Which adhesive for reglueing floor mat carpeting and backing pad?
 

Greetings good M-B people.

Recently, I have had the original front and rear floor mats (carpeting + backing pad) out of my 1985 300D. After 35 years, the adhesive securing one to the other has weakened (see attached picture for an example).

Searching the archives here, I have found the following 3 potential adhesive candidates for reglueing the carpeting and backing pads:
1. Weldwood Contact Cement
2. E6000 Industrial Adhesive
3. 3M Super 77
I've also considered using Liquid Nails Small Projects & Repairs Adhesive.

If anyone has experience with the above products, positive or negative, I would appreciate your sharing the results. Also, if anyone has another product to recommend for this work, I would appreciate reading about that, too.

Thank you-

depending on climate,get something healthy to breathe

so far so good
 

A little over 2 years ago now, I used E6000 on my front mats because the original glue had disintegrated. It was easy to apply and so far, everything is still held together pretty good.

https://www.liquidnails.com/products/fuze-it-all-surface-adhesive#platform-statement

Though I haven't used this in precisely your application it sticks phenomenally, durable, flexible and cheaper per volume than E6000. Just read the reviews.
Also it does not stink - a plus inside the car.

Nice. I had not seen this particular Liquid Nails product. Looks like an excellent option. Thanks for pointing me to this.

I have 06 W211 on which the floor mats have foam backing and has foam dried out and it is no longer keeping the mats from sliding. I was wondering if I could spray FlexSeal or something thing else to restore them. Hate to spend $$$ on a new set.

3M 77 is more of an arts and crafts type adhesive. For auto applications I use 3M 90 adhesive (green can). It is most like the commercial contact cement upholstery shops use.

I heartily agree...3M 90 (green can) automotive spray adhesive is excellent. I’ve used it very successfully on foam hood pads and headliners.

J.G.

I wish I'd had this rec before I redid the entire car using dap!

Thanks ROLLGUY and Jay Gibbs for letting me know about 3M 90 and your positive experiences with it. Given that you've both used it, I do have this question about the variable-width spray pattern nozzle on the can:

Was the nozzle able to produce a fairly narrow pattern and not just blast adhesive spray all over?

As you can see from the example picture that I attached, my need is reglueing fairly narrow areas where the adhesive has aged to the point of giving out. So, so to speak, I'm seeking to kind of "tuck-in" those relatively small areas - mostly round the perimeter of the mats. This was why I had originally figured that I would have to use something more along the lines of a glue from a tube.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again-

First, I'm sorry to read this.
Second, can you elaborate a bit on what happened with using the dap?

It worked well, but the application was very messy and it was finicky in humidity.
There are a couple spots that haven’t set up/are still tacky weeks later. The rest is SOLIDLY adhered though.

Any of the spray adhesives I tried felt too thin to really grab the back of the carpet/foam and make a strong bond after I did two coats of POR 15 in the entire car.

Spray was fine for roof insulation though! I need to update my restoration thread, got waylaid by a mechanical issue and had to stop the fun stuff.

This is helpful. Odd that some spots haven't worked after weeks and others are fine - unpredictability with things like this are just lousy. :(

This has been a primary concern for me with my project though given what ROLLGUY and Jay Gibbs have shared about 3M 90, it may be adequate to hold well for the long term.

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, as far as I remember. I have always used it with the widest nozzle setting, but I am pretty sure the narrower setting is what you are looking for.

Of course! I’m actually picking up some 3m 90 for finishing the interior and getting the headliner taut. Great timing on the post and good luck!