try the 1311 with plastazote or XPS insulation before we finished the roll.

Still, the texture of 1311 should give it an advantage over 360 with applied adhesives. We are not yet convinced there is a pressing need to make the switch, but I recommend checking it out.

Chris

[T. Ashley McGrew]

Hi Chris,
Thanks for sharing some of your research on the use of this type of material. Sounds like something that we should keep in mind for potential use in various applications.
I am currently in storage mount fabrication mode so everything is on the table. How are actual seals achieved? It would seam (sorry about that) that we would be faced with a film-to-fabric situation at overlaps. Is that right? If so the fabric facing would be able to "breathe" somewhat undermining efforts to achieve a total seal. I may not be envisioning it accurately.
Another options that I have to ask (being to lazy to check it out myself I confess) is what is the relative costs of 1311 vs 360?
Ashley

[Chris Barber]

Ashley,
Good question. The texture of 1311 gives it a notably thicker overlay, so a generous application of adhesive is advisable to avoid breathing through that texture where pieces of 1311 overlap. In keeping with this and other concerns, I would definitely recommend an full-coverage pH neutral adhesive applied with a sprayer. As I mentioned, we use Simalfa in a simple gravity-fed HVLP system. Going over the seams firmly with a squeegee or roller probably does not hurt, but I can't prove that this technique truly makes seams airtight. It would be interesting to test the two products in lined containers.

Taping is a related concern that should be mentioned. Foil tape, or strips cut from the Marvelseal roll, can be a handy way to seam interior corners after assembling walls that have been lined separately, or to seam sections of lining as they are installed in containers already assembled. If using strips of 1311 to seam the pieces, I would recommend a full-coverege adhesive again, and a roller. Foil tape I am not so sure about, as it probably works better with smooth materials like 360. It may be possible to press foil tape into the texture of 1311 a bit, but I have not tried it. At least 1311 on 1311 has the potential to sort of "lock" together with the application of pressure.

1311 is about $70 more per roll than 360.

[Chris Barber]

Oh, and the cotton scrim facing is plasticized, so there is no exposed fiber on either side.

[almuart]

Hi Chris,

Thank you very much for the information. I've never heard of Simalfa before. ¿What kind of adhesive it is? Have you ever tried to apply it with a roller?

[Chris Barber]

It is a water-based adhesive that I have only used with an HVLP sprayer. But there is apparently a roll-on version. http://www.simalfa.com/Products/Overview.htm

It is not necessarily the best available adhesive for marvelseal - it is just something that we keep in stock for installing foam insulation. You may want to experiment with adhesive options.

[eanderson]

Does anyone know if marvelseal would adhere to Coroplast?