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How to apply parquet adhesive

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have a tub or a cartridge on the floor and the boards are acclimatising in a UK room, and the question is how to apply parquet adhesive without spreading a skin you then have to scrape off. The sequence is short: choose a bed or a bead, spread only what you can cover inside that product’s open time, press for contact, and wait for the walk-on time that belongs to that product. Prices and the six listings are on the [parquet adhesive comparison](/hub/fillers-adhesives-and-sprays/parquet-adhesive). The Products Compared editorial team used manufacturer sheets and the amazon.co.uk captures from 19 October 2026, not a site trial. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a tub or a cartridge on the floor and the boards are acclimatising in a UK room, and the question is how to apply parquet adhesive without spreading a skin you then have to scrape off.

Our top picks

Sika Sika SikaBond 5500S, 16 kg

Best overall

Sika Sika SikaBond 5500S, 16 kg
9.2/10about £127.99
View offer
Sika Sika SikaBond MS, 600 ml

Best value

Sika Sika SikaBond MS, 600 ml
7.8/10about £12.11
View offer
Bona Bona R848T parquet adhesive, 15 kg

Rank 3

Bona Bona R848T parquet adhesive, 15 kg
7.2/10about £172.88
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Bed or bead
  2. 2.Open time and a skin
  3. 3.When you can walk
  4. 4.Room and floor while you work

Bed or bead

A full bed is a notched trowel. You hold it at about 60 degrees, the angle in Cheville’s glue-down note, and you lay into a receptive bed rather than a film that has already skinned. That is the method for the Sika 16 kg tub, the Bona R848T 15 kg tub, Bona Titan and the 1 kg R848T bag. The Titan listing prints about 850 g/m³ for a Bona 850 F strip. Do not rewrite that unit. A bead belongs to the Bostik 500 g bottle. You run it into the tongue and groove of a floating floor. You do not trowel that bottle across the screed. The Sika MS 600 ml cartridge is a gun for a short run, not a 15 kg bed. If you are only locking floating joints, stop at the bead.

Open time and a skin

Open time is how long the ribs stay usable after they leave the tub. On the Bona R848T sheet that window is about 30 minutes at 20°C and 55% relative humidity. Soudal’s SMX sheet, not one of these listings, says 25–30 minutes, and Bostik’s H160 sheet, also outside this set, talks about 40 minutes. Do not paste those figures onto every listing. If a skin forms, the R848T sheet says remove it and reapply. Do not wet it to revive it. These silane hybrids cure with moisture from the air, and an opened tub skins if you leave the lid off. The 16 kg Sika page publishes no open time, so do not borrow 30 minutes from Bona. The Sika MS page states a 24-hour full cure and says nothing about how long a bead stays open.
Sika Sika SikaBond 5500S, 16 kg

Testsieger

Sika Sika SikaBond 5500S, 16 kg
9.2/10about £127.99
View offer

When you can walk

Walk-on times do not agree, so one number for every tub would be wrong. On the R848T sheet, light foot traffic is about 12 hours and full cure is about 24–48 hours. An older Titan sheet quotes about 6 hours for light traffic, while the amazon listing states a 12-hour full cure. Those are different sentences. Use the sheet you are installing to, and do not treat the listing’s cure line as permission to sand. Bostik H160, not the floating bottle, quotes foot traffic at about 24 hours. The Sika 16 kg page and the 1 kg bag are silent on walking and full cure. The Bostik floating bottle has no cure line. Sika MS states 24 hours to full cure and does not say when you may walk. If the listing is silent, wait for the sheet rather than borrowing another brand’s 12 hours. Soudal’s SMX sheet says sand after 24 hours, and that timing is not a licence to sand the Sika tub.

Room and floor while you work

The R848T sheet wants the air at least 18°C and the floor at least 15°C, and not above 20°C on the floor if underfloor heating is on during the work. Titan’s sheet wants the floor at 15–20°C, the air at least 18°C, and relative humidity at most 70%. Leave the adhesive and the boards in the room until the slab is inside the band the sheet names. Two UK texts on the 16 kg Sika tub mention a strong smell, and the listing does not say whether it contains isocyanates. You still need air and suitable gloves. Wipe wet adhesive off a prefinished face as you go. The Bona sheet says cured silane comes off only by mechanical means. Clean it while it is wet, then put the lid back on.

Common questions

How long is the open time?
On the Bona R848T sheet it is about 30 minutes at 20°C and 55% relative humidity. Soudal’s SMX sheet, not one of these listings, says lay within 25–30 minutes. The 16 kg Sika page publishes no open time, so do not copy 30 minutes onto that tub.
What happens if the adhesive skins?
The ribs look intact and the board will not wet them. The R848T sheet says remove the skin and reapply. Do not try to revive it with water. Put the lid on the tub between rows.
When can I walk on the floor?
It depends on the sheet. R848T quotes about 12 hours for light foot traffic and about 24–48 hours for full cure. An older Titan sheet quotes about 6 hours for light traffic, while the amazon listing says a 12-hour full cure. The 16 kg Sika page does not say.
Do I trowel the Bostik bottle?
No. The 500 g bottle is a bead in the tongue and groove of a floating floor. A notched trowel is for a tub that beds boards to the screed. If the floor must be stuck down, you need a different pack.
What temperature should the room be?
The R848T sheet asks for air of at least 18°C and a floor of at least 15°C, and not above 20°C if underfloor heating is on. Titan’s sheet uses a floor of 15–20°C, air of at least 18°C, and relative humidity at most 70%.
How do I clean wet adhesive off a finished board?
Wipe it while it is wet, before it cures on the lacquer or oil. The Bona sheet says cured silane has to be removed mechanically. That is a scrape or a sanding mark, not a cloth.

Related pages

Parquet adhesive buying guide

Parquet adhesive and underfloor heating

Best parquet adhesives

Parquet adhesive

MS polymer vs polyurethane: parquet adhesive choice

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. BS EN ISO 17178:2020 preview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE isocyanates in construction (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSENI diisocyanates (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Soudal MS-20 Plus technical data sheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Bona Titan technical data sheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Bona R848T technical data sheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Floorscape on measuring moisture before floorcoverings (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for the six ASINs in this set (retrieved 19 October 2026)