Granite adhesive?

[Mr Mac]

Afternoon, i am after a suitable adhesive to use on my absolute black 600x300 granite floor tiles. the floor is not heated and will be straight on to concrete. I've been looking at Mapei but the huge range has confused me??


Thanks

Ian

 

[Mike Mike]

Ian, in principle you can use any cementious adhesive for those tiles on that substrate.

However, if I were you, I would go for the best adhesive you can afford, which should mean a flexible, enhanced cementious adhesive, capable of having a thick bed.

Of the Mapei range Keraflex Maxi S1 (grey) would be ideal, as it can take a bed thickness up to 15mm. Depending on how flat your floor is, and how tight the tolerances of the tiles are in terms of thickness, you may need to build up the bed in places.

If you need fast setting then Keraquick, but that can only go up to 10mm thick.

 

[Del W]

Welcome to TF.How big an area & is the concrete fully dry ?

 

[DHTiling]

Keraquick is 6 mm bed depth and 10 mm in located areas.

Make sure the floor is flat and use mapeker adhesive , cheaper than keraquick and still a c2ft.

 

[Mr Mac]

Many thanks, the area will be a total of 30m2 as i will be doing the hallway too. the concrete has been down a few months as the property is a new build.

I've read mixed reviews on sealing these tiles. they do come (pre-sealed) but do i need to do them again or seal the whole floor once its laid?


thanks ian

 

[DHTiling]

If they are factory finished, then no further sealing required....

 

[Mr Mac]

They are beveled and highly polished, i take it that classes as factory finished?

Ian

 

[Del W]

They are beveled and highly polished, i take it that classes as factory finished?

Ian

yes...

 

[Mike Mike]

Keraquick is 6 mm bed depth and 10 mm in located areas.

Make sure the floor is flat and use mapeker adhesive , cheaper than keraquick and still a c2ft.

http://www.mapei.com/public/GB/products/103_Keraquick_UK.PDF
10mm according to the people who manufacture it...

As stated in response to someone who asked what's the difference between Mapeker and Keraquick, Mapeker has a 50% shorter working time and has 33% lower tensile strength after 28 days.

Keraflex Maxi S1 costs no more (seen it for £17), has the longest working time, and the highest tensile strength. That's what I'd use, but we're not all the same, and it's good that a forum like this exists where people can openly hold differing views without fear of reprisal (You're wrong by the way 😛rrr🙂.

 

[DHTiling]

If they are sold as pre-sealed then yes...most polished granites are pre-sealed... well the ones i use are. 🙂

 

[Mr Mac]

keraflex maxi s1 is referred to being suitable to natural stone thats moisture stable? this meaning? also is it suited to granite?



thanks ian

 

[DHTiling]

Kera flex maxi is a slow set, so will give you more time to work with it..if you require that extended working time.

 

[Mike Mike]

keraflex maxi s1 is referred to being suitable to natural stone thats moisture stable? this meaning? also is it suited to granite?

thanks ian

Ian, all of Mapei''s adhesives say "moisture stable natural stone" except for the twice the price Granirapid...

I have black granite on my kitchen walls and grey granite on my wetroom floor and walls. I used a bog standard C1 in the kitchen and a C2 flexible in the wetroom (not Mapei as it wasn't available where I live).

All the of the Mapei products we've been discussing are superior to what I used in my own home, and in five years I have had precisely....zero problems.

I've used Keraquick for granite many times when I lived in the U.K. and never had a problem.

You can use any of those Mapei products we've been discussing. Or you can phone Mapei's Technical Dept and ask them why you need Granirapid.

Or you can buy Stonefix Rapid Set Flexible Grey adhesive as an alternative, because their product range is less confusing: "fixes stone, ALL stone, comes in white or grey". :lol:

(Oh, and yes, I've used Stonefix dozens of times where specifiers have supplied the materials and that works perfectly well on travertine, slate and granite too).


All the best,

 

[DHTiling]

I agree with Mike. Loads of types you can use.

As for granirapid, if the tiles were resin based agglomerate type then ye use that, but any C2 will suffice and I use stonefix. Good adhesive.