Tilers Warehouse Bald Hills: Understanding the Tile Adhesives

Have you chosen your perfect tiles? Do not relax just yet. The next thing to think about is adhesives, installation, and tilers warehouse Bald Hills. Your new tiles will only look their best if they are correctly installed.

We use tile adhesive to stick our tiles to the floors and walls. You can find a variety of substrates, which is a term for floor and walls surfaces and types of tiles out there. Therefore, it is vital to use the right adhesive to make sure the tiles stay in place for a long time.

Types of Tile Adhesives

The two main types of tile adhesive from the tilers warehouse Bald Hills are powdered adhesives and ready-mixed pastes. The ready mixed paste is used straight out from the tub, which makes them easy to use. But there are some limitations, as pastes can only be used to repair smaller ceramic tiles and walls.

Powdered adhesives, on the other hand,  is mixed with water into the semiliquid mixture, which takes a long time and effort. But, they offer a far stronger bond and are ideal to fit natural stone tiles, ceramic, porcelain, and any other substrates

The Substrate Needed Fixing

Here are the common options:

·         Floor, Timbers. It is usually recommended to install a layer of marine grade plywood or a tile backing board on top. But it is possible to tile directly onto floorboards at times. These will give you a more durable, more stable surface to use your tiles. It is not possible to use ready mixed pastes to tile floors, regardless if you are using ceramic tiles. In such case, you need to use a powdered adhesive. Keep in mind when selecting the right powdered adhesive, consider these factors: flexibility, color, and setting or open time.

·         Walls, Plasterboard and Plaster. In most cases, small ceramic tiles are typically used for splash backs and walls, in which a ready-mixed paste is best suited for the job. If you are dealing with a bigger ceramic tile or any size porcelain tile to the walls, you will need to use a powdered adhesive. These come in a variety of colors, flexibility options, and setting speeds. You need to be sure your wall can bear the weight of adhesive and tiles. Where possible, it is advisable to tile onto the plasterboard instead of fresh plaster directly.

·         Floors, Screed or Concrete. When it comes to timber floors, it is ideal to use a powdered adhesive. Newly laid floors will need to be thoroughly dry before you can tile. In general, concrete bases require a minimum of 6 weeks.

So, before you use the tub or bag of tile adhesive, make sure that your substrates are ready, meaning they are strong, flat, and clean. We always recommend seeking the advice of a professional tiler and use the right products in a tilers warehouse Bald Hills. The tiler knows how to pick the right adhesive for your project. Hopefully, the guide above can help you pick the right choice if you are choosing adhesive yourself.