Masonry contractors working in late-winter, early-spring weather conditions on an expansive ski resort-style private home in Idaho found a new adhesive system from Powers Fasteners, Inc., New Rochelle, N.Y., to be truly a product for all seasons. The Acrylic-100 system can be dispensed in below-freezing conditions without sacrificing load capacity or moisture resistance.
Contractors were able to work much faster on the 14,000-sq-ft project by using the system. “Even when working in near-zero temperatures, we were achieving setting times much closer to what we are generally used to working with. The new adhesive system made our work much quicker at this time of year,” said Brett Sullivan of Sullivan Construction, Hailey, Idaho, who was working for General Contractors Peter Sturdivant of Hailey, Idaho. “While the job site was tented and heated in the cold months to prevent cement the masons used from freezing, the Acrylic-100 needed no special heating to pump and set properly,” Sullivan added.
The custom-designed home in the Sun Valley region of Idaho prominently features large-cut sandstone blocks of varying shapes and sizes (over 700 tons of stone) on both the exterior and interior of the home. Jim Dowen of KLM Hardware, Sun Valley, Idaho, suggested the Acrylic-100 system to Sullivan Construction and Project Superintendent Olivier Chaussemiche to help address the cold-weather concerns. Once the product was on the site, the stone masons found many uses for the adhesive.
Sullivan began using Acrylic-100 to install stone pieces in exterior overhangs and in archways, which are the architectural centerpieces in the house designed by Ruscitto/Latham/Blouton Architecture P.A., Ketchum, Idaho. To fasten overhangs over a three-car garage entrance, Sullivan used Acrylic-100 injected into holes in each sandstone block and then placed over bolts protruding from hollow block core of the building. In the many archways throughout the house, the backs of each sandstone block were drilled out and injected with the product, then placed over angle iron and set in place. In three fireplaces, Sullivan used the adhesive to attach very large hearth and mantelpiece stones (ranging from 800 to 2,000 lb) into the wall with rod. Other uses for the adhesive system included:
- fastening stone steps in stairways;
- attaching window-sill pieces;
- making a distinctive oval stone window by fastening stones onto a diamond mesh;
- fastening stone in corners of window pieces where there was only 3/4-in of material to fasten into; and
- adhering the stones together vertically in columns.
According to Powers Fasteners’ Salt Lake City Branch Manager, Bruce Burnett, the acrylic epoxy resin comes in an engineered plastic cartridge, with the hardener contained in a smaller tube and acrylic base resin in a larger tube. While many adhesive systems become difficult to dispense below 40ºF and require cartridge heaters or other methods to warm the material, the new acrylic epoxy resin has a special 7:1 blend of resin to hardener to ensure the proper mixing of components and fast curing at all times and in all kinds of weather.
Dowen noted the engineered plastic cartridges held up well as the product was dispensed, and did not burst or leak. The cartridges can be sealed and reused, and once opened, have a shelf life of 18 months.
Burnett added that while Acrylic-100 was chosen for this job because of the cold, high-mountain desert conditions, the adhesive dispenses and cures quickly in warm temperatures as well. Because of its cold-weather performance, Acrylic-100 is ideal for solid- and hollow-base material projects such as façade restorations that require outside application. It is also suitable for warm-weather applications where rapid setting time is critical.
For more information on the Acrylic-100 adhesive system, contact Powers Fasteners, Inc., 2 Powers Square, New Rochelle, NY 10801; phone 914-235-6300.
For more information on Sullivan Construction, contact PO Box 2525, Hailey, ID 83333; phone 208-727-1105.
For more information on KLM Hardware, contact the company at PO Box 2190, Sun Valley, ID 83353; phone 208-726-3180.
