Tom Kraeutler: This is the Money Pit’s Top Products Podcast of the 2015 National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
Leslie Segrete: I’m Leslie Segrete.
Tom Kraeutler: Leslie, when we tell folks we’re going to the Hardware Show they go, “Oh, nuts and bolts.” Right?
Leslie Segrete: Nuts and bolts.
Tom Kraeutler: Yeah, exactly.
Leslie Segrete: That can’t be fun.
Tom Kraeutler: Now it’s everything in a hardware store or a home center imagining. From caulk to cushions.
Leslie Segrete: Everything.
Tom Kraeutler: And adhesives.
Leslie Segrete: Everything.
Tom Kraeutler: And that’s a really important category.
Leslie Segrete: Well it’s the glue that holds the whole event together.
Tom Kraeutler: It definitely holds the … it definitely holds the show together. We’re going to talk about adhesives now, and with us to do just that is Megan Cambridge. Megan is the marketing manager for Gorilla Glue. Welcome, Megan.
Megan Cambridge: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
Tom Kraeutler: I think the name says it all. Gorilla Glue’s been around for a number of years now, and ever since I started using it, I’ve always been really impressed with the strength.
Megan Cambridge: Yes. We have really, really strong products. We have a very nice versatile adhesive line. All of them are strong and tough, heavy duty.
Leslie Segrete: I think what’s so interesting is that your line of adhesives across the Gorilla Glue brand, really … There is something that will bond everything to anything else, and I like that, especially now, I feel like the new formulation just bonds so quickly.
Megan Cambridge: Yeah. We have a couple different types of adhesives. We have our original Gorilla Glue which most people are familiar with, and that’s the glue where there’s a little bit of a learning curve for consumers so we always tell consumers …
Leslie Segrete: Don’t use too much!
Megan Cambridge: Don’t use too much, a little goes a long way. We’ve really worked to help educate consumers. There’s three easy steps to Gorilla Glue. You dampen the surface. It’s a polyurethane so it’s activated with moisture. And then a little goes a long way. One equals three. Just put a couple drops. And then you have to actually clamp it. If a traditional clamp won’t work, we always tell consumers they can use our Gorilla Tape as well, to clamp the surface.
Tom Kraeutler: Yeah, that’s like a stretchy tape that does the clamping for you.
Megan Cambridge: Yeah.
Tom Kraeutler: That’s really handy if you’re gluing something like chair legs together. [crosstalk 00:01:54].
Megan Cambridge: Exactly. When you have an odd shape or an angle and you just can’t get a clamp in there, we could also … If it’s a flat surface, you could put books or a can of paint on top of it. Just anything heavy that’s going to keep that piece in place.
Tom Kraeutler: The other trick of the trade is, if you do get any spillage out of the joint, don’t touch it. Walk away and let it dry in place. It’s easier to take off when it’s …
Megan Cambridge: When it’s cured.
Tom Kraeutler: When it’s sort of foamy than if you try to wipe it off, sometimes you end up wiping it in.
Megan Cambridge: There’s two ways. You can wipe it with a dry cloth. Just don’t get a wet cloth. Since it is moisture activated, you want to have a dry …
Tom Kraeutler: Oh that’s a good trick.
Megan Cambridge: A dry cloth, yup. But your point is exactly right. You can actually sand it, or chisel it after it’s dried. Most people freak out when they see that or like, oh stop coming out, stop coming out. You can dry it. Use a dry cloth or you can wait until it’s fully cured and easily chisel it.
Tom Kraeutler: Right. But you want a little bit of that because that means it’s basically reaching all of the surfaces you’re trying to hold together.
Megan Cambridge: Yeah what most people don’t realize is why it might be a little bit messy. It’s actually getting into the surfaces and becoming part and just creating a really, really incredibly strong bond. There’s nothing out there like it.
Tom Kraeutler: Now you have a new product that you’re bringing out which I think is really smart. It’s a heavy duty construction adhesive. As I understand it, typically construction adhesives are designed for very specific products, but you’ve actually formulated one that works with an incredible variety of building materials, from masonry to lumber.
Megan Cambridge: Yeah, Tom. We’re so excited about this. It’s a all-surface, all-purpose construction adhesive. Exactly what you said is, most construction adhesives out on the market are segmented by type of project. If you’re working on multiple projects in your house you might end up buying three or four or five different types.
Leslie Segrete: Whether it’s inside or outside.
Megan Cambridge: Whether it’s inside or outside, or if you’re working on the kitchen or the bathroom or the basement, this one does everything. It works on all types of surfaces. It’s 100% waterproof so you can use it outdoors. It won’t break down with the elements. It is really extremely versatile.
Leslie Segrete: Here is where your formulation sets up in thirty seconds.
Megan Cambridge: Yeah. It’s got a fast grab. It will go up in thirty seconds. You put the glue on, hold it up to the wall. You’re not using hammers, you’re not using nails. The other unique thing about ours is it’s 100% adhesive. A lot of construction adhesives out there have water or solvents. With 100% adhesive it really provides long-term performance. With subfloor, with drywall, you think about putting a house up, you want to make sure it’s going to have that long lasting feature.
Tom Kraeutler: I see that it’s also paintable, and that’s something you don’t think about with most adhesives. The paint sometimes rolls off of it.
Megan Cambridge: Exactly. It’s really nice. It’s paintable, so once it’s dry you can paint over it. If you’re doing a little trim piece or something like that. The other cool feature is you can actually use it on painted surfaces. Say your dining room, you want to put up wainscoting or something, and you want an easy fix. You just put it up there, put the wainscoting up there, and you’re done.
Tom Kraeutler: You don’t have to sand the old finish off or anything. It grabs, huh?
Megan Cambridge: No, no, it grabs. It’s a really cool product. We’re really excited about it.
Leslie Segrete: Does it have the same expandability as your traditional Gorilla Glue?
Megan Cambridge: No, it is a non-foaming formula. We put that out there on the package for that very reason.
Leslie Segrete: So you know exactly what quantity to use.
Megan Cambridge: So the consumers know … exactly. It does not foam. It has no foaming feature to it.
Tom Kraeutler: One of the objections that I think consumers have to working with construction adhesives is the odor. It can be quite strong, quite pungent.
Megan Cambridge: Yup.
Tom Kraeutler: I see that this product also has no VOCs in it, and that’s really an accomplishment in itself.
Megan Cambridge: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Tom Kraeutler: Because while we shun VOCs for a long time, that was the better part of the formulation that made a product work. Now the way the chemists have been able to go to work and pull those VOCs out while still delivering the performance is really pretty impressive.
Megan Cambridge: Yeah, yeah. We have really low VOC, low odor. Yeah, we are conscious of that out in the marketplace.
Leslie Segrete: I think that’s great because now you’re allowing projects to be done indoors.
Megan Cambridge: Yes.
Leslie Segrete: Like the wainscoting example that you mentioned, that’s something that you have to do indoors in place.
Megan Cambridge: Exactly.
Leslie Segrete: If you’ve got small kids or if you’ve got someone in the house who has sensitivity to certain things, you can’t do those projects or you have to do them when someone’s not around.
Megan Cambridge: Exactly.
Leslie Segrete: It’s great that you’re able to use this indoors, no VOC.
Megan Cambridge: Yup.
Leslie Segrete: No odor.
Megan Cambridge: Yup.
Leslie Segrete: And it sticks.
Tom Kraeutler: We’re talking to Megan Cambridge, she’s the marketing manager for Gorilla Glue. Megan, I think one of the challenges that folks face when they need to select an adhesive is the vast number of selections possible. The vast number of products possible.
Megan Cambridge: Yup.
Tom Kraeutler: What advice do you have for folks that have a project in mind, go to the store shelves, see 12 different packages of adhesive, how do they narrow down what the best application is for their project?
Megan Cambridge: That’s a great question. I think one thing to do is know the materials you’re bonding. Usually when you step into that aisle you know what you want to glue or fix. We actually have a great product guide on our website, and it’s mobile-friendly. You can actually go to gorillatough.com and we have a product guide where you can put in the materials that you’re gluing, and then put in some different scenarios. Is it indoors or outdoors? Do you need a quick fix or can you clamp it? And then it will actually pop out the product for your choice.
Leslie Segrete: That’s so great. And so helpful.
Tom Kraeutler: That’s really helpful. Yeah. That’s way helpful. Because I think when folks go to the store today, they want to be confident that the product they purchase is going to do the job.
Megan Cambridge: Yup.
Tom Kraeutler: That confusion results in inaction. Putting the project off, or regret when they buy the wrong product and it doesn’t work for them.
Leslie Segrete: Sometimes you’re just exacerbating the situation because you’ve now got the wrong adhesive on one part of something and then they’re not going to fit together and you’ve got to figure out how to get that off. If Gorilla Glue is willing to help me, figure out what I need, then that’s fantastic.
Megan Cambridge: Yup.
Tom Kraeutler: Megan Cambridge, the marketing manager for Gorilla Glue, thank you so much for stopping buy the Money Pit.
Megan Cambridge: Thanks for having me guys.
Tom Kraeutler: If you’d like to learn more about the Gorilla Glue line of products, you can go to their website at gorillatough.com. That’s gorillatough.com.
