Chances are you’ve done several projects and feel pretty comfortable when you are in the home improvement store near the paint section checking out the different types of adhesives and caulking. These days, we have an incredible selection, however, that broad array of products can also make choosing the right product that much more difficult. If you end up at the store and haven’t had time to do some proper research, then by all means go ahead and inquire with the staff at the store as to what they might recommend, however, don’t just take their word for it… ask yourself if you think that they REALLY know from experience or are just telling you what someone told them to say! Many stores will have a comparison chart available to help you decide which adhesive works best in what conditions.

I’ll share my favorite indoor/outdoor adhesive – it’s PL® Premium Polyurethane Construction Adhesive and works like a charm on masonry projects of all sorts – I’ve even used it for certain sections of wall tile installations, holding landscape blocks together, landscape block caps, tile on concrete block outside, floor joists, wood to concrete, wood to stone, wood to wood, metal to all of the above (minus the tile, of course)… you get the picture – it’s like a new generation of liquid nails. As might imagine, this stuff isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s a good idea to move up to the larger sized tubes.

Clearly there is no one size fits all approach to adhesives. You’ll need to figure out if you need a rigid adhesive or one that remains flexible after it cures/dries. For this, you’ll have to use your intuition or experience to make the determination or ask for advice at the store. Be sure to read the label as there may be other limitations or product warnings that could impact your project in some way.

How do you store a tub of partially used adhesive or caulk? Love to hear about. My method involves screwing a long screw down into the nozzle – keeping the rest of the adhesive ready for use and the nozzle clear. I’ve also used the duplex nails (the ones for concrete forming with two heads).

In the end, experience will be your best guide, if you are inexperienced don’t despair – dive in and get that experience!