Help!: problems tiling over melamine

[bluemarl1n]

Help. I tiled some mosaic tiles on to a melamine surface, having first sanded down the melamine for a good grip, and using a pre mixed tile & grout adhesive.
After 12 hours nothing has set or hardened. Any advice would be really appreciated.
Thanks

[impish]

Hmmm, unsure about tiling to melamine. It's a pretty inert substrate and resistant to most things.
Personally I'd have used something aggressive like an S2 adhesive (BAL Fastflex or any other 2 part adhesive).
Ready mixed adhesives dry through dispersion (water loss) so it can take ages before it starts to grab and maybe up to a week (seriously!) before it starts to bond.

[whitebeam]

What adhesive did you use..

[bluemarl1n]

Thanks for the replies.
I used B&Q tile and grout, it's only a small area 800 x 300 to support a wash basin on top of a melamine wall unit. I taken all the tiles off and am now thinking of puting a plywood base on it as a base for the tiles.

[GirlRacerRed]

as Impish says, it's the adhesive that is the problem here. you need a powdered adhesive that you have to mix yourself. powdered adhesives set by chemical reaction rather than air and water loss. but you also need to consider the preparation of the surface you want to tile on to, otherwise the tiles may continue to come off.

[impish]

Thanks for the replies. I used B&Q tile and grout, it's only a small area 800 x 300 to support a wash basin on top of a melamine wall unit. I taken all the tiles off and am now thinking of puting a plywood base on it as a base for the tiles.

B&Q Tile and grout will soften when it gets wet (if it ever dries!) so it is completely unsuitable for use near a wash basin. Best as GRR says and use a cement based adhesive. I'd use BAL mosaic fix which you can buy in little bags I think. You are best using a proper grout too rather than ready mixed.

[Dave Ramsden]

Stand back, wait for it to dry then watch it fall off Im afraid...

[pjc]

you could coat it in a primer for non porous surfaces like pci 303 ardex used to do one to then use a cement adhesive as its a small area we had to tile many formica worktops years ago and used the ardex one

[Lodger]

Yes, Use PCI primer to prime the melamine then use the PCI cement based fast set adhesive. If its anywhere near a wet area, then dont tile on it. I would stick some ply on it then tile it with cement based adhesive.

[jay]

i wouldn't tile it