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Follow The Manufacturer's Instructions

I cannot stress enough, the importance of reading and following the manufacturer's instructions, use and safety information that are on the products that you are purchasing.

adhesive label

Reputable manufacturers spend thousands of dollars testing their products under all sorts of conditions, because they want you, the consumer, to be satisfied with their products.

If a manufacturer's product worked for every application, in every climate, under any conditions do you not believe that it would increase the sales of the product if they placed that information on the product label. It is definitely in the manufacturer's best interests to have a product with as wide an application as possible, with an ability to perform many functions. Negative label statements, such as "Do Not Use For.......", do not increase the sales of the product. Hence. the manufacturer only uses those statements when necessary to protect the purchaser and the integrity of the company and product.

Why is it important to follow the manufacturer's instructions?

Two reasons:

  1. The first is that you want your home improvement project to look good and last for many years, when completed.
  2. The second reason is that, reputable manufacturers stand behind their products, if they are used for the correct application and used or installed properly.

A warranty claim will not be successful if you have not followed the manufacturers' instructions.

The fact is that every product has limitations, it cannot be used under any conditions.

When choosing a product make sure that the product suits your purpose. As an example; if a manufacturer of adhesives states; "the product is not recommended for adhering vinyl composition tile to any type of surface", then don't use it to adhere vinyl composition tile.

If the manufacturer states; "do not apply in temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit", then don't apply it when the temperature is at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

If the manufacturer states "apply the product with a trowel", don't use a brush.

The manufacturer's labeling not only provides the suitability of a product for a specific application, it also provides safety warnings - in the case of any chemical based compound such as solvents it will specify what to do if ingested, or if the product gets in your eyes or on your skin. The label, in the case of adhesives as an example, will provide information on what solvent to use to remove any adhesive that may have splattered and ended up on the surface of the parts you are gluing together.

The label will provide installation instructions, if applicable In the case of flooring materials the manufacturer will detail the length of time for acclimatization within your home - if the manufacturer says 72 hours they don't mean 48 hours. They will have a recommended method of cutting the product - if they state; "use a carbide tipped saw blade", don't use a general purpose saw blade.

You need to clean PVC pipe before applying the glue, use the pipe cleaner recommended by the manufacturer of the glue, not some other industrial solvent.

It is very easy to blame the manufacture of a product when it doesn't perform in the manner that you expected, after all you have invested money, time and effort to use it. However, in my experience the vast majority of product problems are related to one of two things. The first is that the product was not suitable for the application that it was used for and the second is, the product was not applied or installed according to the manufacturer's instructions.

For your personal safety, only use tools that are designed to perform the function that you desire. When purchasing tools, especially power tools, it is important to thoroughly understand the operating parameters of that tool. A manufacturer wants to produce his product as inexpensively as possible, items such as built in safety guards are there to protect the operator, do not use the tool without them.