STP ShaliBond TPE
A solvent-free, non-sag two-component epoxy that bonds ShaliTape Flex TPE sealing tape to concrete and steel across horizontal, vertical and overhead joints.
What is it?
A two-component, 100% solids thixotropic epoxy adhesive engineered specifically to bond STP’s ShaliTape Flex thermoplastic elastomeric (TPE) sealing tape to concrete and steel substrates.
Where is it used?
Expansion joints and construction joints in tunnels, basements, water-retaining structures, terraces, podiums and bridge decks where a movement-accommodating waterproof seal is required.
Why use it?
It develops a bond stronger than the concrete itself (pull-off failure in the parent substrate), needs no primer, and holds firm on wet, moving joints where ordinary adhesives creep or peel.
How is it applied?
Mixed 3:1 by weight, then applied by hard brush, trowel or putty blade as a bedding and capping layer around the TPE tape over a mechanically prepared, sound surface.
About STP ShaliBond TPE
STP ShaliBond TPE is the dedicated adhesive that makes the ShaliTape Flex joint-sealing system work. Where a structure has an expansion or construction joint that must both move and stay watertight, contractors bridge it with a TPE (thermoplastic elastomeric olefin) tape, and ShaliBond TPE is what locks that tape to the concrete on either side of the gap. It is a solvent-free, two-component epoxy supplied as a white Part A resin and a black Part B hardener that blend to a uniform light-grey paste. Because it is 100% solids and thixotropic, it does not slump or sag, so the same tin can be worked on a floor joint, a retaining wall or the soffit of a slab without the adhesive running off the substrate.
For engineers and applicators in Delhi NCR and across India, the appeal is reliability at the weakest link of any joint detail: the bond line. STP, formerly Shalimar Tar Products, formulated this adhesive so the failure plane sits in the parent concrete rather than at the tape interface, which is exactly what a consultant wants to see when the joint is carrying hydrostatic pressure. It cures fast, needs no separate primer, and once hardened requires no water curing regime. As an authorised STP distributor and applicator, Space Arc supplies ShaliBond TPE alongside the ShaliTape Flex tape it is designed to bond, so the two components of the system arrive matched rather than improvised on site.
The technical insight
The performance of a taped joint is decided almost entirely by adhesion, and this is where the epoxy chemistry earns its place. ShaliBond TPE is a 100% solids system, so there is no solvent to flash off and no shrinkage voids left behind as it sets; the film that bridges tape and concrete is the same volume you troweled on. Its thixotropic, non-sag rheology lets it stay put on vertical and overhead work while still wetting out an open-textured, abrasive-blasted surface profile. That mechanical key, combined with the epoxy’s own chemical grip, is why a pull-off test on concrete records greater than 1.6 MPa with the break occurring in the concrete rather than at the glue line. The elastomeric TPE tape then does the moving, flexing to absorb thermal and structural joint movement, while the rigid epoxy anchors do not have to stretch, only hold. A 35 to 50 minute pot life at 27°C gives crews a realistic working window, and the cured system serves from minus 20 to plus 50°C, covering Indian rooftops in summer and cold-store or tunnel environments alike.
Where it is used
- Bonding ShaliTape Flex TPE tape across expansion joints in basements, tunnels and water tanks
- Sealing construction joints in RCC where movement and watertightness must coexist
- Waterproofing joints in podiums, terraces and roof slabs subject to thermal movement
- Joint treatment on bridge decks, retaining walls and hydraulic structures
- Overhead and soffit joint sealing where a non-sag adhesive is essential
- Bonding the tape onto abrasive-blasted structural steel joint faces
- Detailing at wall-to-floor and slab junctions in below-ground waterproofing
- Sealing joints on water-retaining and effluent-handling structures
Key advantages
- 100% solids, solvent-free formulation with no shrinkage on cure
- Pull-off adhesion greater than 1.6 MPa on concrete, failing in the parent substrate
- Thixotropic and non-sag, so it works on horizontal, vertical and overhead joints alike
- No separate primer required, saving a coat and a wait on site
- Fast curing with no water-curing regime once hardened
- Simple 3:1 by-weight mix with a clear light-grey colour change confirming a homogeneous blend
- Bonds to both concrete and prepared steel substrates
- Serves across a wide -20 to +50°C temperature band
Limitations & considerations
- Purpose-built to bond ShaliTape Flex TPE tape; it is not a general-purpose structural concrete-to-concrete bonding epoxy
- Pot life of only 35 to 50 minutes at 27°C means small, timed batches on hot days
- Substrate and ambient temperature must stay between +10°C and +40°C with relative humidity at or below 85% during application
- Uncured adhesive must be protected from rain and moving water until it hardens
- Requires a mechanically abrasive-prepared, open-textured surface; smooth or contaminated substrates will compromise the bond
- Flammable during application, so it must be kept away from ignition sources with adequate ventilation
Selection & best practice
Prepare the joint faces mechanically to a sound, open-textured profile, removing dust, laitance, grease and rust by abrasive blasting, needle gunning, light scabbling or grinding; prepare steel to bright metal at SA 2 to 2½. Mix Part B into Part A for at least two minutes with a slow-speed drill under 500 rpm until a uniform light-grey, aeration-free paste forms, then decant and stir for about a further minute. Apply the first bed of ShaliBond TPE with a hard brush, trowel or putty blade to the width called for by the tape (typically 20-25 mm each side of the joint), press the ShaliTape Flex into it leaving a strip of adhesive exposed, then cap with a second coat over the tape edges. Batch to the 35-50 minute pot life, keep uncured adhesive off wet surfaces, and clean tools immediately with STP Epoxy Thinner before the material hardens. Always cross-check widths, thicknesses and consumption against the current ShaliTape Flex data sheet.
Specifications
| Chemistry | Two-component, 100% solids, solvent-free thixotropic epoxy |
| Mixing ratio | Component A : Component B = 3:1 by weight |
| Colour | Part A white, Part B black, mixed to uniform light grey |
| Pot life | 35-50 minutes at 27°C |
| Recommended application thickness | 1-1.5 mm |
| Pull-off adhesion on concrete | >1.6 MPa (concrete failure), ASTM D 4541 |
| Compressive strength | 40-45 MPa at 1 day; 50-55 MPa at 7 days (ASTM C 579) |
| Service temperature | -20 to +50°C |
| Pack sizes / shelf life | 6 kg & 30 kg units; 12 months at 5-38°C sealed |
Industry use cases
Metro & Tunnels
Sealing expansion and construction joints in tunnel linings and cut-and-cover sections where joints must flex without leaking under ground-water pressure.
Water-Retaining Structures
Anchoring TPE tape across joints in tanks, STPs and reservoirs, giving a bond that fails in the concrete rather than the adhesive under sustained hydrostatic head.
Bridges & Infrastructure
Detailing deck and abutment joints that see thermal cycling, using a non-sag epoxy that holds the elastomeric tape through repeated movement.
Basements & Podiums
Below-ground and podium joint waterproofing where wall-to-floor junctions demand a movement-accommodating, watertight taped seal.
Industrial & Effluent Plants
Joint sealing in chemically aggressive and effluent-handling structures where a robust epoxy anchor for the TPE tape is critical to long service life.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly does ShaliBond TPE bond?
How much adhesive do I need per metre of tape?
What is the mixing ratio and pot life?
Do I need a primer before applying it?
Can it be used on vertical and overhead joints?
What pack sizes and shelf life does it come in?
How we position STP ShaliBond TPE
ShaliBond TPE is one half of a system and should always be specified with its partner, STP ShaliTape Flex, the TPE tape it is designed to bond; ordering them together avoids the field improvisation that causes joint failures. Within STP’s own range it sits alongside ShaliSeal PU and polysulphide joint sealants for gun-grade sealing of narrower movement joints, and STP’s ShaliCrete/ShaliBond acrylic bonding agents for cementitious bonding, which serve different jobs entirely. Where a project specifies Fosroc rather than STP, the equivalent joint-sealing route is Fosroc’s Thioflex and Nitoseal sealant family or their hydrophilic and PVC waterbar systems for construction joints, rather than an epoxy tape adhesive; and Fosroc Nitobond EP covers the separate task of bonding fresh concrete to old. Space Arc stocks the STP system and these alternatives across Fosroc, Sika and Dr. Fixit, so we can match the specification the consultant has written rather than substitute blindly.
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