Tiled adhesive for underfloor heating: which is better?

Such a finish floor covering, like tiles, has a mass of various advantages. One of them is high thermal conductivity. Under normal conditions, this is rather a drawback, as there is a significant heat leakage from the room. But in the case of laying on the "warm floor", the high thermal conductivity coefficients are beneficial, as the ceramics perfectly pass the heat that is generated by the heating elements.

The technology of installing tiles to heated surfaces is no different from working with ordinary rough bases, but you will need to use a special tile adhesive for the warm floor. If conventional compounds are used in the process, then such a finish coat will not last long - at best from two weeks to a couple of months.

Why use special glue?

The need for a special formulation can easily be explained - in the case of heated floors it works under special conditions. So, glue is affected by temperature changes, heating, as well as cooling - under the influence of temperature its structure expands and contracts, and then simply collapses.

Due to the formation of micropores, ceramic tiles will be peeled off. Also, the level of thermal conductivity drops significantly - the structure collapses, air voids are formed, which also reduce the level of thermal conductivity.

Tiled adhesive for underfloor heating: characteristics

For laying ceramic, as well as any other tiles on the surface with heating, a glue solution is necessary, which:

• Without any consequences, can withstand constant temperature changes;
• Does not react to critical temperatures;
• Has sufficient elasticity and is easily applied to the surface;
• It has good adhesion to the rough floor and tile;
• Does not affect the floor warm-up.

Modern elastic adhesive compositions have high consumer qualities. They are used for the installation of tile, stone, clinker tiles. This was achieved thanks to special polymer modifiers, which are introduced into the composition of the glue. These substances do not allow the formation of cracks due to the expansion processes of the bonding matrix.

Tiled adhesive for the warm floor: which is better

When choosing a suitable adhesive solution, you should always pay attention to materials that are compatible with this or that glue. Also on the packaging must be indicated that this mixture can be used on floors with the function of heating. Today one-component as well as two-component mixtures are produced.

Dispersive (one-component) adhesives

This is a thick paste that you do not need to cook. It stiffens such glue for a long time - it is like for beginning masters, who previously did not perform such work. A long hardening time allows you to correct the installation errors and correct the location of the tiles. The home master will have about 15 minutes for this.

Fast-hardening two-component compounds

Two-component mixtures are made on the basis of various epoxy resins, as well as polyurethane. Such a tile adhesive for the warm floor is a dry mixture - you will need to prepare it before use. Also before use it is necessary to read the instruction - all the proportions are indicated there, as well as the pour time. These mixtures perfectly tolerate any temperature differences and have good adhesion.

Cement based tile adhesive

In addition to these types of solutions, the composition based on cement is popular. For production different grades of this material are used, Portland cement is very popular for these purposes. Sandpaper of fine fraction is used as a connecting element. Also in the composition there are various modifiers. This universal adhesive is a dry mixture, which also has to be prepared. The characteristics depend on the modifiers used by the manufacturer.

Market Review

Today, a lot of imported and domestic products are represented on the construction market. Consider only a few manufacturers, whose products are popular among artists.

Henkel

It is a German manufacturer, which supplies various construction materials under the Ceresit brand to the construction market of our country. For ceramics, porcelain stoneware, and clinker flooring, Ceresit tiles for CM-14 EXTRA and CM-16 and 17 floors are suitable. If tiles are based on marble or limestone, then the elastic product Ceresit CM-115 is suitable .

The entire range of products from this brand has all the necessary characteristics. Adhesives have good elasticity and adhesion with both the concrete base and the tile surface.

Bergauf

The products of this brand are also popular in our country. The production is located both in Germany and in Russia. The company offers its products in our markets for more than 10 years. For warm floors, the manufacturer produces glue Keramic Express.

This compound is suitable for laying a large tile area of up to 0.9 m ² . It has excellent characteristics and can be used even in rooms with a high level of humidity. The price of the composition is not high, which makes it quite popular.

The Keramic Pro series has a high elasticity and is suitable for installation of clay, marble, granite and limestone tiles. The product is characterized by high elasticity and good adhesion.

Knauf

Tile adhesive for the warm floor "Knauf" - is also the products of a German company that has factories on the territory of our country. So, we offer a universal product - Knauf Flex. The mixture has high adhesion, elasticity and resistance to temperature changes. This series of adhesives is suitable for wet rooms. The composition is good for ceramic and granite tiles.

"Starateli"

And this is already a completely domestic brand. The company produces high-quality tile adhesive for the warm floor - "Starateli Plus". With it, you can perform the installation of ceramic tiles on concrete, as well as cement. The products are very popular among beginners and professionals due to their excellent characteristics and affordable prices.

Unis

Among all domestic enterprises that produce tile glue for the warm floor, "Eunice" stands out strongly. "Eunice Plus" has a unique composition. The product is highly resistant to high temperatures, and also boasts excellent adhesion. Excellent withstand exposure to humidity and can be used in various types of premises.

Buy tile adhesive for the warm floor "Eunice Plus" can be at affordable prices, which makes it popular among builders.

Litocol

According to the sellers, the products of the Italian brand Litokol are very popular. The composition of Litoflex K80 is highly elastic. Adhesive is widely used for mounting tiles on warm floors. Suitable for all kinds of floor tiles.

In the product line for the warm floor there are single-component and two-component compositions. Litoflex K98 and K99 have a high-speed effect. These mixtures can be applied both inside and outside of any types of premises.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like other types of building materials, these glue mixtures also have pros and cons. When working with them, this must be taken into account. Help select tile adhesive for the warm floor reviews, as they can tell about the real pluses or minuses of a particular composition. So, what do those who use them already in their work talk about such mixtures?

A good adhesive composition has a high resistance to temperature changes over a fairly wide range. It is also possible to distinguish a small viscosity, which will give the adhesive sufficient elasticity. Due to the high adhesion, the adhesion between the tile and the rough floor increases.

Disadvantages occur only when the glue was incorrectly selected, in particular, did not take into account the specific features of the flooring. For example, "Ceresite SM-14" is not suitable for tiles made of marble, granite or natural stone.

Recommendations for selection

When choosing a glue mixture, it is necessary to pay attention to the marking. It should indicate that the product can be used with a planned coating. So, if the installation will be carried out on hard grounds, the adhesive product is strengthened.

Some masters perform mesh reinforcement when gluing tiles. For this, plastic networks and tile adhesive for the warm floor are used. Which is better to choose depends on the task and operating conditions.

As for brands, today it is possible to buy products of domestic manufacturers safely. Many adhesives can compete with imported compounds. Buying products, anyway, what - domestic or imported, it is important not to trust the sellers too much, it is better to get acquainted with the reviews about this or that product in advance. Tiled adhesive for the warm floor - the product is quite popular, its range in the market is quite wide. But to buy such mixtures professionals recommend from well-known manufacturers.

The right choice, and also competent use is a guarantee of reliability and durability of finishing floor coverings on the basis of a ceramic tile.