Having completed an introductory tiling course previously I am now labouring for a good friend of mine who is an experienced plasterer and general handyman and is booked up until November with various domestic kitchen and bathroom projects.

Our focus is on attention to detail and where possible we would like to be able to offer a tiling service too.

The one area that confused me whilst on the course was which adhesive for what substrate, purpose etc. 1 part, 2 part, flexible, rapid set etc etc.....

I've had a quick look but is there anywhere on the forum that explains what to use for what or can anyone help explain?

I'm sure it's much simpler than I think but when your being bombarded with information I became a bit lost.

Thanks in advance.

HI -There will certainly be the information you require somewhere on the forum archives but why not look at Mapei (a forum sponsor) and their web page will have a contact No.
Most of the adhesive manufacturers supply a tiling 'bible' with details of substrates etc and the appropriate adhesives to use. Contact them all or go to your local tile distributor and they should have them on the counter.
The main issue with adhesives is internal/external for water/frost conditions and weight issues for tiles with tubbed/cement based products.
If you have a particular surface in mind for a project ask and an answer will be given on here ie plaster walls should only take 22kg of weight. Therefore it's important to prepare the walls for the type of tiling you anticipate using.
Have fun and

Nice post John.

As above, if in doubt give the adhesive manufacturer a ring or ask on here

Found this on the TileDepot site. Is this a good starting point?

For walls you can use a ready mixed adhesive which has self priming in it – so there’s no need to prime the wall beforehand or to mix the adhesive. If, however, you are using larger wall tiles (e.g. 30cm * 60cm) then you will need to use a powdered adhesive which will need mixing.

A standard adhesive can be used on walls in a dry area that has little condensation, but for wet areas such as a shower or bath or where there is a condensation problem, then you will need a water resistant adhesive.

Floor adhesives are all water resistant and come in powdered format, so will need mixing as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Non flexible adhesive can be used on concrete, but for surfaces such as floor boards where there will be movement you will need a flexible adhesive.

For both wall and floor adhesive you will need to choose between normal or rapid set. Rapid set allows you to do the grouting within a few hours of finishing laying your tiles, whereas for the normal type you will need to allow about 24 hours. The normal type, however, is easier to use, as if you work in areas of one square metre at a time, you don’t need to worry about the adhesive hardening before you’ve had time to lay your tiles.

Adhesive comes in a choice of colours, but if you are using natural stone tiles you will need to use white adhesive, to avoid staining the tiles.

As a guide, 10kg of wall adhesive will cover approximately 4-5 square metres of tiling. For floor adhesive 20kg will cover approximately 5 square metres, but this will depend on how level your floor is and whether you need to use more adhesive to help level it.

Umm... Kind of.


Do you have a Tile Giant near you? They stock Mapei, IMO the best adhesive on the market. If you tell them what tiles you are using and what substrate you are tiling onto they should be able to give you the right adhesive. Be very careful with getting info regarding tiling from the net, there is some unbelievable advice out there on some of these DIY sites.

Most of the guys on here do not use ready mixed adhesive, it is OK in some situations but those situations are very limited. I would recommend a good powder adhesive, standard for walls if you are not to confident with speed and rapid for floors. What class of adhesive (S1/S2) will depend on the substrate. But bare in mind that it is just as important to get the substrate prep right before you begin tiling, we get soooo many threads on here about tiling going wrong because of poor prep. So my advice would be to ask on here when you have a job, tell us the substrate and the tiles and we can give you all the pointers you need. In the mean time have a look at the link below and see if there is a tile giant near you.

Mapei: Tile Giant Store Finder...

Thanks for the advice thus far Rich.

S1/S2 is exactly the sort of abreviations that were used on the course and hence my original post with regard to confusion.

Am I right in assuming S1 is 1 part and S2 is 2 part? What's the difference?

Sorry.

Basically it tells you how flexible the adhesive is. When they test the adhesives, the get a really thin sheet of the set adhesive and bend it (its a bit more complicated than this but you get the idea) S1 is flexible and S2 is really flexible. It used to be the case that S1 adhesives were single part and S2s were 2-part but the adhesive manufacturers are now making single part S2 adhesives.

Any bag of adhesive you buy will have what it is suitable for written on the bag. You must make sure that it is suitable for the substrate and the tiles type. The info on the bag will also tell you which substrates need priming and with what primer.

: Mapei: Mapei powdered adhesives info.

Have a read through this thread, will prob make things a little clearer

Originally Posted by Rich

When they test the adhesives, the get a really thin sheet of the set adhesive and bend it (its a bit more complicated than this but you get the idea)

Get you Rich! Sounds like youve been on a Mapei training day
Top advice as always......
.....I would suggest you may want to pop into a Tile Giant and ask for a "Mapei little black book" for the ceramic product range. Excellent to have in your file for quick reference. I have 3 and wouldnt be without them

Morning KPS, have a look at PowerSpec Online Tiling adhesive and grout specifier Just enter details about type of tile, substrate, measurements and tiling conditions (wet/dry area). The system will tell you what adhesive & grout you should use for the job. However, the website belongs to 'BAL', and it will only recommend 'BAL' products. The main thing is that it gives you a very good idea of what to use. Good luck in your career. Cheers Sean

Originally Posted by blocko

Get you Rich! Sounds like youve been on a Mapei training day
Top advice as always......
.....I would suggest you may want to pop into a Tile Giant and ask for a "Mapei little black book" for the ceramic product range. Excellent to have in your file for quick reference. I have 3 and wouldnt be without them

I used my best, proper clever science talk as well