any tips for using readymade tile adhesive?

[carol 123]

my husband is tiling our bathroom walls, and is using a readymixed white tile adhesive. He is using a combed type trowel to apply the stuff, but half of it seems to fall into the bath? Should it be applied all over the walls using the flat side of the trowel, then combed off in any particular way, Can you offer any tips for easier application, as the way we are gong we will have used 3 huge tubs to cover our small bathroom walls. At least I suppose, the tiles will ever fall off.

any hints or tips gratefully received.
Thanks
Carol

 

[Alan.P]

Hi Carol.
A bit more info needed please, what is the wall type, plaster / painted paltser / plasterboard.. other, and what is the make of adhesive. his technique sounds right in that he is trying to trowel the wall with the serrated edge, maybe he is trying to get to much on the trowel in one go, try small amounts, get it onto the wall spread it then work it into a nice even bed.

Has the wall been primed ?

 

[carol 123]

The bathroom, was part tiled, part wallpapered. All this has now been removed, and I have removed/ smoothed off the old adhesive, so that the wall is now a clean smooth surface,. My job was to 'paint ' the all of the walls with PVA, watered down, 5 to 1.
3 of the walls are brick, then plastered, and just one is an interior plastererd 'stud' wall. ??

He is using absolutely loads of adhesive, all over the wall, and then combed. The tub says it should be enough for approx 140 tiles of the size we are using, but I guess we will only be able to cover 70/80 tiles. I am sure he is being over cautious, but he says he doesn't want them to fall off!

 

[Alan.P]

Mmmmm, PVA, not a good start, should have been an acrylic primer, we'll go into that more, how many tiles have been fixed ? As for using loads, what seration size trowel is he using, what size and type are the tiles ?

 

[enduro]

The bathroom, was part tiled, part wallpapered. All this has now been removed, and I have removed/ smoothed off the old adhesive, so that the wall is now a clean smooth surface,. My job was to 'paint ' the all of the walls with PVA, watered down, 5 to 1.
3 of the walls are brick, then plastered, and just one is an interior plastererd 'stud' wall. ??

He is using absolutely loads of adhesive, all over the wall, and then combed. The tub says it should be enough for approx 140 tiles of the size we are using, but I guess we will only be able to cover 70/80 tiles. I am sure he is being over cautious, but he says he doesn't want them to fall off!

They probably will if you primed with PVA.....

 

[carol 123]

OH heck, that doesn't sound very promising. 4 rows of 6 tiles tiles have been put up, on the bath side. we can remove these and start again, should i repaint he wall with an acrylic primer now, before we start again then?

 

[carol 123]

the tiles are just ordinary plain bathroom tiles from B&Q 200x300 mm

 

[Alan.P]

It would be advisable, that and before you do, get rid of the pva off the walls, scrape it, wash it off whatever, just get it off, also, what tile type and size are you using ?

EDIT: you got your post in about size as I was typing, that size tile is bordering on too large for tubbed adhesive, espeacially if Hubby is laying it on thick, I wait to be corrected on that point, might be better off with a single part powdered flexible. I would.

 

[kilty55]

what size notched trowel is your husband using? is it 6mm 8mm 10mm? and what make is the tile adhesive? are you troweling it on in a uniform fashion all going up n down? or trowelling it all over the place?

 

[enduro]

Just use sand paper and rough the walls up then use an acrylic primer, you probably would be better using powdered adhesive, you would need white single part flexible, don't get rapid set as this will go off to quick for diy use...Best adhesive is either Bal, Ardex, Mapei your local tile shop should have either one of these makes in stock. Dont use B&Q powdered stuff.

 

[carol 123]

We are using UNibond tile readymix adhesive, with an 8mm trowel i think(definitely not 10mm).
The wall is pasted in sections, with a uniform horizontal vertical final comb to get a uniform thickness all over. We are working a row at a time, and applying enough adhesive to cover that particular section, plus a couple of inches higher to enure that the tile is covered all over the underside, right up to the edge.

 

[kilty55]

i think your only issue is the unibond make you are using..personaly i think its poor quality,,b and q do mapei adhesives now so i would advise you to stop using the unibond gear and change, personally i would fix 200 by 300 tiles with tubbed gear its about as big as i would go though,,many other tilers wont but everyones opinions are diferent.i think if you go back to b and q and get mapei tubbed adhesive or a decent tile shop for a decent brand i.e mapei,bal,pci.weber it will solve your problem and buy some acrylic primer from the tile shop also ,sounds like you are doing a fine job apart from that its just your adhesive letting you down id say.good luck

 

[carol 123]

Thanks for your kind replies. l wish we had visited this site before we started!!

We will go back to B&Q tomorrow and get the right stuff. My job will be the preperation,(again)sanding and priming with the new stuff. Oh and removing the first attempt.
cheers
Carol

 

[enduro]

i think your only issue is the unibond make you are using..personally i think its poor quality,,b and q do mapei adhesives now so i would advise you to stop using the unibond gear and change, personally i would fix 200 by 300 tiles with tubbed gear its about as big as i would go though,,many other tilers wont but everyone's opinions are different.i think if you go back to b and q and get mapei tubbed adhesive or a decent tile shop for a decent brand i.e mapei,bal,pci.weber it will solve your problem and buy some acrylic primer from the tile shop also ,sounds like you are doing a fine job apart from that its just your adhesive letting you down id say.good luck

I agree Kilty that unibond adhesive is like emulsion paint...and have you tried painting with a 8mm trowel....well Carol's husband has :lol:...Sorry Carol just a little joke.

 

[enduro]

Where are you from Carol? perhaps there is a nice tiler on the forum that could pop round and offer some advice, on prep, setting out etc. We are a friendly bunch on here.