Tile Adhesives

Choosing the right Tile Adhesive or tile mortar for the appropriate job is of prime concern as this not just critical for a job well done but also for people’s safety aspect, therefore it is essential to get good advice for the specific project in question.

Tile adhesives come in different qualities and specifications, each one suited to its tailored purpose.  When looking for a tile adhesive make sure to choose a Wall Tile Adhesive if it is to be used on walls and a Floor Tile Adhesive if it is to be used on floors. Things are not always straight forward though as sometimes you will have an adhesive that it is suitable to both walls and floors but although good for twin purpose, not really a good idea to use it because for example it will dry too quickly on some surfaces or it is suitable for wall installation but not suitable for the background to be applied to or it could be the wrong colour for the grout needed.

Adhesives Suggestion

With the introduction of porcelain, glass, resin steel tiles and underfloor heating, adhesive manufactures have and continue to expand and enhance their range so fast that tile installers need to be constantly adapting to these new products and the technique required for their correct usage.  For this purpose adhesive manufactures have special tiling courses and seminars to make sure that the correct installations and procedures are carried out. Other technical aspects include the methods, tooling, thickness amount to be used, drying times, drying temperatures and maximum weight tolerances.

Preparation of areas to be tiled is of high importance here too as poor preparation often means weak bonding strength.

Over the years I have used quite a variety of adhesives from different manufactures and found my preferred one for the job in hand.  Sometimes using a much more expensive product if it meant that the job could be finished earlier (providing the result ended up the same) and still being more economical to the customer overall.

So which adhesive are you going to need?   What you need to consider are:

What type of background.
Wall or floor.
Rapid setting or Slow setting.
Will you need a primer?
Working temperatures and setting times.
Single part or ready mixed adhesives?
Flexibility.
Colours.
Tile format and weight.
Cement based, acrylic, polymer modified, epoxy or rubber based...
Interior, exterior, dry, wet, intermittently wet.
Communal usage, private usage or industrial usage.
Weight load and Compression.
Heated floors.
Epoxy Adhesive.

As you can see from the above, it is not as straight forward as it seems as the variables are many, for this reason it is recommended to always get the installer to analyse the job by visiting the project location for an accurate product selection. Arrange for an Estimate Now!

The above considerations on choosing the right adhesives are not by any means a complete or definite list and are for general information only.  Always make sure to read the manufacture’s individual instructions and requirements for their own products.

For other useful information visit the tiling help section

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