Butech anticracking anti fracture mat - experience? - Tile Advice

[triode]

Ok my take on this mat!

On completion and within a month I noticed some grout missing, added more additive to grout as supplied and touched up. I showed the builder my concerns with their specified materials and he is aware of the possible outcome.
IMHO this matting is a waxy type surface layer that does not encourage a satisfactory bond with the tiles - so this OP thread is of no surprise to me and I envisage an awful lot more issues in the future.

I have a roll of Butech mat from the August project which I was going to skip ( not a product I have any confidence in using again) but I shall now keep in case of future testing!

John

Hi - i can't access the other forum for you pro tilers... did you post your issues here?
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Welcome to the world of the installer. That is why if I want to use say a bal product and they if you use all our products on this job it's guaranteed I don't bother. I regularly use different primers to adhesives and grout and silicone . .
I like your attitude yes it's a pain but it's a floor and can be sorted .

Cheers - it's the only way to stay keep your sanity and there's no point getting angry at tilers who i think are genuinely trying to put down a good floor and not meaning to screw it up and various conspiring factors have led all us to where we are now. There may be some lessons he can learn on technique. Thanks for your comments, this is a great community here.

 

[Dumbo]

Thank you

 

[Dan]

screed - yes i think it was primed, so I am told.
Builders say they will put right and don't walk away from job. They were insistent on subcontracting this work even though I'd made initial approaches to a couple of other tilers. They wanted to take their cut and as it's their contractor it's their responsibility. We've given builders a lot of work on this job and always paid up on time - thankfully they value that.
Tiler initially mortified. But has since backed off a little. The builders were not going to pursue but I told them he has to at least give time and labour to putting it right.
It was concluded at this stage it would be hard to prove fault with materials and that we should get on with sorting it.
Initially a guy was recommended who could do a 'resin' injection to stabilise the floor. He quoted 75 quid a square metre and I was a little sceptical about this fix. Any one heard of this? At the price it was better to just get the floor sorted properly.
Chris

I think the odd area that may have worked. But you want full coverage on the back of the tile for your heating to work. Any air pockets become insulating and don't pass through the heat properly. So with the resin, if he didn't get every single square centimeter, which I don't think they need to with it being resin it will adhere say 70% and still stick the tile down well, you'd have ended up with a patch heated floor. Albeit stuck.

Not sure he'd have been able to stick the lot down though. Resin working on one corner will only lift the tile on the opposite corner, now knowing the floor wasn't stuck down well at all.

That's more for patch repairs and the likes I think? Somebody might be able to correct me there.
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Hi - i can't access the other forum for you pro tilers... did you post your issues here?

We can't confirm or deny that.

Joking aside, it's where we find tilers more comfortable discussing the individual jobs they have, sometimes issues, sometimes praises.

Butech will no doubt be reading this thread anytime now. Tend to find news travels fast in this cliquey industry. Especially with social media these days.

So if in the future a tiler suspects they have a failure with butech, before it's confirmed, they might post a thread in the TilersForums Arms (our pub) and be free from judgement to discuss other possible causes etc.

They can have relationship issues with suppliers etc if they're publicly bashing one in rage in the moment, only to then find out it wasn't the supplier to blame but something else. So we have a safe area for them to vent so that they don't go round the suppliers letting off steam there etc.

 

[Perfect Tiling]

I had a similar issue a few years ago. The mat was from Genesis... G mat it was called. The top layer had delaminated from the bottom layer due to a manufacturing defect so the whole floor sounded hollow. The company sent someone up who drilled holes along the grout lines and pressure injected a resin to rebond it....worked a treat.....I just had to regrout the holes...hundreds of them!!!! So mats do fail!!!

 

[Col Beattie Floors&Walls]

Lots of questions asked, will be interesting to see what the answers will be

A little late I know (2yrs later🤣) but sometimes the reason tiles pop and or grout cracks is because the tiler has left those little spacer crosses in the joints.. Ive had a few calls from people who’s floor had cracked grout joints and tiles popping up for know reason.. tile spacers pushed in to or left in a cross joint aren’t flexible so with temp changes in the floor the ‘hard plastic’ spacers become instructions and with flexing, the tiles can’t move enough due to being restricted causing them to ‘bump’ together and crack the grout and try and lift up..

 

[triode]

A little late I know (2yrs later🤣) but sometimes the reason tiles pop and or grout cracks is because the tiler has left those little spacer crosses in the joints.. Ive had a few calls from people who’s floor had cracked grout joints and tiles popping up for know reason.. tile spacers pushed in to or left in a cross joint aren’t flexible so with temp changes in the floor the ‘hard plastic’ spacers become instructions and with flexing, the tiles can’t move enough due to being restricted causing them to ‘bump’ together and crack the grout and try and lift up..

Cheers!

 

[Dan]

Don't mind me while I bump up some older but good threads. If you can contribute to the thread, go ahead. But if it's nothing for you then don't reply and it'll soon drop off the What's New page etc.
Worth linking to our new forum structure while I'm doing stuff:-

• USA Tile Forum for DIY and Professional Tile Fixers
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