which adhesive for cappuccino marble???

[saffy]

hi Guys,

another query...😳

the wall tiles are 300 x 600 cappuccino marble. Partner would like to use tubbed pre-mixed adhesive (and guys doing bathroom told him that would be ok)
went to topps and they dont have any pre-mixed, and said that it wouldnt be suitable for such large tiles and suggested a powder one.
he would still prefer to get a pre-mixed one from somewhere (B&Q?) but I want to make sure we get it right.

please advise???

 

[jay]

hi wouldnt recomend tubed stuff with tiles that size deffo powdered adh are you tiling shower walls :8: and what are walls made out of solid set or plasterboard as you may have a weight issue

 

[hillhead]

Tubbed gear is a definite no no unless you want serious problems?marble is heavy and as jay says there is weight issues! Substrate? You need a flexi white wall adhesive bagged.ie mapei keraflex or keraquick.take no chances with this.

 

[diamondtiling]

Same as Jay on this one, if you don't feel like using a fast set then get a slower setting powered adhesive, you can get it from tile giant or a reputable tile supplier. As above what are the wall surfaces made up of, are you going to tank prior to tiling? better to be safe now than sorry later.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Saffy - If the Guy who is doing your bathroom is OK with tubbed wall tile adhesive for a 600x300mm stone wall tile then I would have serious concerns about his suitability to provide you with a proffessional job!
As has already been mentioned ask the questions about weight/substrate as well as sealing/waterproofing etc.

 

[saffy]

hi,

the tiles are going onto hardibacker around the bath toilet etc. and 12.5 mm plasterboard on the other wall.

so, what is the difference between keraflex and keraquick and where is best to get it??

 

[saffy]

sorry, I should have said, the tiler will be my partner 🙂

 

[diamondtiling]

Is he/she capable of doing the job? why not get a pro?

 

[DHTiling]

His saffy..

600x300 cappuccino tiles will be about 12mm thick...the hardi is perfect for what you have over the bath....but you need to weigh the tiles to see if they are over the 32kg limit for plasterboard..marble can be a heavy stone and the bigger the format the thicker they can get...300x300 are normally 10mm so check what you have and weigh 5 of them together and add 3.5 kilo's to the total for adhesive and grout and see what you get...or you can just weight one if our scales don't go that high and mulitply the result to get the weight per mtr.

Best to be safe than sorry...and deffo no tubbed adhesive.

 

[saffy]

hi guys, thanks for the replies, your advice is appreciated.

however, i posted previously under the applestone advice thread. getting someone to do the tiling would cost approx £500!!
I understand your concerns and whilst my OH is not a professional, he has done some tiling before and with time and patience there is nor reason to suggest he wont do a fab job 🙂

walls have been re done now as described (and as per previous advice re plasterboard/cement board, from whitebeam & doug boardley)

Whilst I appreciate your concerns, I was hoping for advice regarding the adhesive.....

as I asked, what is the difference between keraflex and keraquick???
and where would be the best/most cost effective place for us to buy???

 

[DHTiling]

Both keraquick and keraflex are a S1 adhesive..keraquick is fast setting ( approx 2 to 3 hrs ) and kera flex is standard set ( over night approx 16 hrs)...both are flexible and suitable for your job...i was just making you aware of the overall weight you will be putting on the walls..

 

[White Room]

Keraflex will last 8 hours in a bucket mixed and can be used upto 15mm bed thickness
Keraquick is a fast setting adhesive

 

[saffy]

thanks Dave & Whitebeam,

so it sounds like the keraflex is the better one for us then???

Sorry Dave, hope my post wasnt taken the wrong way, as I said I do appreciate everyones advice (and took note earlier 😉 )
you were right about the applestone- it looks lovely, but the sample was terribly porous!! in the end went off at a tangent and went for marble!! lol.

my main concern was making sure we get the right adhesive for the tiles 🙂

 

[DHTiling]

Keraflex is a great adhesive..it is all i use for walls and my stone work....i find it doesn't slump as well ,so tiling stops flat as it dries and no unexpected lippage the next day.

 

[saffy]

thanks guys.

ended up having a disagreement with OH this morning 🙁🙁🙁
He trusts the guys doing the bathroom refurb, he knows him & talked to him about it (who said ready mix adhesive is ok) and questioned why I would prefer to believe strangers on a forum, who could be anyone saying anything....
I said you were tilers and your advice was the same as given by Topps and other tile showrooms, which was that ready mix wont set on large tiles or stick properly.
His view is that with ready mix the consistency is correct and that there may be problems mixing powdered adhesive oneself (if you get it wrong then the tiles wont stick properly)

I must admit, instead of trying to explain properly I said completely the wrong thing and got his back up, bad of me I know (that if he wanted to use ready mixed stuff he could pay for any that fell off or broke)

 

[doug boardley]

maybe get OH to phone the tech line on the tubbed stuf Saffy, maybe see what they say

 

[DHTiling]

I think the guys doing the bathroom need to stick to what they know best and that ain't tiling advice.....saffy, please do not let the OH use ready mixed....

Get the OH to ring as doug says any adhesive tech line and they will explain it is not suitable...don't listen to guys who do not know any better...

You only want to be doing this once..

 

[doug boardley]

is OH still going to do the tiling saffy or are the refurb guys (obviously not tilers!) gonna be doing it?.The mix would have to be a real long way off being mixed right for it not to adhere, to wet and you won't get it on a trowel, to stiff and you'll break your wrists trying to spread it! Has OH seen our replies? We're not psycho's that sit here giving duff advice for the thrill of it:20:

 

[diamondtiling]

Saffy, you have gone out of your way to get good, professional advice, you have asked many questions and that is always a good thing to do, you have had the integrity to go out of your way to make sure that your tiling is done correctly and will be a superb finish which is what you want. You have had many replies on this forum saying what is and is not the correct way forward. This is your money and your property that is on the line, fudge it now and you may as well have thrown your hard earned cash on a three legged pony running the grand national, use tubbed and it will end up in tears, even if you have to give this "tiler" the heave ho then so be it, he is not helping you so get rid of him.
If you cannot afford a pro tiler then start at the beginning and do it yourself, you can ask 1000 questions and I guarantee you will get solid professional advice, you will get answers at 2pm and at 2am, cumulative experience between all professional tilers on this forum must run into thousands of years, we are here to help you, make the right choice.

 

[DHTiling]

Saffy, you have gone out of your way to get good, professional advice, you have asked many questions and that is always a good thing to do, you have had the integrity to go out of your way to make sure that your tiling is done correctly and will be a superb finish which is what you want. You have had many replies on this forum saying what is and is not the correct way forward. This is your money and your property that is on the line, fudge it now and you may as well have thrown your hard earned cash on a three legged pony running the grand national, use tubbed and it will end up in tears, even if you have to give this "tiler" the heave ho then so be it, he is not helping you so get rid of him.
If you cannot afford a pro tiler then start at the beginning and do it yourself, you can ask 1000 questions and I guarantee you will get solid professional advice, you will get answers at 2pm and at 2am, cumulative experience between all professional tilers on this forum must run into thousands of years, we are here to help you, make the right choice.

Dom.. the person doing the tiling is saffys other half.....I think if he knaffs this up she might just get rid of him...:lol:

 

[diamondtiling]

😳 sorry saffy!! having said that I still think you should listen to us, I will be putting a new thread up soon about a job I have been on today where the customer used the wrong adhesive..........................sand and cement to be exact!!!! it all came up.

:lol:

 

[tfs]

Hi saffy,

it is very difficult to make the mix wrong if you follow the instructions. E.g - a bag of Mapeis keraflex adhesive requires 7ltrs of water. Measure 7 ltrs of water and pour this into a bucket, add the powder and then mix until you can see no more lumps. Leave the adhesive to rest for two minutes and then mix for a further minute and thats all you need to do.

If you mix one bag at a time with the correct measurement of water you cant go wrong. It is when you mix small amount for a bag and guess the amount of water required that the mix may be wrong.

Some adhesives such as Mapei Kerraquick can be mixed with a latex admix. This is normaly one bottle of admix that you mix with one bag of adhesive.

If you can convince your oh to go with powder adhesive then remember to use a white one.

 

[tfs]

Hi saffy,

I forgot to mention that if you do use a ready mixed adhesive, and they do manage to adhere the tiles to the wall, then it may takes at least a week or possibly even a few for the adhesive to set. Ready mixed adhesive relies on air to dry out and set. With tiles as large as 30x60 there are less grout joints(which is one way that the air gets to the adhesive) and this can be a problem when adhesive is setting. Many ready mixed adhesive are not suitable for marble so this is another thing to worry about.

Powder adhesives will not rely on the air etc as much as ready mixed as the set due to a chemical reaction in the adhesive. As a result they are considered far more suited to larger format tiles. Adhesives such as Keraflex and kerraquick are suitable for all types of tile e.g. ceramic, porcelain and stone.

 

[saffy]

hi guys,

thanks for all your replies 🙂
am feeling pretty pants tonight 🙁
as i said earlier we argued this morning when I tried to explain, he is adamant he trusts the guys doing the bathroom (and to be fair they have done a super job of the work, including vaxing the carpet when they finished)
we went and got keraflex (eek- the cost!!! lol) but it blew up again this evening.
I know he is hurt at my comments this morning (saying he could pay for breakages if he used ready mix- wrong of me to say!) and he has said he feels uncomfortable doing it now cos of all the aggro and cos he feels i will blame him of anything goes wrong cos thats what I'm like, and he only got the adhesive to shut me up. that i'm a mitherer and its ridiculous the way i spend hours online checking things out like this.
all probably very true 🙁

the trouble is I know him, i know he will do a fab job, and i trust him more than anyone else to do it, i just dont know how to get through to him at the mo.
and hate that we have fallen out.

 

[DHTiling]

I'm sure he will do a geat job...he has bought the adhesive now...so let him get on with it and praise his work...

You have done the right job by making sure the right adhesive was used.....



p.s...Give him a big cuddle from tilersforums saffy..:smilewinkgrin: and the argument will blow over..

 

[saffy]

hi Dave,

hope so.
part of the problem was that the guys doing the bathroom are polish and going back there on 17th. So for them to fit the shower screen and refit the radiator the tiling needs to be done by then..... thats one of the things that started the upsets.
i shouldnt have said things even in jest or in temper to him, as its just added pressure for him to be finished by then when he already felt under pressure to get it right in the first place.
i cant say anything to make him feel any different about things now even though i want to.

he did an amazing job of my kitchen tiles, and has thought through so many bits to do with the bathroom, and made so many improvements.

i feel such a moo.
knowing keraflex is the right adhesive doesnt actually matter at the mo, would so much rather he was happy and we hadnt fallen out 🙁

 

[diamondtiling]

Saffy, it will all blow over tomorrow, go out and buy him a £2000 wetsaw, he will love it and love you, when he has finished with it I will buy it off you for.........er.......lets see............£500, ok £800.

:lol::lol:

 

[DHTiling]

hi Dave,

hope so.
part of the problem was that the guys doing the bathroom are polish and going back there on 17th. So for them to fit the shower screen and refit the radiator the tiling needs to be done by then..... thats one of the things that started the upsets.
i shouldnt have said things even in jest or in temper to him, as its just added pressure for him to be finished by then when he already felt under pressure to get it right in the first place.
i cant say anything to make him feel any different about things now even though i want to.

he did an amazing job of my kitchen tiles, and has thought through so many bits to do with the bathroom, and made so many improvements.

i feel such a moo.
knowing keraflex is the right adhesive doesnt actually matter at the mo, would so much rather he was happy and we hadnt fallen out 🙁

Maybe it was needed to get the job done right.....Sorry if it has caused you distress but we are here to help get the correct materials used...that is sorted and he will get over his mood....

Please do let us know how the job turned out and maybe some pics to cheer us up..:smilewinkgrin:

p.s If he does not finish by the 17th , then the bathroom guys will have to wait..

 

[Time's Ran Out]

I used to enjoy tiling until I read this!:sad:
Now I'am so upset that we haven't been able to convince a member of the public the right way to tile.
I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight now!
Any comforting words from Admin?

 

[diamondtiling]

We have helped saffy john, the problem was that she had to then in turn convince her partner.

Do you ask for directions when you are lost TJ ????

Its a man thing.

 

[DHTiling]

I used to enjoy tiling until I read this!:sad:
Now I'am so upset that we haven't been able to convince a member of the public the right way to tile.
I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight now!
Any comforting words from Admin?

Mmmmm well it's gunna be a long night john...:lol: