About us

Selleys History

The can-do spirit and commitment to quality, which Selleys embodies today, were the hallmark of our founder, Martin Selley.

Martin Selley fled Germany prior to the start of WWII, and emgriated with his wife and young son, along with a patented formula for putty and one hundred pounds in his pocket. He was determined to create a better life for his young family. After arriving in Australia in 1939, Selley set up a factory in a rented terrace in Sydney's Surry Hills, making putty and other adhesives. He persevered in a tough and cynical market and finally managed to convince the managing director of one of Sydney's largest glazing firms of the superior quality of his product.

Enterprising and innovative, Selley was adept at solving technical and supply problems. A shortage of aluminium for the manufacturing of kitchen utensils prompted him to invent a metallic cement for mending pots and pans, and as the import of heat-resistant putty for stoves ceased, he produced it locally. With the launch of the first two Selleys products in Australia – Selleys Metallic Cement and Selleys Unifix – a culture of invention and creation of products was born.

By 1959, the Selleys range was growing fast as more and more Australians discovered the advantages of ‘Doing-It-Yourself’. It quickly expanded to cover the major DIY categories, such as adhesives, sealants and decorator products, resulting in the launch of the Selleys Handyman Bar.

From the 60’s onwards, Selleys has continued to grow strongly. A commitment to new product innovation remains a clear focus and can be evidenced by a string of leading brands such as Selleys No More Gaps, Selleys Liquid Nails, Selleys All Clear, Selleys Spakfilla Rapid and Selleys Knead It.

Today, Selleys is a market leading brand with 75 years of world class quality and product innovation. Selleys growth in world markets is already evident with major trade extending in to New Zealand and Asia. In fact, Selleys has been exporting to countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, the Philippines, South Africa and Saudi Arabia for many years.

Selleys has 'customer satisfaction' as a key philosophy with ongoing commitment to measure product performance against global benchmarks. This ensures that every day, in everything we do, Selleys strives to live its brand promise 'If It's Selleys It Works'.