With continuing innovation and advances in bonding systems, VELCRO® offers a fastening solution incomparable by any competitor. Specific tapes are now available tailored to bond with almost any surface. Different resins are applied to cater for an ever-increasing range of substrates, even as far as sealable closures on pet food bags.

So far, adhesive backed VELCRO® has become one of the most popular versions of the hook and loop fastener, but with increased popularity, the adhesive hook and loop fastener tapes have had to evolve in order to adhere correctly across a vast range of substrates. Today you can buy a variety of adhesive backed VELCRO® brand hook and loop guaranteeing it's performance regardless of the substrate.

Using an adhesive on VELCRO® is the same as using glue anywhere else. For example, you wouldn't use wood glue to fix a broken plate the same can be said for VELCRO® tapes. As standard, and by far the most popular, is the rubber resin adhesive, a pressure applied tape that is widely used on display boards in schools or around the home. The rubber adhesive offers the best bond across the broadest range of surfaces, but has always suffered poor adhesion to plastics and fabrics.

Plastic, especially PVC, has a composition that uses plasticizers, which affects the rubber resin and essentially stops it curing properly, resulting in being vulnerable to being pulled from the substrate when the hook is pulled from the loop to be separated. Increasing demand for an adhesive tape specifically for plastics resulted in a water based acrylic resin backed tape; this tape performs similarly to the rubber and can be used on almost the same surfaces, though it bonds more effectively to plastics.

Recently another pressure applied adhesive has proved very popular, a heavy duty rubber resin, very strong and can be used both indoors and out. The tape has two-way facing hooks that make for an extremely tough initial grab on both fastening and adhesion, increasingly popular in the display industry, but also gaining ground in the office and home simply because of its strength and resistance to moisture.

One area that can be difficult is fabrics. Although sew-on VELCRO® is used commercially on clothing etc., sewing at home is not often possible and adhesive hook and loop will not adhere properly to any form of fabric. If adhesive is used and holds it will fall off when the garment or fabric is washed. Sewing is the most effective solution, but again with advances in bonding technology a VELCRO® brand fusion tape is the next best thing after sewing, classed as an adhesive though only slightly tacky to touch. Fusion hook and loop is essentially welded to the fabric via heat and steam, a steam iron is used to activate the adhesive, through this high heat the tape is secured permanently to the fabric, once applied the garment can be washed as normal.