amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on floor

[jonnyc]

have just done a porcelain floor this week . The tile company who supplied tiles and who i have an account with supplied 14 bags x 20kg tilemaster setaflex for 60.00 sq mts of tiling.
i normally supply the adhesive but this was a lead from them and they were already supplying materials.
if it was my job i would have quoted supply of 30 bags based on a level subfloor. In reality of course the screed is rarely level and to allow 2.00 sq mts per mt is what i expect to use on average, bearing in mind i am not just notching floor but solid bed tiles and levelling floor out.
I know why the tile shops only supply so little adhesive because they dont want the whole package from them to seem too expensive but the question i am asking is how much do you alllow for per sq mt.
i have been quoting against other tiling firms that allow less than half what i state and have lost jobs because i am being realsitic.

 

[Ian]

I always work on 4 m2 per bag, that's based on troweling with a 10mm square notch and back skimming. Always works out pretty close to that.

 

[peteablard]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

I had the same issue a few months back, 15 bags supplied for 60m2 of slate that was between 10 and 20mm thick. Ended up using 35 bags!

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

6.6 m2 for me but i work with mosaic mainly 3mm thick bed lol, how thick do you guys go with adhesive before screed and addy ,or dare i suggest wet-fixing in S & C ??

 

[nybor62]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

i usually work on 3m2 for solid bedding , dont like to build up with addy , slc if needed

 

[DHTiling]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

4 to 5 mtrs per 20kg... if a floor is that far out that you need to build up , then i SLC first..

 

[peteablard]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

The floor was ok but as the tiles got thinner I had to build up. Was using Dunlop large format and natural stone addy (which I wasn't a big fan of) but can be bedded up quite thick. Tiles ran though 3 rooms and trying to slc in sections as the tiles got thinner was far too impractical IMO

 

[John Benton]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

Normally about 4m per bag with 10mm notch and back skim working on a level floor. It obviously varies if you have to pad out low points.

 

[jonnyc]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

Seems I am quite alot out from most other responses.but I do level the floor .

 

[Peter]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

Usually use a 12mm square notch & backskim method on floors. On a reasonably decent floor I would allow 4m2 onto screed/board but allow 2.5-3m2 to Ditra. Last job of 15mm marble on Ditra was giving me on average 8x 600x600 tiles with a drilbble left in the bucket - probably works out just under 3m2.

 

[Bubblecraft]

I'm with Bri. I work on about 4m2 per bag on a 10mm round notch & back skimming

 

[Andy Allen]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

4/5 m2 per bag...

 

[jonnyc]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

this has been very interesting and revealing.
I can see that i am way out compared with the majority who are between 4.00 and 4.50 sq mts per sq mt.
this does explain why i have lost a number of jobs this year where costs are being scrutinized and pared away to get the best deal.
in fact most of you guys have confirmed that my tile shop supplied almost exactly what the average has been quoted here on this thread.
the only reason i can explain how i get to my figures i guess is that i am self taught , and when i was trying to impress the high end kitchen companies when i started out and maybe also not understanding that you can get away with a floor not being totally level , i was obsessed with all my floors being perfect.
maybe when you are inexperienced as i was and learning as i went along , i could not think out of the box or entertain the bubble being not exactly in middle of the markers .

 

[jonnyc]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

so i laid every floor dead level within the parameters of the quality of level used .
if a subfloor was more than 10mm out of level ,i laid loads of floors(limestone ) in a mix of sand/cement/ flex adhesive mix with a light skim of adhesive on back of tile and sub floor .i never gave a guranatee of this method.
if i used plastering sand I could easily bed stone solid bed to 7mm
as time has gone and i accept as you move up the market then the quality is better and more level.
in recent years i now find myself in a position where i am typically doing a ground floor area in domestic residence of hundreds of sq mts. no worries we can adjust heights between rooms but a common factor is that the surround where the datum is marked is level but you tend to have a drop in middle in large open plan.
here lies my problem. i am still obssesed with giving a perfect dead level floor .
i think that most of the 4.00 sq ,mts per bag boys will just go with the floor and drift over the worst spots. but it wont be level!!
does this matter ?
i know it does not but it is very hard to get out of my mind set and that which i have instilled in my employees.
i have a refina box section 2.50 lin mt straight edge and everything we do revolves about this great tool. for 20 years it has been my benchmark by which to judge how good our tiling is and i dont expect to see a gap more than 1mm within this distance .

 

[Andy Allen]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

why dont you use slc to level the floor..?

 

[jonnyc]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

why dont you use slc to level the floor..?

i dont use it unless there is a very obvious area that is very low because slc does not level a floor out. it only helps building up low areas.
i have a standard template for my quotes and there are headed sections for site preparation/notes on materials/time scale of work and payment terms.
under site preparation i state that my material costs are based on a level sub floor and i have based my adhesive costs on 2.00 sq mts per bag.in reality i have been to site and know it is not level but am sure that to level the tiling i can do this within the

 

[Spud]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

3m2 per bag for me Jonny is what I price my work on but as you know if a floor is out by only 3-4mm you use double the manufacturers guide line for the adhesives coverage when levelling out floors

 

[jonnyc]

Re: amount adhesive needed per sq mt to fix limestone/porcelain on flo

3m2 per bag for me Jonny is what I price my work on but as you know if a floor is out by only 3-4mm you use double the manufacturers guide line for the adhesives coverage when levelling out floors

well that is encouraging that there is someone between me and the majority.
of course when quoting for a job with plenty of meters the price will come in to it as well and that could also be the reason i have lost jobs on price if my bag rate is also high.