How To Choose The Right Tile Adhesive? Complete Guide

Tiles are an important part of your premise decor, whether your home, office or other location. Tiles are usually an inseparable part of aesthetics. Tiles were traditionally installed with a cement and sand slurry. However, there are some disadvantages to this method. Because cement shrinks after drying, hollow spaces appear beneath the tile surface. These are weak floor points, and any impact will result in tile chipping or cracking. Adhesives are the most durable and trouble-free option for tile installation. The article describes selecting the right tile adhesive by providing some helpful tips.

Tile Adhesive:

Tile Adhesive is a specially formulated dry powder that forms a consistent paste for trouble-free tile installation when mixed with water or a latex additive. To improve its essential laying properties, tile adhesive is premixed and specially formulated from OPC, fine sand, and additives. Tiles can be laid on existing tiles, polished cement, wooden substrates (after priming), and other special substrates with high-performance tile adhesive.

Advantages:

• It is very simple to use tile adhesive; mix it with water, and it will be ready to use. Tiles do not need to be soaked; unpack and lay them.

• The tile adhesive mixture can be applied to an area of about 1 meter in a single application. After that, the tiles are laid in a continuous pattern onto the adhesive and quickly adjusted into the lines. This procedure speeds up the installation.

• Tile adhesive is designed specifically for the surfaces on which it is used. Every swimming pool, bathroom, and the living room has a unique adhesive designed specifically for that environment.

• Tile adhesive makes the bonding of tiles and the ground strong. Refrains the water from entering and thus tries to avoid damages.

Disadvantages:

• It requires maintenance at regular intervals to ensure the bond's longevity.

• Water can still get under the tile surface and damage the tiles, necessitating regrouting.

• A poor choice of tile adhesive can detract from the overall appearance of your space by loosening the tiles, making them hollow, or even making sounds when walking on the tiles.

Things To Consider When Choosing Tiles Adhesive

Different adhesive qualities ensure better bonding for different types of surfaces. The type of surface on which the tile is installed also influences the adhesive choice. A premixed paste can be used for smaller tiles, while powdered adhesive can be used for larger ones. When it comes to tile adhesive, choosing a reputable brand ensures that you won't have to deal with a shoddy installation and that you can rest assured for many years. Choosing a darker adhesive will hide smears and normal signs of wear or damage while also adding a striking element to light-colored tiles, such as a white tile with grey adhesives.

Because it is already processed and ready for use, a premixed adhesive solution will be more expensive than a powdered grouting solution. Given that you may have already spent a significant amount on your tiles, the tile adhesive price is important. Tile adhesives are available in various packages and quantities ranging from a 500 gm container to a 20 kg bag.

Types of Tiles Adhesive:

There are classifications of many tiles adhesives across the world. Different countries have their procedure for classifying it. But even after an abundance of tile adhesive variety, there are a few limited types based on the chemical composition that are mentioned below:

1. Cement-based

2. Water-based dispersion adhesive.

3. Polyurethane-based

4. Epoxy-based

5. Tile adhesive mat

Know The Surface

Tile can be intended for either outdoor or indoor use, as it is obvious that exterior projects are exposed to a more aggressive environment. In contrast, outdoor use implies stricter emission requirements, which can be hazardous to one's health. The rule also applies to tile adhesive:

• Internal use: understand the room it is to be applied in and the things it will encounter.

• External use: understand the weather conditions to choose the right bonded adhesive.

Understand the Tiles

Most ceramic, porcelain, stone, metal, or glass tile can be laid with multipurpose adhesive – manufacturers usually label their products with the different types of tiles they can use. However, there are some situations where you will require tile adhesive with specific properties.

Mosaic tile and transparent tile projects will benefit from white cement adhesive because they are easier to clean and have better aesthetic qualities.

Porcelain stoneware has low adhesion and high weight, so it requires specially designed compounds with enhanced bonding properties to be properly fixed.

Large-scale tile (greater than 300x300 mm) should be laid on walls with enhanced adhesive, whereas regular glue is adequate for flooring.

Select the Variety

After understanding the overall environment in which the tiles will serve their purpose, a good amount of tile adhesive with the right quality is chosen based on the perfect type of adhesive.

Choosing The Right Brand:

It may seem secondary, you might think knowing the difference between adhesives will be enough. However, going for a reputed brand when it comes to tile adhesive will ensure that you don’t have to tend to a badly done installation and can rest assured for a lot of years.

At Tileswale, we host the best brands available in India, these manufacturers and suppliers have been verified for their quality and their adhesives come with the requisite brand assurance.

Color:

Today adhesives are available in a plethora of different colors, complementing perfectly with the choice of the tile you can either choose something that blends with your tile selection or go for something contrasting to bring out the vibrancies in a space. 

Selecting a deeper adhesive color will decrease the look of smears and normal signs of wearing or damage, which is particularly notable in a washroom or on a kitchen flooring, as well as provide a striking element with light-colored tiles - such as a white tile with grey adhesives.

Coordinating your grouting color to your tile color can produce a modern aesthetic and visibly lengthen space - vital whether you're building a small bathroom or creating a small kitchen.

Pricing:

Of course the pricing of the tile adhesive matters. You would not want to go over budget with your tiles installation, considering that you may have already spent a decent amount on your tiles. Tiles adhesives are available in different packages offered in different quantities ranging from a 500 gm container to a 20 kg bag. Depending upon your requirement you may spend the budgeted amount.

A pre-mixed adhesive solution is going to be more expensive than a powdered grouting solution given that it is already processed and ready for use. You may choose the right adhesive as per your convenience and budget.

Setting Time:

Before going for installation and choosing your tiles adhesives, you might want to consider the different setting times of the adhesives. While premixed adhesives are set easily and quickly, powdered adhesive or cement-based adhesive takes a bit more time. You may or may not wish to wait over a certain period of time, and this should be on your mind before choosing the right tile adhesives. 

Other Factors

Ideally, these are main factors to choose the correct tile adhesive. But in real circumstances, there many other factors that play a significant role in purchasing the right adhesive,a buyer needs to also make decision on the basis of these factors. They are may change person to person but for sure, they affect the decision in some or the other way. and they are:

• Transportation

• Substitutes/Alternatives  

Final Words

It may not be an exciting process, to begin with, but it is unquestionably necessary if you want to increase the durability of your tiles. The above factors are frequently considered when selecting a tile adhesive, but can a buyer obtain all of the answers on his own? It can be difficult and time-consuming. All of your inquiries are answered by simple filters in the Tileswale app, which can help you find the right tile adhesive at the right price in minutes. Visit Tileswale to bypass the hassle of the preceding process and get your tile adhesive needs to be met directly.

FAQs

1. Is tile adhesive stronger than cement?

Tile Adhesives are ready-to-blend or pre-mixed solutions that are self-healing, affordable, and offer excellent adhesion properties. They offer great advantages over old-fashioned cement mix. They are easier to mix and handle as compared to cement mix. Their increased adhesion force of the tiles prevents shrinkage, cracks, and slippage.

2. Can tile adhesive be used on wood?

Yes, tile adhesive can be used on wood perfectly well. To lessen the possibility of cracking when tiling over the wooden floor, use a flexible tile adhesive and grout. Instead of solid infill, use a silicone sealer around the room's perimeter. This allows your tiles to bend as you walk over them instead of pushing away from the wall or skirting board and breaking.

3. Can tile adhesive be used to level the floor?

Tile adhesive mixtures can be laid to a thickness of nearly 25 millimeters. The consistency of the mixture allows it to fix tiles over the uneven thickness and jagged substrates. It is because of this quality that it can be used to level the floors of any space.

Article Updated - June 09, 2022

Read More Articles:

1. Top 10 Tiles Adhesive Manufacturers in India
2. An Ultimate Guide For Tile Adheesive
3. How To Apply Adhesive On Tiles