What is Double-Sided Tape Used For? Common Applications Explained

If you've ever used duct tape or average sticky tapes, you know how important bond strength is. Without a strong bond, a range of surfaces won’t stick together, and this poses a lot of issues to heavy-duty, critical tasks.

Featuring adhesive on both sides of the tape with or without a carrier between them, double-sided tape can stick two surfaces together. With a protective layer to prevent the tape from sticking to itself and available in different sizes, the applications are endless.

This blog will be your best guide to common applications, variations of double-sided tape, the advantages of this material, and what to ask yourself before using it as your adhesive solution.

Common Applications of Double-Sided Tape

How can you apply double-sided tape to your upcoming project? Adhesive tapes aren't limited to a single use; there are dozens of ways it can work for everyone.

Crafts and Creative Projects

If you work with arts and crafts, you want the result to be perfect without showing glue and adhesive smudges. Create a scrapbook by fixing paper embellishments, photos, and other decorations using a clean application of tape.
Create intricate greeting cards by layering paper; double-sided tape is strong enough to support heavier materials and 3D effects.
Join lightweight materials such as cardboard, foam, or plastic for an exact, clean assembly for model building.

Home and Office Applications

Decorate and keep things organised in your home or office by securing photos, posters, or lightweight decorative items to walls without screws or nails. Put up children's artwork, motivational quotes, to-do lists, and calendars neatly and damage-free.
Easily keep cords or cables tidy by attaching power strips or cable organisers to walls or desks for a clutter-free working space.
Use double-sided adhesive tapes to anchor carpets and rugs to stop family and friends from slipping. The tape also helps the edges stay flat for a polished look!

Automotive Applications

Double-sided tape can attach vehicle emblems, trims, and side mouldings without the drawn-out process of drilling holes.
Temporary fixes during assembly or repairs, such as double-sided tape, can temporarily hold components. Ultimately, it makes the entire process a lot easier for mechanics to get things done!

Retail and Displays

Double-sided tape helps retail environments for point-of-sale displays. Attach signs, product samples, or temporary displays to counters and shelves without leaving sticky residue like glue would.
Do you manage inventory for your small retail store? Wrap up gifts, seal boxes, and stick labels or tags for product packaging.

Medical Applications

If you work in healthcare, the adhesive strength of double-sided tape is critical to holding medical bandages or dressings in place without additional adhesives. Nurses can assist patients quickly.
Temporarily fix prosthetics and medical wearables (such as sensors) to the skin for patient comfort.

Contemporary Mounting

Double-sided tape is also used for soundproofing walls, wall cladding panels, vertically mounted objects such as smart home devices, wireless thermostats, and smoke alarm detectors.
It also works in applications that would normally need mechanical fasteners, installed invisibly as inserted strips between two irregularly shaped objects, which mechanical fasteners can't do without the support of a spacer.

Construction Applications

Double-sided acrylic tape for example can support trade assets such as heavy machinery, tools, vehicles, and equipment, applied when an internal wall surface is fixed on top of another wall. The acrylic base of the tape fixes substrates such as concrete, glass, and wood for wall anchoring.
Industrial-strength coatings and thicker tapes are ideal for irregular surfaces (textured façade panelling), and with the tape being essentially invisible, can also be used for window muntin and frames.

Variations of Specialised Tape at MSTOR

Double-Sided Tape

The VTACK Hi -Performance Double Sided Adhesive Tape uses a non-woven tissue as a carrier and is coated with high-performance solvent acrylic adhesive on both sides.

It has a white, double-sided PE-coated silicone release paper for protection, conforms and bonds well with a variety of materials, is consistent with its performance, and is ideal for stringent, demanding applications.

Aluminum Foil Tape

The Reinforced 2-way Foil Tape is made of aluminium foil laminated with a 2-way polyurethane mesh. It is coated with a high-strength solvent-based, aggressive acrylic adhesive and protected by an easy-peel release liner.

This flexible foil applies easily and is specially designed for insulation joints and seams against moisture and vapour on PE mesh aluminium and reinforced aluminium-faced insulation products.

Foam Tape

The VTACK Double-Sided PE Foam Tape is a white, cross-linked, flexible polyethylene closed-cell foam tape with excellent resilience and toughness. It has a low water absorption, good chemical resistance and good UV properties.

Ideally, it is suited to automotive and construction tolerances and demanding applications such as sealing, mounting of nameplates and mirrors, vibration dampening, gaskets, and more.

Cloth Tape

The VTACK Premium Cloth Tape adopts a PE-coated cloth as a backing, which is coated with an improved rubber resin adhesive. It has high tensile strength, moisture resistance and is hand-tearable.

This tape also conforms and applies well to many irregular surfaces and is a great choice for a range of applications, including bundling, heavy carton packing, general maintenance, pipe-wrapping, air conditioning duct seam and joint sealing.

Check out MSTOR’s comprehensive range of tapes!

Benefits of Using Double-Sided Tape

What are some of the many advantages of using double-sided tape?

Versatility

Double-sided tapes have versatile bonding solutions with temporary or permanent bonding options. This adhesion can allow for even weight distribution as opposed to creasing pressure points like other jointing alternatives. With double-sided tape, you can put together uneven surfaces without damaging your project.

The tape can also replace clips and fasteners, bolts and screws, glue, and staples and is gentle on tricky fabric, delicate paper, or strong metals. The best thing about these tapes? They never corrode and work well under stress.

Ease of Use

Unlike the messiness of glue (which can become frustrating), double-sided tape is convenient to use.

There isn't a lot of preparation involved and special tools beforehand, and you don't need to apply clamps to make sure the adhesive works. It sticks quickly and sets fast!

Invisible Bonding

Double-sided tape gives your project a high-quality, professional finish with a seamless bond that isn't obvious to the eye.

It is also very popular with arts and crafts as glue and screws can make a piece not look as good as it could. Double-sided tape gives you the visually appealing finish you've been after.

Conditions to think about before using double-sided tape

Just like you would use a hammer or a saw, tape is never a one-size-fits-all. If you're considering using double-sided tape for your upcoming project, there are a few questions you can ask yourself:

What are the surfaces you're bonding with? Look at the surface characteristics of the two substrates you're sticking together. The rougher the surfaces (such as cement, brick, or wood), the thicker the tape needs to be; thin tape works well with smoother, flatter surfaces such as aluminium, glass, and PVC.

What is the surface energy, or the degree of attraction or repulsive force of a material surface that exerts on another material? For example, substrates with a higher surface energy, such as glazed tile, glass, or bare metals, form excellent surfaces for bonding. Likewise, polyethylene is difficult to stick to and requires higher adhesion (very tacky!).

Treated surfaces are also important, if not more. If your surface is coated with paint, double-sided paint may stick well, but a weaker bond (or low surface energy) underneath will cause the paint and tape to peel.

What is the temperature resistance? Always take your environment into consideration and make sure the double-sided tape is resistant to temperatures. For example, the tackiness of the adhesive tape is dependent on the temperature, so the colder it is, the weaker the bond will be.

What width do you need the tape to be?
Is heat involved in the application process, such as manufacturing?
Will the tape be exposed to anything while you're applying it? This could be heat, cold, water, UV, or dirt.
Do you need the tape to hold temporarily or permanently?
Do you need the tape to be a specific thickness for the application?
Do you need to remove the tape, and if so, do you need it to be a clean removal?

Your field conditions, material, and your job is what will decide how you match your adhesives with your project at hand. From heat-resistant to extra wide or specialty tape, MSTOR can help your project last longer.

Need Double-Sided Tape? Contact MSTOR Today!

Establishing high-quality materials and products Australia-wide, including foam, plastic, and tape, MSTOR is a trusted name that supplies and services automotive, construction, medical, packing, and many more industries.

From tape slitting to foam cutting and laminating , we provide customisable options and desired dimensions that align with your vision.

Whether you're on the hunt for outdoor double-sided tape, rough surface adhesive tape, temperature-resistant tape, or just want to avoid those annoying tape failures, MSTOR has a variety of materials in stock for a durable bond.

Custom sizes and thickness available upon request! Please allow 2-5 business days for orders to be fulfilled.

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