Adhesive for tiles (nuances of use)

Long gone are the times when the only adhesive used for laying ceramic tiles was cement mortar. Nowadays, construction shops offer glue for tiles for every taste and purse.

Experienced builders are well versed in all the variety of adhesives, but many people often want to do repairs themselves. In doing so, they often do not know which tile adhesive is best to choose. Modern compositions are available in a variety of modifications, which differ in the resistance of their solutions to moisture. Adhesive for tiles, having increased elasticity, is used in those places where there are increased deformation loads or deformable substrates. These include heated floors, balconies, terraces, verandas. As a rule, all such types are waterproof enough, so they are ideal for use in kitchens, bathrooms, bathrooms.

Increased requirements for the adhesive composition are required when using them in pools, showers and other areas of high humidity. Also, special requirements for such formulations are required when using them for outdoor work. They should have sufficient water resistance, excellent frost resistance, high strength. It is based on the type of work in which the glue for tiles will be applied, it is worth choosing.

There are also a number of requirements for the surface on which the tiles will glue. So, it is completely cleaned from water-soluble and other paints, oils, dust, cement glue. The foundation for the tile should be strong enough. Before installing, make sure that the concrete surfaces do not shrink. Typically, the tiles are glued to the walls only six months after the construction of the building. External surfaces should be cleaned of all substances that attenuate setting.

When laying tiles, it is allowed to smooth out small irregularities with an adhesive compound. Complex surfaces (ceramic, plastic, painted with oil paints) are washed with soda solution (1 part of soda, 9 parts of water) and sanded with coarse-grained emery paper until roughness is formed. After this procedure, they should be rinsed again. Drywall is usually primed with special compounds (according to the recommendations of the manufacturer of the mixtures).

Dry species are mixed using a construction mixer or manually in accordance with the provided formulation until a uniform consistency is obtained. With a large volume of water, there may be a loss of their adhesive properties. In this case, you need to add the right amount of dry mixture to the liquid solution and mix again.

Prepared tile adhesive is applied to the substrate with a smooth spatula, after which it is spread over the entire surface with a special notched trowel. The dimensions of the tiles determine the height of the teeth: mosaic - 2 mm; Tiles 10x10 - 4 mm; 15x15 - 6 mm; 30x30 - 8 mm. When laying a large tile, the adhesive is applied to its back surface.

The glue for the tile, whose consumption varies depending on its size, should be prepared in small portions. So, the prepared solution is applied to the area, which is tiled, in about 15 minutes (the time for the quick-setting adhesive is only 5 minutes). When the glue dries, when it is applied to a large piece of surface, a thin film forms on the top layer of the mixture, which considerably worsens the setting with the ceramic tile. In this case, the applied mixture should be removed and re-mixed.

Tile adhesives - powder compositions, consisting of the main binding agent, aggregates, fillers, special additives (water retaining, polymer modifiers, plasticizing, antifreeze). Different in composition types have different properties: high adhesion, long-term viability, increased spreadability, no shrinkage, high plasticity, fast hardening, increased porosity and frost resistance.

By its properties and cost glue is divided into classes: economy - cheap, medium quality; Standard - has high performance and affordable price; Wagon - the most expensive and high-quality. Usually tile glue is sold in packs of 10 and 25 kg, but you can find 3 and 5 kg weight. The standard consumption is approximately 5 kg per 1 sq.m.