Hi all,

Im in the process of doing up my bathroom and my partner has bought these huge 30 x 60 porcelain tiles (about 2.5-3kg each). Now im a newbie and having tiled the kitchen with 10 x 10 tile where i used PVA to seal the walls and used a ready mixed tile and grout adhesive I went full steam ahead, then i checked the forum and realised the error of my ways.

So the question is, i have half a wall tiled where i used the PVA and the ready mixed adhesive, the tiles appear to have set and there does not appear to be any movement but should i cut my losses take them off and start again or leave them in place and keep an eye on them?

The other wall which is the larger area has not been started yet but where i removed old tiles i have already put PVA on it so now do i need to try to remove this or can i just go over it with an acrylic primer?

Half the wall is render and the other half is painted using that shiny bathroom paint, i have tried sanding this down with a palm sander but its not worked so far its taken the shine off but its still clearly there do i need toremove this completely?

Also the general consenus from what i have read is that the ready mixed adhesive and grout is not best suited for this so what tile adhesive should i get? brand and type would be great?

Thanks in advance

joycey

Hi
Remember most peeps are at work. I'm sure someone will get back to you soon.
Personally, I'd cut my losses and take the tiles off. You'll probably find that the adhesive has not gone off completely and will scrape off the walls and tiles. The wall needs to be cleaned of pva, hopefully sandpaper will do, and primed with SBR.
You need a porcelain adhesive- your local tile merchant will be able to help you.

Hope this helps a bit.

Ken

Hi Joycey

Unfortunately, you will have to remove the old tiles. This should be fairly easy to do withough any damage to the walls as ready mixed adhesive has a slower setting time. A ready mixed adhesive is not suitable for such a large format tile. A cement based adhesive is what you will need. I use Bal Rapidset which is available in most tile outlets. The PVA that is on your wall will need to be removed. Sand paper should do the job depending on sub straight. An SBR primer is ideal but please bare in mind, buy an adhesive & primmer made by the same manufacturer. The wall that has the shinny paint on it, if it cannot be sanded down, score the wall into diamond shapes, about 4" in size. This will help the adhesive to grip while setting. Hope that helps!


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not sure of your speed , but you might be better with a white standard set adhesive ,, is there a tile giant near you , they will have everything you need to do your job

thanks for the replies so far.

I thought that removal of the tiles would be required, so now the next thing if i can get the tiles off the wall without damaging them and the adhesive is still wet and easily removed can i re-use the tiles?

the tiles have a sqaure ribbed pattern on the back which obviously helps with adhesion but if this is filled with the old adhesive will i end up having to throw the tiles away? (if so that was an expensive mistake how do i tell the missus that one?)

joycey

Good point. In that case, Bal Single Part Flexi. It has a setting time of 12 to 16 hours & about a 5 hour pot life


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Joycey sorry to tell you but the paint will have to come off, you cant have tile weight +addy+grout weight reliant on a skim of paint. Try a harsh grit sandpaper on the bigger sander.

There other adhesive brands out there and a lot cheaper than Bal imo...

Originally Posted by Dave

There other adhesive brands out there and a lot cheaper than Bal imo...

Yeah, all of them! Not saying they aren't good products, just not competitively priced.

True Dave but I only use the best. You get what you pay for. If your happy using Toppfix or Dunlop, be my guest. Its not me that has to pay for a new bath!


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I was a BAl user for many years and have said so many times on this forum.... I use a few other brands just as good and if not better than bal...and do not cost an arm and a leg to my customers.

So in your opinion, who says BAl is the best..?

Originally Posted by Bubblecraft

Good point. In that case, Bal Single Part Flexi. It has a setting time of 12 to 16 hours & about a 5 hour pot life


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Save a few pounds & go to Tile Giant if your near to one.

the question you want to ask yourself is ?would you be happy to carry on with the project knowing that the preparation error, may fail and ruin any hard work done after proper steps are taken.
the tiles should come off.
acrylic bonding agent to be used.
mapei p9 is a good adhesive to work with, mix half bags at a time and crack on. it sets chemically which is better than air circulation.
would remove what paint is possible and spatter dash(slurry coat) with acrylic and rapid set in "shiny areas" that will give a good key.

I ain't get into a tumble over adhesives. Drifting way off subject. I prefer to use Bal. I have faith in their products. My customers don't buy the products, I do as I get them straight from Bal. I'll use products which I know gives me & my customer piece of mind. I know there is alternatives, but that's what i prefer to use.


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its your choice pal cant argue with that , we la have our preferences , i like ardex

I used Bal exclusively for years but the past while i have used a few different brands & i must say that they are all as good as each other,
We use what they have on special at CTD, usually weber & have no complaints. (& a lot cheaper!!)

Found out a bit of info at Hampden Trade Show about the pecking order of Bal adhesives,

ARDEX,
BAL,
DUNLOP,
PRO-FIX.

Sure that's not just alphabetical? Lol


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Hi everyone,

Thanks for the help

Well i had the joy of removing the tiles last night and i am so glad i did. the ready mixed adhesive and grout was either still wet or where it had started to cure it had just turned to a powdery substance which did not grip the tile.

there were some areas where the adhesive had gripped the wall so i had to scrape this off but all in all the removal of the tiles took less than 30minutes.

Another quick question due to the large format of the tiles where the wall is not completely square how can i bed the tile should i use extra adhesive in a localised area or should i put a bonding undercoat/render over the wall in the localised area to get the wall flush?

Thanks for all the replies and advice so far now the next thing is to try to get the paint off the wall.


joycey

Hi Joycey,
If you use Bal Adhesives i think you can pack out to 12mm on localised areas.
Double check though whatever adhesive you use.