Best tile adhesive for an absolute beginner ?

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R

Rob Adams

Hey guys decided to have a blast at tiling the bathroom, we have just had the room skimmed so are ready to go.

Tiles are plain white ceramic 150 x 150mm (5mm thick).

Was just wondering what the best waterproof adhesive would be for a noob tiler, obviously something with a longish pot life and easy to work with, am i better off getting a ready mixed tub or some powder and mixing myself ?

I was thinking about trying the mapei keraflex but am open to other suggestions ! ? Also wondering if i was to try this, how much coverage would i get with a 5kg bag ? (We are tiling about 6.5m).

Also what would you guys reccomend as a tile spacer size for this size of tile ?

And finally any recommendations on a white grout ? again noob friendly !

Thanks in advance !
 
B

bugs183

Go to Tiletrend in Shrewsbury. These guys sell Mapei and Bal adhesives and will helpyou with everything you need.
Prime with a suitable primer dependant on manufacturer. Use 2mm spacers, Keraflex is lovely to use, get a 4mm notched trowel, or even a 6mm (it will hep you get a flatter finish and gaurentee that you have good adhesive coverage on your tile). Grout will Bal Superflex White, lovely, but don't let it dry too hard on the tile surface. Silicon with Mapesil Silicon.
Enjoy!!
 
S

Stef

Hi. If you have never tiled before then it would probably be easier for you if you used a ready mixed adhesive, With that size a tile you could use something like Bal Whitestar, Its a D2 adhesive & wont break down if it comes into contact with water, if you are tiling round your bath.
As said above though a powder adhesive would be the way to go but you will get away with a decent ready mixed adhesive.

I would also go for Bal Grout, not superflex, the standard grout is easy to work with whereas superflex is more a floor grout, imo.
 
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bugs183

There you go Rob, this thread will flummox you.
So which to use,premix or powder mix. On a low usage domestic shower you can use premix, but if you want to do a really pro job and be happy there will be no problems, tank and use powdermix.
Any of the advise given here has been good. Tilers have been using ready mix for years, and had very little problems, prime the walls properly and as above use white star, it's a great pre mixed adhesive, and then grout with bal grout, or to be a bit more confident superflex white.
I've now changed to powdered adhesives (certainly in showers),as i tank the walls with Mapei Aqua defense and the ready mix takes much longer to dry out on this, the powder adhesives is a chemical reaction as is better suited to a tanked surface.
Tiletrend stock all of these goodies and i'm sure will be helpful.
 
S

Stef

Its ok for us knowing the ins & outs of our trade but as the post states he is having a bash at tiling as a newbie, he is not a pro tiler.
He is asking for advise as what the best adhesive to use & in my opinion i think he would be better with a D2 ready mixed & also use standard Bal grout.

Granted he could just as easy mix up powder & his grout no problem but he could also use whitestar & never have a problem. it wont break down when in contact with water & is well within the recommendations of tile size.

I wouldnt have a problem as a pro tiler using whitestar to fix a tile that size.

We all know that the walls should be tanked etc for total piece of mind but that applies to us tilers not newbies or diyers looking for advise.
 
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swimmy44

I just finished grouting a new cultured marble shower pan to porcelain tiles. For some reason, the grout at that seam is degrading and coming off the seam - It was applied correctly, dried, and sealed before use. This did not happen in the other bathroom I recently completed - but that seam was from lowest run of tiles directly to the top of an old ceramic coated bathtub. I am correcting it by sealing the crumbling spots with flex bond cement (what I used to stick the tiles to the wall and floor) but of course the color does not match - flex bond is white and the grout is gray! Any ideas why the grout is not working in that spot? Help!
 

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