What tile adhesive is used for large format tiles?

[Dan]

If you're using large format tiles you will need to use a thick-bed tile adhesive. A thick-bed tile adhesive will have 'filler's in it or a coarse sand to help it bond and cure correctly without shrinkage and cracking.

Using the wrong tile adhesive and tiling trowel for large format tiling can cause tiles to not be bonded and eventually become un-fixed.

 

[Deleted member 15]

Technically an SBR primer is for slurry priming concrete floors and sealing the edges and back of wood substrates before tiling.

For priming gypsum plaster walls or plasterboard you should be using an APD primer. (Read BAL's techinicaly literature for a chemical explanation on why this is).

Technically an sbr is a modified acrylic polymer dispersion bonding agent, the very same polymers used in apd. Sbr has several uses. as a bonding slurry as u mentioned and adding in to sand cement renders and screeds and when watered down it can be used as a primer.

 

[Mudster]

Actually SBR is water based not acrylic (the description you used - modified acrylic polymer dispersion agent is actually APD, hence the acronym). so it's fine as a render additive/primer but for Gyproc plaster APD is the way to go. Which was generally what I was getting at.

SBR is basically similar to PVA, it can be used as a brush on primer on sand/cement renders before they are plastered but not a primer on plaster itself it's just not designed for that.

You are correct that you need an acrylic polymer dispersion agent, but you've confused the two product and are mistakenly using SBR instead of APD.

 

[Mudster]

On BAL WhiteStar, I only ever used this once and it failed completely. I had a call back on a job where the customer had decided to have a bath panel tiled replacing a plastic affair that came with the bath.

It was 15mm WBP, well made and fitted to a solid frame, so I decided I'd give the White star a try seeing as it made it clear it was for use in bathrooms and flexible enough to go on wood. Made sure the wood was clean and dust free and happily tiled.

Three months later all the tiles fell off, I had BAL technical down who took it all away and were unable to provide any satisfactory reason it should have failed, however refused any liability as if you read the product sheet that accompnies BAL white Star it's made clear that although you can tile on Wood and although you can use it in a bathroom, you can't use it on wood in a bathroom.

So I pointed out that the bathroom had yet to be used, (this was an extension in a large property that already had another 4 bathrooms). They stuck to their guns and refused any claim on the grounds that the sdhesive had been used in an unsuitable situation.

That's the one and only time I've used ready mix.

 

[Harry the tiler]

i try not to tile bath panel's, but if i have too ill use fast flex or similar..

 

[henrik]

any powder or cement based product can take any large (ceramic) format tile. if going to use a paste, you should use acryllic, as generaly have better grab/grip. if porcelain tile, must use powder.

 

[Elliott]

Is there anywhere in the North East where I can pick up cheap BAL?

 

[Paul M]

Can anyone help in directing me to where I can get some of the Dunlop adhesive to try. I am just outside Glasgow and havent seen any stockists of this adhesive, I have been using Mapei and i agree it is good gear but my supplier has stopped selling to outside tradesmen so for the last coupla weeks I have been using Nicobonds Ultragrip which is crap.

 

[laurami tiling]

granfix do a ready mixed ahd called multifix, self priming and slightly flexi, used it a few times and seems pretty good


tony

 

[laurami tiling]

elliot try topps tiles open a trade account to get discounts but cheap bal lol never seen it

tony

 

[vistatiling]

I use Nicobond Large Format Tile Adhesive

Merry Christmas Everyone! :santa_cheesy:

 

[DHTiling]

same to u
:santa_cheesy:

 

[aspley]

I was originally thinking for floor tiles actually but I suppose wall tiles come in to play too. White star would be excellent for walling providing the thickness of the bed isn't above it's maximum. Which I think isn't actually too thick at all.

Hi Dan.............was looking at this post for advice on best adhesive for large format 900 x 300 ceramic tile to go onto skimmed plasterboard. Weight is circa 16kg per sq metre. Do I need a primer.
Was looking at Dunlop setfast plus or Mapei Kerafix maxi or a Vitra product. All very confusing!!

 

[doug boardley]

Hi Dan.............was looking at this post for advice on best adhesive for large format 900 x 300 ceramic tile to go onto skimmed plasterboard. Weight is circa 16kg per sq metre. Do I need a primer.
Was looking at Dunlop setfast plus or Mapei Kerafix maxi or a Vitra product. All very confusing!!

you will definitely need an acrylic primer if p/boards are skimmed (gypsum and cementitious addy's should always be primed!) but a single part flexi adhesive will bring you right up to the bearable weight for a skimmed wall

 

[White Room]

Dan started this post on 02-04-2006:yikes:

 

[doug boardley]

you can't rush these things mate:hurray::hurray: lol

 

[Gazzatile]

Try Bellegrove in Glasgow they will help you

 

[stevep1]

the technical info on the palce web site, regarding their tilers' primer, claims that it's a S B R and suitable for priming gypsum plaster before tiling with a cement based adhesive. I have had a recent failure with this and have since read that maybe i should have used an A P D primer.Confused and fed up now. Been tiling many years. Feel like i know less now than when i started. WE used to PVA EVERYTHING AND JUST TILE. Any advice welcome.

 

[DHTiling]

SBR is Ok for priming and Only BAL make APD, so why would anyone recommend that to use with palace adhesives..?

What failure did you have..?

 

[stevep1]

all the tiles in a marble bathroom 600 x 400 tiles. and all the tiles in another bath room. 900 x 400. ceramic came off when de pegged. the walls were primed and single part flexy was used , as i have done thousands of times before. have since tested other adhesives and primers and even not priming and cant get a tile to stick. they come off clean not leaving a mark on the wall. have sanded walls back . tried everything. thing is a length of trim i put on with white star tub gear stuck like you know what. shame i cant use it on such large tiles.

 

[Tecnik2000]

And I thought it was a contest :mad2: Thanks for an answer Dan!! I've used many different adhesives..Each one on it's own volition, powder is great..But then? The correctly suitable solution often has a choice

 

[DHTiling]

all the tiles in a marble bathroom 600 x 400 tiles. and all the tiles in another bath room. 900 x 400. ceramic came off when de pegged. the walls were primed and single part flexy was used , as i have done thousands of times before. have since tested other adhesives and primers and even not priming and cant get a tile to stick. they come off clean not leaving a mark on the wall. have sanded walls back . tried everything. thing is a length of trim i put on with white star tub gear stuck like you know what. shame i cant use it on such large tiles.

This could be a number of things..

Either you are using insufficient primer or spreading to much addy and it skins off before you press tiles into situ or incorrect fixing method.

To have failures job on job then it must be fixer error.??

 

[stevep1]

dave you seem to have trouble in understanding what i'm saying. try reading it through a few times then answer. by the way the rep from palace seems to think ther could be a problem with the plaster.

 

[stevep1]

just to make it clear they are two bathrooms on the same job. we tried neat primer this morning and fitted a tile with rapid two part flexy. then fixed it correctly. it came off not leaving a mark on the wall. apparantly the walls were plastered in sub zero damp conditions. if i didnt know what i was doing i'm sure i would of had failures in the past 15 years.

 

[DHTiling]

I suggest you wind your attitude back a bit....

Does it say on the bottle to apply primer neat..?.. not many i know say apply neat.

Tiling for 15 yrs.. maybe so but does that mean you have done it right for 15 yrs..

we are here to help and having a dig gets you no where...

How long have you left the primer to dry before tiling.. how old is the plaster.. at what temp are you tiling....like i said loads of reasons..

 

[stevep1]

its a new build the tech guy from palace suggested trying it neat as i said before we have tried everything else. if you type in palace tilers primer on google and read the instructions it says to apply neat over gypsum plaster when using cement based addy. the temp in the house now is ok.

 

[Gazzer]

So its a palace primer? what adhesive ?

 

[DHTiling]

Ok..

How long has it been skimmed.. if tiled too soon this could result in a failure.. was the primer acrylic or synthetic.?

 

[stevep1]

tried everything. been in every morning this week just to try some new primer or addy. started with benferfix then benferflex then palace spf. diluting primer,one coat ,two coats, none. spreading wall,spreading tile, spreading both,dobbing. think he might have to cement board over plaster. thing is 4 houses 5 bathrooms each. alot of work. would rather find something that sticks. never seen anything like it.

 

[Aston]

steve

are you applying the sbr neat or diluting it ??
it may need 2 coats. 1st one at a weaker ration to absorb in and seal
2nd one lower ratio / neat to bond ..

plaster is very absorbing especially after being left for a while, the suction seems the cause of the de-bonding imo...

 

[DHTiling]

Also... adhesive needs more than a few days to gain full tensile strength, so trying to remove a tile from freshly tiled walls will remove easy and also leave virtually no contact.

The failures you have had.. how long after tiling has this happened..?