The brand’s own materials describe Selleys as a leading Australian brand in adhesives, sealants and fillers, while its current product portfolio extends into several other home-maintenance categories.[2]

Foundation: 1939

Selleys’ story begins with Martin Selley, who fled Germany before the Second World War and emigrated to Australia with his wife and young son.

He arrived in Australia in 1939, carrying a patented formula for putty and approximately £100. He established a small operation in a rented terrace in Surry Hills, Sydney, producing putty and adhesives.

Rather than simply manufacturing existing products, Selley developed a reputation for finding practical solutions to difficult supply and technical problems.

One early example came from shortages during the wartime period. When aluminium became difficult to obtain for kitchen utensils, Selley developed a metallic cement that could be used to repair pots and pans. When imported heat-resistant stove putty became unavailable, he developed a local alternative.[3]

This problem-solving mentality became an important part of the brand’s identity.

Two early products were particularly significant:

• Selleys Metallic Cement
• Selleys Unifix

These products helped establish a culture of invention, repair and practical problem solving that would remain central to the brand.[4]

The philosophy behind Selleys’ earliest products has a modern sustainability dimension: instead of throwing an object away and buying a replacement, the product enabled people to repair and reuse it. Selleys continues to highlight this heritage in its sustainability messaging.[5]

By the 1950s, Australia was experiencing growing consumer interest in doing household repairs themselves.

Selleys expanded beyond its original putty and adhesive business into broader DIY categories.

By 1959, the company had developed products covering areas such as:

• Adhesives
• Sealants
• Decorative products
• General household repair

It also introduced the Selleys Handyman Bar, reflecting the growing popularity of the DIY movement.[6]

This was an important transition: Selleys was no longer simply a manufacturer of specialist materials. It was becoming a consumer-facing DIY brand.

Innovation has remained one of Selleys’ defining characteristics.

Over the decades, the company developed or built major product lines around specific household problems.

Some of the best-known names associated with the Selleys portfolio include:

Liquid Nails

Selleys Liquid Nails is a construction adhesive range designed for bonding materials without conventional mechanical fasteners such as nails. It has become one of the brand’s major construction-adhesive products.[7]

No More Gaps

Selleys No More Gaps focuses on filling and sealing gaps and cracks around buildings and homes.

It became one of the brand’s best-known products and is particularly associated with finishing and renovation work.[8]

Aquadhere

Selleys Aquadhere is an adhesive range particularly associated with woodworking and DIY projects.[9]

Spakfilla

Selleys Spakfilla is a filler range designed for repairing holes, cracks and imperfections in surfaces before finishing or painting.[10]

Knead It

Selleys Knead It is a repair putty designed for fixing and rebuilding various materials. It represents the continuation of the brand’s original repair-oriented philosophy.

Other significant product families include Wet Area, Storm, 600 Series, Power Grip, BBQ Tough and Complete Clean.[11]

Although Selleys is particularly famous for glue and sealant, its current portfolio is considerably broader.

The Australian product catalogue is divided into categories including:

1. Adhesives
2. Sealants
3. Putty & fillers
4. Tiling
5. Cleaning
6. Painting
7. Car care
8. Accessories
9. Flooring[12]

These products serve both ordinary household consumers and professional tradespeople.

For example, a homeowner might use Selleys to:

• Glue a broken household item
• Fill a crack in a wall
• Seal a bathroom joint
• Repair timber
• Fix tiles
• Remove mould
• Prepare a surface for painting

Meanwhile, professional users can use Selleys products in:

• Construction
• Carpentry
• Plumbing
• Glazing
• Tiling
• Flooring
• Roofing
• Painting
• Waterproofing
• Plastering

Selleys today functions almost like a brand family, with individual product lines targeting particular jobs.

[13]

A central idea behind Selleys is practical problem solving.

Its famous slogan:

“If It’s Selleys, It Works.”

is essentially a statement of the brand’s intended value proposition: consumers should be able to buy a Selleys product for a particular problem and expect it to deliver a reliable result.

This positioning is particularly appropriate for DIY products because consumers are usually not buying adhesive or sealant for its own sake. They are buying it because something needs fixing.

For example:

Problem → Product → Result

• Gap → No More Gaps → Smooth surface
• Broken object → Repair adhesive/putty → Repaired object
• Materials need bonding → Liquid Nails → Strong bond
• Bathroom joint → Wet Area → Waterproof seal

This makes Selleys a strongly solution-oriented brand rather than simply a chemical-products brand.

Selleys has a particularly strong connection with Australia.

It was founded in Sydney in 1939 and grew alongside Australia’s post-war DIY culture. The brand frequently positions its products around durability and the ability to handle demanding conditions. Its current Australian website describes its solutions as being designed for tough conditions and emphasizes reliable performance.

The Australian identity is also reflected in the brand’s communications, which often emphasize being practical, straightforward and capable of tackling difficult jobs.

In other words, Selleys has evolved from a small Australian chemical manufacturer into an Australian household name in DIY and repair.

Although Selleys originated in Australia, it is no longer an exclusively Australian brand.

The company has expanded into New Zealand and numerous Asian markets, including:

• Singapore
• Malaysia
• Thailand
• Hong Kong
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Indonesia
• Vietnam
• China
• Philippines

It has also had distribution/export activity in markets outside Asia.[14]

Selleys’ presence in Asia has become increasingly important as the brand has been integrated into the wider Nippon Paint Group network.

The corporate history of Selleys is important because the brand itself is older than its current corporate ownership.

For many years, Selleys was associated with DuluxGroup, the Australian company behind a large portfolio of home-improvement brands.

In 2019, Nippon Paint Holdings acquired DuluxGroup as part of Nippon Paint’s global expansion. Selleys consequently became part of the much larger Nippon Paint Group.

This gives Selleys access to a much larger international network.

So, in simplified form:

Martin Selley → Selleys → DuluxGroup → Nippon Paint Group

The brand, however, continues to operate under the Selleys name.

Research and development has historically been an important part of Selleys’ competitive positioning.

The wider DuluxGroup organization has maintained significant technical and research capabilities, including a Yates and Selleys research centre in Padstow, New South Wales.

The emphasis is not simply on creating more products, but on solving increasingly specific problems—for example:

• Stronger bonding
• Faster curing
• Better waterproofing
• Mould resistance
• Flexibility
• Better adhesion to difficult surfaces
• Easier application
• Improved durability

This is why the Selleys portfolio has progressively moved from basic glue and putty toward specialized formulations for particular applications.

Sustainability is an increasingly visible part of Selleys’ brand strategy.

The company connects modern sustainability with its original history.

Martin Selley’s early Metallic Cement was created partly to enable people to repair pots and pans during a period of material shortages. Selleys now presents this as an early example of repair, reuse and repurposing.[5]

The modern sustainability approach includes:

• Encouraging repair rather than replacement
• Repair and reuse of household objects
• Reducing waste
• Developing more sustainable product solutions
• Consumer education
• Reducing environmental impact across operations

Selleys has developed a strong reputation in the Australian DIY market.

According to its Singapore operation, the brand was voted the Most Trusted Brand in Glue, Construction Adhesives, Sealants and Fillers by Reader’s Digest in 2019. It was also recognized by the Australian Financial Review as one of Australia’s Top 50 Most Innovative Companies for two consecutive years.

These recognitions reinforce the two major pillars of the brand:

Trust + innovation.

Selleys serves two overlapping customer groups.

Consumers / DIY users

These are people who want to fix, renovate, maintain or improve their homes themselves.

Typical projects include:

• Filling wall holes
• Repairing furniture
• Sealing bathrooms
• Gluing household objects
• Fixing tiles
• Painting preparation
• Cleaning and maintenance

Professional trades

Selleys also develops products for professional users in construction and related industries.

These include:

• Builders
• Carpenters
• Plumbers
• Painters
• Tilers
• Roofers
• Glaziers
• Flooring contractors
• Maintenance professionals

This dual positioning is one of Selleys’ major strengths: the same master brand can appeal to both the ordinary homeowner and the professional tradesperson.

Selleys competes in a fragmented market that includes manufacturers of:

• Construction adhesives
• Silicone sealants
• Caulks
• Wood glues
• Epoxies
• Repair compounds
• Wall fillers
• Waterproofing products
• Household maintenance products

Its competitive advantage is less about being a single specialist product and more about having a large, recognizable portfolio under one trusted brand.

For a consumer, the brand can effectively become shorthand for:

“I need something to fix this.”

That broad mental association is particularly valuable in DIY retail.

Several factors explain the brand’s longevity.

1. It started with a genuine problem-solving culture

Martin Selley’s early products were created to solve real material and repair problems rather than simply to fill a product category.

2. It benefited from the rise of DIY

As Australians increasingly took on home repairs themselves, Selleys expanded its range to meet those needs.

3. It built recognizable sub-brands

Names such as Liquid Nails and No More Gaps make individual products easy to understand and remember.

4. It combines consumer and professional markets

The brand is useful both for someone repairing a shelf at home and for someone working on a construction site.

5. It continually expanded its portfolio

Rather than remaining a traditional glue manufacturer, Selleys moved into sealants, fillers, tiling, cleaning, painting preparation and other categories.

6. It developed international distribution

Its expansion throughout Asia has transformed Selleys from an Australian-only brand into an international home-improvement brand.[14]

If you had to describe Selleys in a single sentence:

Selleys is a long-established Australian DIY and home-improvement brand that specializes in practical products for bonding, sealing, filling, repairing, cleaning and maintaining homes and buildings.

1939 — Martin Selley establishes the business in Sydney.

1940s — Products such as Metallic Cement emerge from wartime material shortages and repair needs.

1959 — Selleys expands strongly into consumer DIY products and launches the Handyman Bar.[6]

1960s onward — Continued expansion and product innovation.

Later decades — Major product families including Liquid Nails, No More Gaps, Spakfilla, Aquadhere and other products become established.

2000s–2010s — Growing international presence, particularly in Asia.

2019 — Nippon Paint Holdings acquires DuluxGroup, bringing Selleys into the Nippon Paint Group.

2019 — Selleys receives Reader’s Digest recognition for trust in glue, construction adhesives, sealants and fillers.

2020s — Continued expansion of adhesives, sealants, fillers, cleaning and other home-improvement categories, alongside sustainability initiatives.

2026 — Selleys remains an established Australian-origin brand within the Nippon Paint Group, with a significant presence across Australia, New Zealand and Asian markets.

Selleys started as a small Sydney business in 1939 and grew into a major Australian DIY brand by consistently solving everyday repair problems. Its origins are particularly notable because founder Martin Selley developed products in response to shortages and practical needs, establishing an innovation-and-repair philosophy that remains visible in the brand today.

Its best-known areas are adhesives, construction adhesives, sealants, fillers and repair products, with products such as Liquid Nails, No More Gaps, Aquadhere, Spakfilla and Knead It becoming recognizable names.

The brand’s evolution can be summarized as:

Putty & repair → adhesives → DIY → construction & maintenance → international home improvement brand

And its entire identity is neatly captured by its long-running promise:

“If It’s Selleys, It Works.”[1]

1. Our History – Selleys
2. About Selleys – Your home improvement solution provider
3. Adhesives, Fillers, Sealants & More – Selleys
4. Selleys | About
5. Selleys Sustainability & Safety Focus – Selleys
6. Discover Selleys Product Brands – Selleys
7. Selleys Singapore | Quality Home Cleaning and DIY Solutions
8. Selleys: Adhesives | Sealants | Putty Fillers | Glues | Cleaning Products – Australia
9. About – Selleys 犀利牌
10. Selleys
11. Trusted Australian Brand For Home & DIY Hardware – Selleys
12. All Products – Selleys
13. Our Brands | DuluxGroup
14. FAQ – Selleys 犀利牌