I have to stick some new pads down on a deck with heel bumpers. The bumpers bulge up about 8 to 10 mm and the pads wont sit flat.
I was going to stick them down with contact cement but that stuff is unforgiving. Once you put the pad down that's where it stays.
A flat pad will not conform to a bulge so I anticipate a sticky **** up if I proceed as intended.
How can this be done without tears?

This is what i do ,
Cut the heads off a couple nails that fit nicely in the strap screw holes and protrude about 10mm. ( wider apart the better )
Place the pad where u want it and pop the nails through the pad.
Replace the shorter nails with longer ones protruding about 50mm to 70mm ( longer the better ).
Put the pad back over the longer nails.
Mark out with pencil the pad area.
Masking tape around the pencil line.
Pull out nails.
Contact cement the area and pad.
Remove tape.
Put back in longer nails in same holes.
Breath deep.
Slide pad down nails.
Done , neat as .

Another A1 custom deluxe techtip there Imax1.

That's pretty slick but what do you do if the pad wont sit down over the bump without buckling up at the edges? (because it's flat trying to conform to a 3D bump)

Never had a problem. EVA stretches well, especially with wik grip on it.

Enough that it can be annoyingly stretchy - it changes size and can be hard to get thin EVA to match where it was (like when replacing a square in the middle of a SUP deck after repair.)

Do the nails-to-locate method and stick down around the screw holes. Then work outwards stretching a tiny bit as you go and it will go over the heel bumpers. Two people is way easier....

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Imax1 said..
This is what i do ,
Cut the heads off a couple nails that fit nicely in the strap screw holes and protrude about 10mm. ( wider apart the better )
Place the pad where u want it and pop the nails through the pad.
Replace the shorter nails with longer ones protruding about 50mm to 70mm ( longer the better ).
Put the pad back over the longer nails.
Mark out with pencil the pad area.
Masking tape around the pencil line.
Pull out nails.
Contact cement the area and pad.
Remove tape.
Put back in longer nails in same holes.
Breath deep.
Slide pad down nails.
Done , neat as .

All of the above except place some dowel or rods down between the board and pad when the glue has first dried. Use the nails to line up, when ready remove one rod and stick. You can still stretch the unglued bits, progressively stick down while removing rod. Hope this helps

Alrighty then. Thanks guys.

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NotWal said..
That's pretty slick but what do you do if the pad wont sit down over the bump without buckling up at the edges? (because it's flat trying to conform to a 3D bump)

Sand bags, many of them, placed where you need them. Socks make good ones, you can curve them into the places needed. If you need more weight, place anything heavy on top of the sand bags.