Discuss Metal/glass mosaic advice and opinions for first timer in the DIY Tiling Forum area at TilersForums.com.

I

Italy

Bit of an update and looking for some more advice.
I've almost finished the main wall tiles (taken ages, but busy at work) and have my mosaic spaces left to do. All the field tiles were done with Keraflex maxi S1 and grouted with Bal Microflex (white.) Very happy with both products, so a big thanks for the recommendations.
I had planned to use Keraflex Maxi for the mosaics too, as advised though the white seems to be more beige/light grey when dry and I wondered if a whiter adhesive would be better. I have seen some websites showing other mosaics, but also made from aluminium and glass (apparently a big trend in splashbacks) and a few have used Mapei Adesilex P10. Any opinions? Apparently it has a greater bonding strength and is whiter than keraflex maxi. The whiteness may be better for glass, but then the glass pieces are coated with coloured paint on the back, so it shouldn't show though. If there's nothing between the two products, I may stick with the keraflex.
Thanks
I prefer to use p10 for mosaics.
Keraflex Maxi is better suited to large formats.
data sheets, speak clearly. I think it is also written on the bag.
 
S

seneca

The back of the glass is painted light grey, so I suppose it should cancel out the beige/grey keraflex. Not sure it would be a big issue if the adhesive wasn't white. Probably just comparing it to the really white BAL microflex.
Keraflex worked well with the field tiles and allow me to vary the bed depth a few times when my walls were a bit off. Not sure what the bedding depth of Adesilex P10, as it doesn't say anywhere. Know what it is?
The metal is aluminium, so shouldn't corrode too quickly. It's what most trims are made from and is now becoming used in tiles, particularly mosaics. Very smooth and shiny. Some show rooms display metal mosaics suspended in water as a gimmick.
Datasheets say suitable for large format and mosaics, as it's probably dependent on what constitutes a field tile and a mosaic - lots of sizes, materials and types.
 
S

seneca

Thanks. I had read the data sheets, but to the DIYer, as opposed to pros, they often seem to have grey areas. I had a look at most of the common adhesives available and none mention bonding of metal tiles. However, there are metal (mostly aluminium) tiles and mosaics out there and tilers are fixing them, so they must be using regular cement based adhesives.
 
M

MTiler

Keraflex dries fairly white, Mapei P10 and Kerakoll H40 (Tena Flex) are very white. Ive used both with glass mosaics, and the P10 on glass that has a metallic backing. Ive also used Keraflex Maxi on glass tiles with a white backing.
As Ive mentioned before Its worth contacting the supplier/manufacturer to see if they recommend an adhesive. Thats what I do if I come across something Ive not worked with before.
The main problem with coatings on glass tiles/mosaics is whether the adhesive will eventually affect the coating and discolour it.
 
S

seneca

Thanks MissTiler. I followed your recommendation of Keraflex Maxi and it did a great job on the field tiles. Whilst using it, I did small test on a spare piece of mosaic and it bonded well. 2 weeks later it still looks fine. Unsure if any reaction would occur over a longer time, but will use the keraflex anyway. The manufacturer didn't recommend an adhesive when I spoke to them and other than saying a cement based adhesive weren't at all helpful. The P10 was recommended by a tiling store I bought some supplies from. Wasn't sure if it was any better than the Keraflex in terms of bonding strength or ease of use. He said it was stronger and allowed more adjustment of the mosaic. Any views on the differences or which you would say was better? I will need to buy one for the mosaic, and the p10 is avaible in 5kg bags, but the keraflex only 20kg, so I'll be left with a lot spare after my narrow strips are done.
 

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Metal/glass mosaic advice and opinions for first timer
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Which tile adhesive brand did you use most this year?

  • Palace

    Votes: 9 6.0%
  • Kerakoll

    Votes: 14 9.3%
  • Ardex

    Votes: 11 7.3%
  • Mapei

    Votes: 44 29.1%
  • Ultra Tile

    Votes: 18 11.9%
  • BAL

    Votes: 36 23.8%
  • Wedi

    Votes: 3 2.0%
  • Benfer

    Votes: 2 1.3%
  • Tilemaster

    Votes: 21 13.9%
  • Weber

    Votes: 18 11.9%
  • Other (any other brand not listed)

    Votes: 16 10.6%
  • Nicobond

    Votes: 7 4.6%
  • Norcros

    Votes: 3 2.0%
  • Kelmore

    Votes: 4 2.6%
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