Tiling Kitchen floor

[Enzman]

Hay all, i have just finished tiling a 4xm2 (400mmx400mm porcelin tiles) kitchen floor which is an extention off thier old kitchen. due to it being an extention there was a floor height diffrence. they had someone come to place self leveler down on the extention floor to raise it up a touch, but the height diffrence on one side was about half inch and the other is about an 1 1/4 inch where it meets the old kitchen floor. So i layed down some 12mm ply to bring it up to near enough level. so i primered the floor and then layed down some unibond lay on wood floor tile adhesive (which they purchased), and at some points where the diffrent floors meet i had to pack it up abit. 24hrs later the floor had cured and the tiles i packed up abit with adhesive have still not dried. the adhesive under the tiles seem to be still wet. is it a case of it will take much longer for the adhesive to go off or will it never dry?

thanx all!!!

[sWe]

What does the adhesive specs say about maximum bed thickness? If you applied it much thicker than what it was designed for, you could have trouble with cracking, as well as long drying times.

What does the adhesive specs say about priming?

[Enzman]

it had no bed thickness amount and it said to use a PVA as a primer. as i have learned on this forum PVA is not the way to go. so i used an acrylic primer. is it just the case of i have to wait allot longer for the adhesive to dry??

[MICK the Tiler]

Is this Unibond a single part or 2 part addy? I'm not too familar with this product.

[Enzman]

its a single part ready mixed adhesive. Unibond tile on wood floor adhesive and grout. i only used it as an adhesive though.

[Sir Ramic]

Taken from the Unibond website
HOW TO USE
UniBond Tiling On Floors
When Tiling on Wooden floors
• Very porous surfaces should be primed using a mixture of 1 part UniBond
PVA and 5 parts water. Do not allow the primer to dry.
• Thoroughly stir the adhesive before use. Begin tiling at the intersection of
the two guidelines. Spread the adhesive as a continuous bed over
approximately 1m2 of the floor using a floor tiling trowel (See figure A).
Do not use in excess of 4mm thickness. Lightly rib the surface using a
notched spreader. Additionally if the tiles are studded, or have ribbed
backs, butter the back of the tile to a depth level with the studs, or ribs.
6. Immediately press the tiles firmly into the adhesive using a twisting
action to ensure full contact (See figure B). Use the guidelines to ensure
rows and columns are straight.
7. Tile spacers can be used to separate each tile to ensure regular spacing.
8. Remove any surplus adhesive from the surface of the tiles immediately
using a damp cloth.
9. Continue tiling in small areas at a time.
10. Ensure the adhesive is fully dry before grouting, or walking on the tiles.
11. Drying time will be at least 48 hours. Drying time will be extended in
cold or damp conditions.
GROUTING AND FINISHING
12. DO NOT GROUT UNTIL ADHESIVE HAS COMPLETELY DRIED.
13. Working in small areas at a time, press the grout into the joints (See
figure C).
14. Smooth off with a grouting tool along the joint lines (See figure D)
15. Immediately remove excess grout with a damp cloth.
16. Avoid walking on the floor for a further 24 hours. After this period light
foot traffic can be applied. Full adhesive strength and water resistance will
develop over a period of 7 days.
17. Store in cool dry conditions. Protect from frost and direct sunlight.
18. Keeps for 24 months from the date on the lid in unopened container.

http://www.makingdiyeasier.co.uk/uni...ngonfloors.pdf

[sWe]

Originally Posted by Sir Ramic

11. Drying time will be at least 48 hours. Drying time will be extended in cold or damp conditions.

**** me, 48 hours

[CJ]

It could take weeks to dry.

Ready mixed floor guff is crap to use and takes an age at normal thickness to dry.

[theperfecttile]

im curious i thought you wernt suppos eto use PVA glue since the adhesive wouldnt bond correctly to WB plywood? i maybe totally wrong, in which case excuse my inexperience

[Enzman]

i also thought PVA was not the stuff you wanna be using when tiling?

[Dave]

Its NOT!!!!!!!!!

[jpw]

Hey, i used the unibond poo once, again due to customer supply, they.....in my opinion and only my opinion shounld call it uni****, this description would just about sum it up, i used it over ply as advised and it took 2 days at a conventional thickness before i even dare put my 12 stone on it..... and you should have seen the customer! Anyway that readymix is subquality, for little more money BAL rapidset flex is the way to go. Will it set? yes. how long? roll a dice and multiply it by 2 days, that should be about right... unless you roll a 1!You should get away with it but learn from the experience. as for the pva as primer debate, well they cant get the adhesive right never mind anything else..... in my opinion!