what are your opinions on pre mixed . its would be a lot more convenient for small jobs orwhere there is nowhere easy to mix and mess up.

Ok for kitchen splashbacks but that's it imo

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Same as mike for me, reasons being, can't be applied any thicker than 3mm, takes at least 24 hours to dry, can't be used on tiles larger than 300 x 300 and is a lot more expensive per m2 than powdered adhesive.

We use a lot of ready mixed on site, its what the company buy us.

It has its pros & cons, Only good for a max tile size of 300x300mm.

Ready mixed is frowned upon on this site but everyone has their own opinion.

Personally i would rather use a slow set adhesive if we have time but if not then a batch of rapid if we are in a hurry.

totally agree with mike & bri

It should be kept in the stores that sell it with a banned sticker on......don't ever use it now

Used to use it a lot for kitchens and small tile jobs..............but I drifted over to powdered stuffs..........and stayed.

its the best thing in the world









for the buckets not for the adhesive unless you want to strip paint

It is OK if you know its limitations but a lot of people dont look into these. Small ceramics on a flat wall will be fine.

I tend to use a standard setting powder for walls and rapid for floors, cant really see what you gain from using tub to be honest... Apart from the tub itself, that is.

I think it's wonderful stuff!
You open the lid and out wafts that clean scented aroma of creamy paste just waiting to be spread like butter onto a perfectly flat plastered surface.
You gently push the tiles into its moist surface, gently twisting as you go, and one after another a tile is held in position waiting for a cursory wipe with a damp sponge.
What could be more perfect.


That's my opinion anyway!

Originally Posted by timeless john

I think it's wonderful stuff!
You open the lid and out wafts that clean scented aroma of creamy paste just waiting to be spread like butter onto a perfectly flat plastered surface.
You gently push the tiles into its moist surface, gently twisting as you go, and one after another a tile is held in position waiting for a cursory wipe with a damp sponge.
What could be more perfect.



That's my opinion anyway!

perfectly flat plastered surface John where have you seen this ? are you dreaming WAKE UP

why cant you use it on larger tiles. is it the weight trying to pull it off the wall. i think it would be handy for small jobs where mixing small amount is a PITA. tubs are hardy thow

Originally Posted by Alan M

why cant you use it on larger tiles. is it the weight trying to pull it off the wall. i think it would be handy for small jobs where mixing small amount is a PITA. tubs are hardy thow

It won't dry with large tiles, it dries through dispersion through the joints

I hate to admit it, but tubbed gear has come on along way over the years. I very very rarely ever use it myself, but have been gobsmacked by some jobs that are still standing after a couple of years that were fixed with ready mixed.
I only found out the other day from another tiler that B&Q bathroom displays are nearly all fixed using tubbed gear...... including real stone displays!!!

To be fair I hate it myself, when I have the choice it's SPF all the way but iv done a lot of showrooms displays in white star, and stripped a lot that were done with white star and it really does stick a lot better than you think

I totally agree, SPF for everything, used to use white star all the time until I saw the light. It is a good tubbed adhesive but costs a fortune, probably 3 times the cost of a quality SPF.

So I think to answer your question, if mixing up is a problem and if you are using small ceramics on a flat wall with no building up and you do not need to grout the same day, then tub adhesive is fine but not what most professionals would use given the choice.

If on the other hand you can mix up or you need to build up, grout the same day or the tiles are anything larger than 300x300 or not ceramic. A powder adhesive all the way.

Rich, you hit the nail right on the head,

"If you know its limitations"

This is where a lot of people trip up on tubbed addy.

I know so called tilers that have stuck 600x300mm porcelain on with tubbed addy.

I can beat that mate, very successful firm round here (I would love to give their name on here but cant ) will use nothing else but tub, they refuse to even use powder on timber floors. Needless to say they get a lot of failures.

Rich, that is unbelievable.

"On Floors" Oh Dear.

On the plus side it will keep you busy.

Tell me about it! Putting their work right is my bread and butter work!

Originally Posted by Rich

I can beat that mate, very successful firm round here (I would love to give their name on here but cant ) will use nothing else but tub, they refuse to even use powder on timber floors. Needless to say they get a lot of failures.

I did a bathroom refurb in an old hotel converted into apartments. It was only 3x2m in size and if I was at one end of the room and the plumber walked in, I could feel myself being raised up there was so much deflection in the floor. Again the developers had used tubbed addy for the floor and the tiles were coming up very quickly. Luckily the customer wanted it all out and replaced. Nice job.