Just tiles adhesive opinion.

[AKOTiler]

Ok so I have used bal adhesives and grouts on multiple occasions now , the other day I went into just tiles in reading to open a trade account due to having a customer who wants to shop there. Anyway I opened a trade account no problems & proceeded to browse the shop floor. There was not much bal adhesive there (1 type of c2), instead there was loads of mapie products (adhesives, grouts ect.)
So I asked....why do you sell only one type of bal adhesives and no grout? The response from what looked like a guy with plenty of experience was & I quote "bal adhesives are rubbish". Lol I couldn't believe it! What was this guy on about. All I have found on here about bal adhesives are good words & complaints about prices of their products. My question is why would he say that ? Are mapie adhesives much better? Or is he just being a douche. Anyhow I'm not overly impressed by thier service. Has anyone else been into just tiles? & How did you find their knowledge/service?

 

[Sean Kelly]

Not been to that shop, but the reason he said BAL was 'rubbish' ....................well, there is a clue in their 'tile fixing guide' found on their website..............................

HINTS ON FIXING WALL TILES
Always seal new walls with a proprietary sealer. Allow six weeks for a new wall to dry
out before sealing and tiling. Do not fix tiles tight into any corner, allow the “thickness of a
tile” gap. This will not show when the other wall is tiled. Always use a water-resistant
adhesive in shower areas and grout with an impervious grout. Where there is a movement
problem seal with silicone rubber, e.g. baths and shower trays.
Always work from a level base using a piece of wood nailed onto the wall to a line marked
with a spirit level. Generally tiles should be cut into EVERY internal angle. This means
you should start from an external corner with a full tile, except at windows.
Do check what type of edging is necessary for your tiles. Plastic tile trim is now available
for most situations.
Tiles with studs on the back must have adhesive applied to the back of tile and the wall.
Warning: Please note all timber surfaces must be screwed, not nailed, external ply must
be used on floors, boxing and shower areas. Shuttering ply is not suitable for tiling
upon.
MDF is not an easy material to tile upon (being dense & smooth).
Mapei P25 is the only adhesive Just Tiles can recommend. MDF is
not a material we would advise for use on floors.

 

[AKOTiler]

Seems to me like they actually don't have any glue lol. Seems strange that the only advice you can get from them is that bal is rubbish lol. What do you think of this mapei stuff? Better than bal? They tried to convince me that he and several others working in there have a lot of tiling experience. I can't help but feel if this was the case they would be recommending bal adhesives.
I'm starting to think they get some amazing deals with mapei and therefore push it onto the unsuspecting public.
I have to say as a new business starting up in reading. I shall not be using them again. In fact I just went shopping for tiles with my customer and have convinced them to go to tileflair. They have selected tiles and mosaic border and thank god I managed to convince them I was right in saying bal is the best and they have gone and purchased bal adhesives and grout. When money isn't an issue why not go for the best one happy tiler

 

[Dougs Third Go]

there's plenty of adhesives on the market that are now comparable to Bal (imo), I don't believe Bal is "rubbish" but I do believe it's overpriced.

 

[AKOTiler]

there's plenty of adhesives on the market that are now comparable to Bal (imo), I don't believe Bal is "rubbish" but I do believe it's overpriced.

I couldn't agree more when it comes to bal pricing but they do offer better guarantees.
£20 a bag is ok though that's what I got it for in the end! Earned a free bal tshirt too. Can't be bad!

 

[Martyn Leeds]

I think when you have used lots of different adhesives/products etc - it would then be the time to say whats best and worse - 'cos then you'd have experience to base your opinion on.

I personally don't like using BAL stuff.
But that's just me.

 

[AKOTiler]

I think when you have used lots of different adhesives/products etc - it would then be the time to say whats best and worse - 'cos then you'd have experience to base your opinion on.

I personally don't like using BAL stuff.
But that's just me.

that's a fair thing to say. Iv just been bred by my college tutor to stick with either bal or weber. Hence why I'm a bal snob. I'm sure no doubt I will end up using mapei adhesives or grout at some point, but for the time being ill stick with what I know as best I can.

 

[Stef]

I only use Bal addys if I get them at the right price,
I switched to Weber ages ago & try & use them all the time.
I have tried some Mapei addys & they are a good product.
Which is best? Hard call as there are a lot of good adhesives out there.
Think they are all much of a muchness now.
Try TileMaster if you can get it!!!

 

[AKOTiler]

I only use Bal addys if I get them at the right price,
I switched to Weber ages ago & try & use them all the time.
I have tried some Mapei addys & they are a good product.
Which is best? Hard call as there are a lot of good adhesives out there.
Think they are all much of a muchness now.
Try TileMaster if you can get it!!!

I may just end up trying mapei sooner than I had anticipated. However like you said. At the right price why wouldn't I use bal.

 

[Rookery]

Mapei is good stuff, its my preferred brand. BAL addy is good but not their grout. I'm not a fan of Weber at all. Price is important but so is availability.

 

[Stef]

I love Bal grouts, simple to use & I think their wall grout is one of the best you will get.
I've used Weber grout for a wee while now & the last couple of jobs I'm having shading issues with it, I'm going to order a couple of bags of grout 3000 from TileMaster & try it.
Mapei P9 is a fantastic adhesive to use, still selling at a good price in CTD.

 

[One Day]

I used to use nothing but BAL in my 1st few years.
Consistent quality, 25yr guarantee helped me win work (for what it's worth).
But the past several years I started to try other brands.

I still love BAL PTB, MosaicFix (now maxflex fibre) and Microflex white grout.
Day to day though I use a lot of Weber / Ardex / TileMaster.

Reason for the wandering away from BAL?
I now win work based on my reputation and not theirs!

Still a first rate company with great products, but after the Micromax "debacle" I think it became clear they lost their way.
Too much reliance on Topp's business and management who don't really listen to the people in the field.

 

[One Day]

Oh, and just for the record - I really don't like Mapei adhesive or grout.
But that's just me.

Kerapoxy is a great product though, as is their Renovation screed.

 

[Stef]

I will second that about the renovation screed, it's the best SLC I have used.

 

[Brian the Tile]

i now use only bal products,and have no problem with it,as for there gaurantee imo worthless,i had a problem with there grout many years ago and put a complaint in ,i got a letter and my customer the same that even a top scientice couldnt make out but basicly it was to bs standard and they were not willing to do anything about it,i had a word in someones ear at topps about there attitude and got a good few freebies out of them other than that no problem

 

[AKOTiler]

Not sure about the stuff many years ago to be honest. Has anyone else had to deal with them in the past?