Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:05pm

Hi Tony, I've got a slight dip in the tonge and groove roof inside my boat, and before putting up some final finishing strips, am attempting to raise it. I tried sticking a piece of the correct thickness ply wood to the steel inner roof with no more nails. I then wedged a length of 4x4 between the roof and the floor and left it to go off for about 4 days. When I tried screwing the roof onto the ply it just came away from the steel and the no more nails didn't seem to have gone off entirely. Could this be due to the steel being cold< or should I try a different adhesive altogther? Cheers. Ben

Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:34pm

Dear Ben, First of all check that the no-nails has not pulled the paint away from the steel. I suspect that if you did this since Christmas the steel was probably so cold your breath made a film of condensation on the steel before you had a chance to apply the no-nails. This would apply to any adhesive though. Personally I would spend some time Googling to try to find a special adhesive specifically made for bonding wood to steel. The ones I would start to look at are made by Sika and one of the Sikaflex range may be just the job. It will be vital to avoid condensation and to prep. the metal as detailed in the application instructions. This may mean course abrading so the area will require protecting once the adhesive has hardened. I fear the expansion of the roof in the summer may require an expensive adhesive primarily produced for industry. I know some people have spoked highly of various PU adhesives, but I would want to see the application sheets before buying. Tony Brooks