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Grab adhesive buying guide

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are looking at white cartridges that all say grab adhesive, and half of them also say no more nails. One may be a water-based acrylic that dries by evaporation, one a solvent rubber that skins fast, and one a hybrid that cures with moisture. The label will not always name the chemistry. Decide the two surfaces first, then interior or outside, then a gun cartridge or a screw-cap tube. This page does not rank the five amazon.co.uk listings. Prices are shelf figures from 19 October 2026. We did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The set is the [grab adhesive comparison](/hub/fillers-adhesives-and-sprays/grab-adhesive).

You are looking at white cartridges that all say grab adhesive, and half of them also say no more nails.

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Three pastes, one name

UniBond No More Nails Original is a water-based acrylic. Henkel’s cartridge sheet, dated 17 April 2026, puts it on interior dry service, with one absorbent face, a set of 24–48 hours, and gap fill stated to 10 mm. The two-cartridge pack is about £9.86 for 560 ml. Solvent rubber, the Gripfill type, skins quickly. The Health and Safety Executive tells workplaces to prefer low-solvent products and to ventilate. None of the five kept listings is that chemistry. Evo-Stik Seriously Strong Stuff is the hybrid here, one 290 ml cartridge at about £6.49. The brand page separates up to 300 kg/m² after 15 minutes from full strength after 24 hours. Amazon’s full-cure field says 15 minutes, and a Wickes-hosted sheet says up to 8 kg unsupported after 15 minutes. A painted or plastic face is the split on water-based vs hybrid grab adhesive.

Porous, damp or outdoor

Henkel states that one of the two surfaces must be porous. Gloss against plastic, or metal on a sealed board, does not. If both faces are sealed, an evaporation paste stays soft. UniBond is interior, and the listing says water resistant, not waterproof. Evo-Stik says interior and exterior, damp surfaces, and waterproof. Damp there is not saturated masonry or running water. The 151 exterior three-pack is titled exterior, solvent-free and waterproof, at about £6.75 for a stated 840 ml. The listing does not name it as an SMP, so do not file it as the hybrid because it says outside. It gives no minimum temperature. Henkel starts UniBond at +10°C. The Evo-Stik fast-set sheet starts at +5°C. Do not copy a below-freezing hybrid line onto either product.

Cartridge, tube and what you pay

A 280–310 ml cartridge needs a sealant gun. A 180 ml screw-cap tube does not. In this set the tube is 151 Hard As Nails at about £3.87, interior, with a listed cure of 24–48 hours. It suits a short repair. It does not suit a room of skirting. Henkel and Evo-Stik both quote about 11 m from a 5 mm bead on a full cartridge. The 151 exterior three-pack is about £6.75, the interior three-pack about £7.18, UniBond’s two-pack about £9.86 and Evo-Stik about £6.49. A low price can be a short tube. Which listing fits a named job is the best grab adhesive page.

Foam, mirrors and bath edges

Polystyrene coving is the foam test. Solvent rubber can attack it. Use a solvent-free paste whose label names foam. The 151 interior listing names polystyrene coving, with one porous surface. UniBond’s page also names polystyrene mouldings for No More Nails Original. If the cartridge is silent, do not guess. Overhead boards and a large mirror are where a professional should take over. Henkel says No More Nails Original is not for mirrors, and the two-pack listing does not claim them. Evo-Stik’s Seriously Strong Stuff bullets do name mirrors. The 180 ml tube lists mirror among specific uses and gives no method, so that field is not a specification. A bath edge wants sanitary silicone. Solvent-free does not mean hybrid. The acrylic and the SMP in this set are both solvent-free. The difference is how they cure.

Common questions

Is No More Nails the same thing as grab adhesive?
No More Nails is a UniBond name that shoppers use for the whole category. Grab adhesive is the type: a thick paste for trim and light fixings. UniBond No More Nails Original is a water-based acrylic for dry interior work with one porous face. A hybrid such as Evo-Stik Seriously Strong Stuff, and a solvent rubber such as Gripfill, are also sold as grab adhesive. The slogan on the tube does not tell you the cure.
Do I need one porous surface?
You do if the paste dries by water evaporation. Henkel’s sheet for No More Nails Original says one surface must be porous, and the amazon.co.uk bullets on the two-pack repeat that. Bare plaster or bare timber usually counts. Two sealed faces, such as gloss against plastic, leave the water with nowhere to go and the bead soft. A hybrid that cures with moisture is the paste sold for non-porous pairs. Check that claim on the cartridge you buy.
Should I buy a cartridge or a screw-cap tube?
Buy a cartridge when you have a sealant gun and a run of trim. The cartridges here are about 280–290 ml, and the maker sheets quote about 11 m of a 5 mm bead. Buy the 180 ml tube at about £3.87 when the job is small and you want to re-seal the pack. A tube will not carry a whole room of skirting. Neither format removes the need to support a heavy or sprung board.
Which grab adhesive is for outside?
Two listings in this set say outside. Evo-Stik Seriously Strong Stuff, about £6.49 for 290 ml, says interior and exterior and damp surfaces, not running water. The 151 exterior three-pack, about £6.75, is titled exterior and waterproof, and mentions colder weather without a minimum temperature. UniBond No More Nails Original and the 151 interior pack are interior. Water resistant on a listing is not an exterior title.
Can I use grab adhesive on polystyrene coving?
Only a solvent-free paste whose label names foam. Solvent rubber can attack polystyrene. The 151 interior listing names polystyrene coving if one surface is porous. UniBond’s product page names polystyrene mouldings for No More Nails Original. If the cartridge is silent, do not guess. Keep a solvent Gripfill-type paste off coving.

Related pages

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 19 October 2026.

  1. Henkel UniBond No More Nails Original cartridge sheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Evo-Stik Seriously Strong Stuff (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Wickes-hosted fast-set data (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. 151 exterior safety data sheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. HSE construction solvents (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. BuildWiz grab adhesive guide, 15 October 2026 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Evo-Stik Gripfill Solvent-Free (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for the five ASINs in this set (retrieved 19 October 2026)