ON THE TILES
What are the main considerations when selecting adhesive and grout for tiling? David Wilson, UK Technical Services Manager, Building Adhesives Ltd discusses.
When floor tiling, it is crucial to ensure that you choose the right tile adhesive and grout for your project. Selecting
the wrong adhesive or grout for the intended
background or application could lead to disastrous consequences including the cracking or de-bonding of your tiles, causing you financial pain in repair and recompense.
For the correct selection of adhesive and grout a number of factors need to be taken into account including the substrate, type and size of tiles and the environment. Correct surface preparation is also essential.
Purely selecting an adhesive or grout on its BS classification is not always the right approach – as other factors may render your selection invalid.
Firstly let’s look at the substrate or background. Whether you’re tiling onto plasterboard, tongue and groove floorboards, sand/cement screeds or even existing tiles will make a massive difference as to which adhesive to consider.
For example where floors need to resist some limited movement or vibration, then a flexible or deformable adhesive and grout should be selected. Polymer modified adhesives/grouts have the addition of either powdered polymers, pre-blended in at the manufacturing stage or can be modified with a liquid polymer additive. This enhances the physical and mechanical properties of the product.
Preparation of the surface/screed is also highly important. Surfaces must be flat, dimensionally stable to changing moisture conditions, rigid and stable, and free from any laitance or contamination. For newly laid screeds, ensure that the minimum drying times are observed.
Prior to tiling, all barriers to adhesion should be removed from the surface of the screed. Also consider whether the screed needs to be primed to aid
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background to ensure that water doesn’t permeate lower than the adhesive and tiled surface. You can use a product such as BAL Tank-it to achieve complete waterproof protection for internal or external wet areas.
Tile type and size also plays a significant factor in determining your adhesive and grout. Ask yourself if the tiles are porous, or are they glazed, fully vitrified, light-coloured/translucent or natural stone. Is the material you are using vulnerable to water-staining? Are you using large format or mosaic tiles and are they mesh-backed?
For example ready-mixed adhesives may be suitable for porous-bodied ceramic tiles, but for porcelain a highly polymer- modified cementitious adhesive would be recommended. Ready-mixed adhesives are also not suitable for floor tiling.
In case of light coloured or translucent natural stone, rapid-setting and drying white cementitious adhesives are recommended in order to minimise any potential risks of staining. A pourable adhesive may be desirable dependent on the circumstances and also for natural stone of various thicknesses.
adhesion or whether an uncoupling system such as BAL Rapid-Mat should be applied to provide a buffer against lateral movement.
The environment you are tiling in also plays a huge part in your selection criteria. In a wet area for example the adhesive and grout must be capable of being exposed to dry and wet conditions. It should also be able to withstand thermal fluctuations. Other environments require provision of a tiled floor which is capable of withstanding demanding service conditions such as:
• Supporting heavy weight/loads, where necessary.
• Water and frost resistance. • Abrasion Resistance (for grouts). • Exposure to cleaning chemicals.
When tiling in wet areas, consider waterproofing (or ‘tanking’) your
As well as background, preparation, environment and tile type, Movement joints should also be considered. There are other factors which should be considered and more importantly are NOT covered by three tile classifications. Some of these include ease of use, coverage, colour, pot life and adjustment time and cost.
As well as taking these factors into consideration, we would always recommend checking with your adhesive manufacturer to ensure that you have selected the correct adhesive and grout for your project.
At BAL our Technical Advisory Service is fully equipped to provide support to contractors, architects and tilers – including NBS M40/M10/M20 specification assistance, on-site consultancy and expert technical advice.
www.bal-adhesives.com TILES | 31
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