lifting tiles - Why? - Tile Advice

[Filip]

I always back butter, but just putting it out there - rather than back butter would a quick brush over with water be of any use

 

[Paul James Farrell]

Thanks your comments.
It seems to me that the tiles did have reasonable contact with adhesive. But the adhesive doesn't have enough "glue" or "stick". I'm interested in comment about cheap adhesive, what do you mean very little polymer. The adhesive was Topps own brand.
The failure seems to me similar to what would happen if surface too absorbent - not primed. The adhesive is well stuck to the primed Hardieboard.
I wonder if the highly absorbent nature of the ceramic back has a detrimental effect on adhesive.
The mix felt ok to me it was easy to spread but perhaps with ceramic it needs to be wetter to allow it to spread more under tile ? I wasn't trying to achieve 100% bedding though.
I used a 10mm trowel. Should I have larger notch giving larger rib ?
I can't see how twisting works when laying a tile. you'd have to lay tile away from next tile then push into position risking messy joints. my method tends to be laying tile butting up to next tile and then pulling back to open joint space with a jerking motion. If the mix is right surely that should be enough. There shouldn't be a need to butter.

12mm on floors.

 

[trevean]

Ok. Ive been scrapping. Not a big area. Remaining tiles came up easily and intact. Interesting to find the tiles (cuts)which were trowelled rather than buttered came up almost as easily as the main area tiles. This suggests maybe the mix at fault or adhesive not great for some reason.

Some final questions.

What do you mean by adhesive with little polymer (chalker)

How critical is water powder ratio. How does stiffer or sloppier mix effect final setting.


I’m pretty sure my mix was useable but as I said before it seemed to lack the ‘gluiness” or “stick” characteristic.


Thanks to all for your comments

 

[Andy Allen]

Topps own brand flexible adhesive is rubbish, imo, I once tiled a bath panel with it and they all fell off.

Fact is some adhesive is more suited to tiling on a wooden substrate than others.

And if you go back to Topps and complain they will simply blame any of the other problems already stated..

 

[WetSaw]

Polymers add to the adhesive qualities and flexibility. The adhesive bag will give you the correct ratio to mix, often there is a range to allow a stiffer mix if needed.
A very simple, although very unscientific, test is to put your finger in the adhesive bed. If it doesn't stick to your finger it's unlikely to stick to a tile!

 

[Andy Allen]

Polymers add to the adhesive qualities and flexibility. The adhesive bag will give you the correct ratio to mix, often there is a range to allow a stiffer mix if needed.
A very simple, although very unscientific, test is to put your finger in the adhesive bed. If it doesn't stick to your finger it's unlikely to stick to a tile!

Do you have a little taste of it too....