What's the Best Tile Adhesive for Floor and Best Tile Adhesive for Walls? 2013

[demi34]

Weber is nice stuff but I prefer ball all way, little pricey but very good to work with. Just got 3 pallet bal single part flexible white from CTD tiles.

 

[jonnyc]

Problem with BAL Dan, there is no doubt that their products are amongst the best on offer but, there are now 2 or 3 other manufacturers who's products are of equal quality (if not better in some cases), for a massively reduced price. What BAL need to realise is that we all run small/medium sized tiling businesses and cost of materials is of the utmost importance. Many people have had to reduce their costs in order to be competitive, and manufacturers such as Weber, Tilemaster and Mapei are producing excellent quality products at a lower price to BAL. They are trying to keep their prices high based purely on reputation, in my opinion, and it isn't working, as this poll is showing. If we had a similar poll for grout manufacturers used this year, they wouldn't be in the top 3 of that either. In my opinion, anyone who is using BAL for all their tiling material is throwing money down the drain and costing themselves hard earned profit. Harsh? Maybe, true? Definitely.

just seen this post by you bri.
i could not put your comments better.
for me a good adhesive at a competitive price and likewise with sealer is very important. it is very expensive for me to run my business with all the team being employees .
there are times when my employees earn me money, others when we break even and sometimes lose because they have to paid regardless of what work i can get or not.
but for the most part i still supply quite alot of adhesive in the year and making a decent margin on this helps offset other losses or small margins and actually makes it feasable for me to employ my guys.it is that important to me
i have been with a few of the other cheaper adhesive suppliers over last 15 years and weber were one of those at the beginning when i knew jason as rep for them who now has universeal.
weber are now mid way between the cheaper ones and the more expensive ,all good products. but now tilemaster comes along as did weber many years ago with a very good product at a very good price.
being a small business myself there is something i really like about
tilemaster wirth their great service.
i think i have been buying tilemaster for about 18 months now through Bleakleys( absolute ceramics) where i have an account .
gary the tiler recommended tilemaster to me.

 

[Old Mod]

i think i have been buying tilemaster for about 18 months now through Bleakleys( absolute ceramics) where i have an account .

Been using Webber a lot when I've been working near a CTD or Worlds End. But Chris and the guys at Bleakleys put me on to Tilemaster last yr. Whilst I loved the way it felt under the trowel and the way it supported large formats my first experience was during that mini heat wave last yr and it was the Rapid. So it was a bit of a crash course in getting used to it's open time.
Must admit I struggled a little with it. But to be fair it was so hot I'd probably would have struggled with any rapid. What didn't help was that I was against the clock, and we all know how that goes! Coupled with the fact that 90% of my work is North of the Thames Bleakleys is in the wrong direction, but that's me being lazy! So after what I've been reading here I think I'll get off my backside and give it a fairer shout this year.
Got to admit, joining this forum has been one of my more intelligent decisions in my career of late! Haha
Thanks all!

 

[Mr Tiler]

Been using Webber a lot when I've been working near a CTD or Worlds End. But Chris and the guys at Bleakleys put me on to Tilemaster last yr. Whilst I loved the way it felt under the trowel and the way it supported large formats my first experience was during that mini heat wave last yr and it was the Rapid. So it was a bit of a crash course in getting used to it's open time.
Must admit I struggled a little with it. But to be fair it was so hot I'd probably would have struggled with any rapid. What didn't help was that I was against the clock, and we all know how that goes! Coupled with the fact that 90% of my work is North of the Thames Bleakleys is in the wrong direction, but that's me being lazy! So after what I've been reading here I think I'll get off my backside and give it a fairer shout this year.
Got to admit, joining this forum has been one of my more intelligent decisions in my career of late! Haha
Thanks all!

why don't you just do what bri does and order 6 pallets at a time :sofahide:

 

[jonnyc]

marc , tilemaster make my fast set retarded when i need it in hot weather . no other company offers this that i know of. but i do have to order a pallett at a time.

 

[Old Mod]

marc , tilemaster make my fast set retarded when i need it in hot weather . no other company offers this that i know of. but i do have to order a pallett at a time.

Yeah that sounds like a great product Johnny. Chris did kinda mention it but wasn't too specific at the time. I'd have a bit of a problem with storage at the moment, but I'm hoping to build a workshop later this yr, that's if I get 5 mins!
But I'll defiantly look into it when I know I've got somewhere nice and snug to keep it. Sounds perfect cos like you I like to do an area stand back and rearrange things.

 

[jonnyc]

Been with Bleakleys for close to 25 years I think.but before that I used to go and buy a pallet from tower ceramics.they had a warehouse in wen lock road somewhere near the city and I used to go there early sat mornings to pick up.think I only bought from them because they stocked biscem which is what fired earth sold at that time. The biscem sandstone grout . I remember that well.fired earth said you should only mix enough water to be able to create a semi dry ball in the hand.you were then meant to beat the grout in to the joint with a black rubber blade squeegee. I lost the use of my weaker left hand for9 months based on that advice.
i was playing competitive squash and had to hold the ball in same hand as racquet hand .caused Agee laughs

 

[Old Mod]

[MENTION=15118]jonnyc[/MENTION]
oh my lord! That's dreadful Johnny and thing is all those references u've made to products I do remember! Mind u never used the grout like that! I put down the odd screed that way tho! Haha
But Tower Ceramics, Fired Earth and Biscem products all ring bells, seems like another lifetime ago!

 

[jonnyc]

Probably Larsen for me unfortunately.

tommy . just seen this .
why do you say that. i know larsen come from your side of water surely you have other choices if not happy.
i remember shipping pallets of adhesive every time i did a job in ireland many years ago but only because there was little choice then.

 

[AMA Tiling]

Used quite a bit of Arc & Botament, probably because both have manufacturing plants in Ireland but the most common and still my adhesive of choice is Weber. Ticks all the boxes 🙂

And to sympathise with Tommyzoom .... Larsen & Technik make me cry too. Larsens grout as we've discussed is terrible but it's so readily available everywhere over here it's scary!!! 🙁