Help!: Unopened begged Cement Adhesive - Shelf life?

[I3looM]

Hi Guys, I was registered on here about 3 or 4 years ago, since forgotten my login details so created a fresh account. Back when I joined I asked for some advice on what adhesive to use for a large format bathroom tile to go onto plasterboard on both timber stud partition of plasterboard on dabs on brick. Following lots of advice from Dave and many others I picked up a couple of bags of Bal Single Part Flexible but for one reason or another, life got in the way and I never ever did get around to tiling the bathroom. So my question to the pro's is:

Would the adhesive be ok for me to use?

I'd like to not have to fork out for brand new bags if possible as money is tight these days but I also don't want tiles de-bonding from the wall (is that what could happen?)
I know from my experiences plastering at home that if you mix up a batch of plaster that's out of date (didn't realise at the time...) that it begins to go off extremely quickly and is unusable. What I don't know is if tile adhesive has a similar shelf life. I've checked over the bags and there is no date printed anywhere so I'm left wondering.

I've also go a second question to ask.
I found that one wall in the bathroom that whilst smooth from fresh plasterboard is not flat. I can see this from as the window is UPVC and has an plywood soffit and ingo's, its clear to see where the board is uneven which is undesirable. How do you guys solve the issue of high spots and low spots to give you a relatively even surface to tile from?

Thanks again

[Bri]

It should say on the adhesive bag somewhere that it has 12 months shelf life from date of manufacture (which should be stamped on the bag), so your stuff is way past it I'm afraid. With reference to the high and low spots, if you can sand or chisel the high spots down, great. If not everything around it will need building up to that point, so essentially using the high spot as your start.

[Dave]

If it has lumps in it or gone hard in places then it is gooosed.. But 3 to 4 yrs.. LOL..

The easiest way is to mix a small amount and see if it sets.. you will have no manufacturer guarantees after this time if you use it but BAL isn't cheap , so to replace is costly..

How many bags are we talking here..?

[I3looM]

Yeah 4 years.... A lot did happen in that time but still no excuse hence wanting to get my finger out and get it done.

Just the 2 bags but yeah not cheap regardless. I haven't opened them yet but with no exposure to air I've no idea what the contents are like inside. I'm holding out a bit of hope that the adhesive will be ok - I'd have thought it has more chance of being so unopened than 4 years of being opened but you guys are the pro's and would know better than my assumptions.

When you say test it to see if it sets, forgive me for being a novice with this, but I should mix it up and then what? Should it go firm quickly and in what time or do I need to test bonding a tile with on a wall?

As for building up the uneven areas, what do you recommend? Sand & cement mix or other?
Also am I correct in thinking that I should I apply a mix of water & SBR (iirc) to the fresh plasterboard before apply to levelling mix rather than a PVA & water mix before levelling?

I live a couple of mins away from a Tile It All outlet though its coming under the company name Tile Giant in Google. If the adhesive proves to be useless, do you know if they supply an alternative adhesive that would be suitable?

Thanks

[Dave]

If it sets in about 2hrs or less then it is fine.. but if it takes ages to set then it is nacked.. but saying this 12 months is the shelf life and only you can choose to use it:

[deanotile]

when i was at the college we used out of date adhesive all the time even done jobs around the college that are still up now. But would i use it in my own house not a chance in hell.

[andy8758]

4 years since you bought the stuff to tile and not started yet? Sounds like my house, the back door is still in the garage waiting to be fitted 3 years after we bought it!

[aph257]

If you decide to buy new, get to your Tile Giant and buy Mapei.

[Gazrus]

Regarding the high spot on the plasterboard, are the boards screwed on or drylined?
If there screwed on may be worth takingthem off & see what is causing the bulge, may save you some time & money in the long run.

[I3looM]

Gazrus: yeah they are screwed onto timber battens which are screwed into the external brick wall. I agree taking it off is probably be the thing to do though I managed to cover that section of wall including the window opening cut in a single piece of board. I'm and none too keen to unscrew it and try and get it flat fiddling about with packers. It might be easier taking it off, remove the battens of the brickwork and refit the board using large plasterboard adhesive dabs so that I can carefully apply enough pressure till the board is flat. That said, filling up the low points with something and getting it roughly smooth sounds an easier job.
aph257,
What bagged mapei product would you recommend as and equivalent to Bal Single Part Flexible?
Thanks a lot for the replies guys, this is one of the most helpful forums I've ever been on.

[Dave]

Kera-quick S1..

[I3looM]

Hi folks,

I've ended up buying fresh plasterboard and fixing on to the existing uneven plasterboard (after sealing) with gypsum drywall adhesive to give a much more level for surface. Getting back to adhesive, Dave recommended Kera-quick S1 however my nearest retailer is selling that at £40.99 per bag whereas they sell Kera-Flex Maxi S1 (grey) for only £21.99 which is mighty appealing. Is there any reason why I shouldn't purchase that instead?

thanks again