Adhesive query for large format tiles - TilersForums.co.uk | Tile Forums

SteveST4S · 20-05-2008

Hi all - I am new to this forum so hello to everybody

I am doing my own bathroom and will be using Topps Zamora tiles [600x300x10mm] which I think are porcelain [porcellanato?].

I did buy a load of Unibond Tile on Walls waterproof tile adhesive [tubbed - before I bough tthe tiles] but after looking through some of the posts I am not sure that this stuff is adequate.

I will be tiling on cement board, fresh plasterboard and old plasterboard with kitchen/bathroom paint on it.

Any recommendations for primer, adhesive and grout and do I need to anything special with the painted surfaces?

Thanks in advance . . .
Steve

**grumpygrouter** · 20-05-2008

Hi Steve, welcome to the forums. Firstly, you will need something better than the Unibond tubbed stuff! Return it for a refund if you can.

You will need to use a Cement based (powder) flexible adhesive and suitable for pocelain for that size of tile. BAL SPF for example. You should also prime the plasterboard with BAL APD before hand as well.

You haven't said if there is a shower to be tiled. If so I would recommend that you "tank" the shower area to protect the substrate from possible water damage if you get a leak behind the tiles.

The painted surfaces should ideally be sanded back to the plasterboard (paper surface) before you fix the tiles but you may find it quicker and less messy to replace the plasterboard entirely in those areas. This would give the opprtunity to staighten the walls up if they are not flat.

I would hazard a guess and say that you were looking to tile in a Brick Bond pattern with those tiles, if so you really do need a flat surface.

Finally, check out how heavy the tiles are as plasterboard walls will accept up to 32kg/m2 including adhesive and grout safely. Any more than that and you have the potential for the weight to bring down the walls!

Hope that helps

**Dave** · 20-05-2008

Hello steve ...welcome...........

...BAL spf............and flexible grout as well...

Phrixos · 31-08-2008

Hello guys. Newbie here.

Some powdered tile adhesives, like Evostick (Bostic) SPF, contain Hexavalent Chromium. Even a half teaspoon of Chromium VI is lethal (--and it is MOST lethal when ingested--or inhaled--in powdered form! Even at far lower doses, it can cause horrific--and genetic--damage. (That little black X on an orange background covers a multitude of sins.) No way I want to handle that stuff.

Does Bal SPF contain any Chromium VI? If so, I'd appreciate it if anyone could cite any single mix adhesive(s) that are suitable for large tiles and which do not contain this truly dreadful substance.

ATB,
Phrixos

**Fekin** · 31-08-2008

Even if this substance is in everyday adhesive I wouldn't worry too much about it... wear a mask while mixing

**grumpygrouter** · 31-08-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phrixos

Hello guys. Newbie here.

Some powdered tile adhesives, like Evostick (Bostic) SPF, contain Hexavalent Chromium. Even a half teaspoon of Chromium VI is lethal (--and it is MOST lethal when ingested--or inhaled--in powdered form! Even at far lower doses, it can cause horrific--and genetic--damage. (That little black X on an orange background covers a multitude of sins.) No way I want to handle that stuff.

Does Bal SPF contain any Chromium VI? If so, I'd appreciate it if anyone could cite any single mix adhesive(s) that are suitable for large tiles and which do not contain this truly dreadful substance.

ATB,
Phrixos

You will find if you read the data sheets, and I believe the packaging on the products, that they contain inhibitors to control Chromium VI. This chemical only becomes a problem if the adhesive is left open to the atmosphere for any extended period of time (months/years). If it was highly dangerous in the form it is being sold, I am sure it would not be allowed. Check out this bal H&S sheet it tells you in there about Chromium VI.

http://194.223.92.131/pdf/Material%2...-_SDS10023.pdf

GazTech · 31-08-2008

Bal adhesives now do not contain any chromium V1

Phrixos · 01-09-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpygrouter

...and I believe the packaging on the products,...

...they contain inhibitors to control Chromium VI.

... If it was highly dangerous in the form it is being sold, I am sure it would not be allowed.

Taking the quoted points in reverse order:

Isn't that what the decision-makers at Pacific Gas and the people of Hinkley thought (or wanted to think)?

It's interesting, isn't it, that Evostick OPF contains "inhibitors." Something indeed needs inhibiting. (And what do the inhibitors themselves do?) Felkin, you're a wise man. Wear a mask indeed. (Funny how the advice on the package doesn't include that.) Trouble is, once the dust, with its Cr6, is in a house, it's THERE--to be breathed in, continually, forever, particle by particle, at one's leisure. There's your extended period of time. (A tenth of a teaspoon, guys, and you're in trouble.) Then there's the question of the intermediate future--when the time comes to strip the walls and retile. Cr6--Round Two, with More clouds of Cr6 dust. (I wonder. What's the lifespan of the inhibitor?) What, moreover, of the professional tiler, who is indeed breathing the Cr6 in, continually, over years? That's the thing about dry-mix, cement-based adhesives. Because of their short usage time, you can't get away with just one mix. Dustcloud after dustcloud, its, "mix a bit, tile a bit, mix a bit, tile a bit..."

The people at Hinkley believed the packaging too.

Nice to know that Bal has seen the light. Will investigate. (Any others?)

Thanks for the input, everyone.

Phrixos

GazTech · 02-09-2008

[quote=GazTech;119684]Bal adhesives now do not contain any chromium V1[/quote] In response to my previous post which contained a type error, Chromium V1 is used in many of our products at Bal. Apologies for the misleading post, regards the dangers of Chromium V1, unless you eat it, breathe it, or mix it with your drink there are no problems. A safety warning is issued with all products which contain this component.....Gaz

Benny · 02-09-2008

If your that worried get a pro tiler to do the job for you:thumbsup:

GazTech · 02-09-2008

[quote=Benny;120145]If your that worried get a pro tiler to do the job for you:thumbsup:[/quote]A pro tiler knows the benefit of masks when using powdered adhesive and grouts.....longevity of life.:grin:

aardvaarktiling · 02-09-2008

Hi Gaz. Am i right in saying that any adhesive made in this country has a inhibitor in it for chronium 6 and any abroad don't and you can still get burns?