Low and high density polyethylene films (LDPE, HDPE) have been photobrominated to produce surfaces with high levels of adhesion to an epoxide adhesive. These surfaces have been reduced, using tributyltinhydride, and dehydrobrominated, using n-butylamine in tetrahydrofuran, to regenerate the hydrocarbon and produce unsaturation, respectively. These reactions and the surfaces produced have been characterized in detail using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, reflection infrared spectroscopy, SEM, contact angle measurements, and adhesion measurements. The results allow the role of surface chemistry, surface energy, topography, and weak boundary layers in adhesion performance to be discussed in detail.