Couple of questions...

[paulames]

Hi,I'm currently in the middle of tiling my ensuite. I ripped out what was there before at Christmas. Since then I have installed a new shower tray which sits directly on the floor, added a boxed in section to allow for the concealed cistern, plumbed in a chrome radiator and started tiling.I started tiling on the weekend with some 600x300 porcelain - its amazing how long it takes as I thought I would have it done after two days! Anyway, I have a couple of questions. Firstly I was looking at some of the tiles last night and on one part of the wall, one of the tiles was loose and I pulled it off - the same was true for above and below. Obviously I was very annoyed. It looks like the tiles didn't have very good contact with the adhesive as it was stuck on the wall fine. It was also in a small area where there was some tile trim so I think because of this tile trip it had 'spaced' one edge out a bit and prevented the tiles from coming in with such good contact to the adhesive. The trim is a brushed metal 10mm one from homebase. When people fit these how do you usually do it. I was adding a small amount of adhesive to the trim first and then adding my tiles on top? I'm now worried about the rest of the tiles - i've tried to gently lever them off with a screwdriver but they seem ok!On a separate note. I have some decorative 30x30 mosaic tiles to lay as a border (will half them for the border so 30x15). They are made of brushed metals & glass. Whats the best way to lay these? I was going to use the same adhesive as I have for the other tiles with a standard 6mm notched trowl but then use some tape to 'hang' them form the tile above (using spacers to gauge the gaps). When in position I was going to use a flat surface such as another tile or a grouting trowel to gently push them flush with the time above and below. Luckily the mosaic is about the same depth as the other tiles!I dont know how to add links but heare is a link to a picture so you get an idea https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=436B7103C4B43867!2218&authkey=!AKJ9QPGmAVJOOkw

 

[Alan.P]

Hi, so much to say lol

OK, firstly, it sounds like dust possible on the backside of the tile that's causing lack of adhesion ( possible ) what size trowel are you using, what adhesive ?

Now, what is the wall substrate ? painted plaster ?

As for fixing the trim, I would normally fix one wall at a time, spread adhesive, fit trim fix tiles to border height, fix border and space / peg it and fix tiles on top of the border, one wall at a time.

Tap the mosaic flush with a grouting float as you say.

But before all that, I really think you should have asked questions first to get the preparation right, you could be heading for a nightmare

 

[Martyn Leeds]

Hello,

1st question would be what adhesive are you using??
and what are the walls made of?? is it plasterboard, I can't quite tell from the pic on my phone

 

[paulames]

Ok. The walls are plasterboard in some places which have some paint on so have keyed and the primed with primer g. The shower is tanked with the Mapei paintable stuff. I have boxed in one area with 18mm wbp ply and am using keraflex maxi so ply shouldn't need priming.

I didn't think of dust...could be dust possibly...

 

[paulames]

Substrate is a mix of painted plasterboard and 18mm wbp. The plasterboard has only ever had one coat of paint since new and I have keyed it and primed with primer G except in shower where I have used the Mapei paintable tanking stuff.
The adhesive is keraflex maxi.

 

[Rookery]

Perhaps your adhesive bed isnt thick enough to achieve full contact. I would use 8 or 10mm notch and back skim each tile.

 

[beanz]

I would say it's down to not back-skimming the tiles with adhesive. Does it just look like your addy has squashed down, but not stuck? Or does it look like the time didn't make contact?

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry, tile not time!?! (I'm on my phone lol!)

 

[afright]

You should be using a 10 mm trowel on the wall and back buttering each tile,and I would tend to use white adhesive looking at your photo,because there could be a possibility of a bleed thru using grey.

 

[paulames]

It looks like the adhesive has squished down....but not by very much at all. So I should be putting adhesive on the tile as well?...back buttering? Is this just a thin layer? I guess I should try to pull off another tile or two to see if it comes off?
Also the adhesive, although it was 'dry' it wasn't exactly really hard and managed to scrape it off fairly easy. How long should it take to fully set? It had been about two days?!

 

[Martyn Leeds]

is this adhesive from a tub??

 

[paulames]

No....its Mapei keraflex maxi. Mixed with an attachment for a drill. I think the reason that I didn't think about back buttering is because I did my toilet a few years ago with the same size tile and trowel but with keraquick and I haven't had any problems...yet!!

 

[micko]

Some photos?

 

[paulames]

Ok. have just got home and decided to try to pull some other tiles off the wall. I took one row off and they came off fairly easily . It does look like I havent put a bigger enough bed of adhesive on the wall, pushed the tiles down enough and have not backbuttered the tile. I would have thought that you guys would agree by looking at the attached pics? It looks like I will be spending half a day removing what I have already done? If I was to do this an I think I probably will do....when I take the adhesive off the wall I presume that it will be fine to just remove all the ridges and make flat & clean but not worry about the odd bit of adhesive left on the wall?

 

[White Room]

Looks like the adhesive was to dry when the tiles were fixed.....

 

[paulames]

Really? Can I ask why you say that - I mixed as it said on the bag, how would I know if its too dry? These were some of the first to be laid of the day and this stuff is supposed to have an 8 hour pot life?

 

[Rookery]

Looks like the adhesive was to dry when the tiles were fixed.....

And insufficient contact. Back skimming would definitely helped. Could be that the tiles have a slight bow in them too as there is some adhesive on the ends of some tiles but none in the middle.

 

[White Room]

And insufficient contact. Back skimming would definitely helped. Could be that the tiles have a slight bow in them too as there is some adhesive on the ends of some tiles but none in the middle.

Agreed but it still looks like the addy was to dry or had been left to long and had skinned over before tiles had been fixed....

 

[paulames]

Grrr, why don't my posts go up straight away. I mixed with suggested water ratio on bag and these tiles would have been layer with fairly new stuff probably only about an hour old and its supposed to have up to an 8 hour pot life!

 

[Ian]

Grrr, why don't my posts go up straight away. I mixed with suggested water ratio on bag and these tiles would have been layer with fairly new stuff probably only about an hour old and its supposed to have up to an 8 hour pot life!

Until you have 20 posts, your posts will need manually approving, it's a system designed to stop spammers.

 

[beanz]

Grrr, why don't my posts go up straight away. I mixed with suggested water ratio on bag and these tiles would have been layer with fairly new stuff probably only about an hour old and its supposed to have up to an 8 hour pot life!

The skinning up is to do with the amount of time on the wall, not in the bucket.. I find that the addy will go like this without backskimming on Porcelain anyway though, as the adhesive isn't absorbed into the tile. The fact that a large section of that adhesive hasne been touched, says to me that either the tile, or the wall, is bowed, so you need to use a larger trowel, or spread on the tile (where the addy doesn't touch) too.

 

[DHTiling]

Hi.

Firstly back skim the tiles with flat side of your serrated trowel. This will help create a key to the bed on the wall.


Second. Stop pulling at the tiles , maxi is a slow set and takes longer to set and gain strength , so will be easier to remove.

 

[paulames]

Ahhh, ok....i may have left some on the wall a little too long but I normally scrape this off and throw if I have.

I'm glad you told me to stop pulling at the tiles!! I was gonna go pull em all off but this morning I pulled at a few and they aren't coming up. Plus, on one that did I noticed that the adhesive behind it was much darker (I.e not fully dry yet) when compared to the stuff which had been open to the air all night.
Now I don't know what to do! Think I'm just gonna leave them how they are and replace the ones I have pulled up. I know that if I go try to pull em all up then most will probably be stuck down ok.

 

[afright]

I tend to use rapid set when fixing Porcelain.

 

[paulames]

I asked Mapei and they said to use Maxi on floors keraquick on floor.