How To Choose The Right Tile Adhesive?

You've picked your perfect tile. Now we must consider adhesives and installation. After all, your new tiles will only look their best if they are installed correctly.

We use tile adhesives to put our tiles on walls and floors - it's essentially porcelain Prittstick.

There are a myriad of different substrates (that's the technical term for wall and floor surfaces) and tile types out there, so it's critical to choose the right adhesive to ensure your tile stays in place for years to come. We always recommend seeking the advice of a professional tiler who will be best placed to select the right adhesive for your project. However, if you are choosing your own adhesive, we have put together this handy guide to help you make the right choice. As with all things, if you need any additional advice, please contact us and we'll be happy to help you.

 HPMC for Tile Adhesive 

What types of tile adhesives are there?

There are two different types of tile adhesives, namely mixed pastes and powder adhesives. As the name implies, ready-made paste mixes are very easy to use as they can be used directly from the tub. But with that comes limitations - in general, pastes can only be used to fix smaller tiles to the wall. Powdered adhesives, on the other hand, need to be mixed with water to form a paste, which requires more time and effort. However, they provide a stronger bond and can often be used to attach ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tiles to almost any substrate.

What substrate are you fixing to?

As we mentioned above, there are many different substrates to fix tiles to. Let's look at the most common options.

Walls - plaster and plasterboard

Small tiles are usually used for walls and splashbacks and in most cases a premixed paste will be suitable for the job. If you are fixing larger tiles (larger than 30 x 30 cm) or any size of tiles to your walls, you will need to use powder adhesives. They come in different colors, setting speeds and flexibility options, which we will discuss below. It is important to make sure your walls can withstand the weight of the tiles and adhesive. Where possible, we recommend laying directly flat on plasterboard rather than fresh plaster. We will discuss the weight of the wall in more detail below.

 HPMC for Tile Adhesive    

Flooring - Wood

While it is sometimes possible to lay tile directly on top of the floor, we usually recommend installing a layer of marine grade plywood (minimum 15 mm thickness) or tile backerboard on top. These will provide you with a stronger, more stable tile surface. Even if you are using tile, ready-made mixes will not work for tile floors - instead, you will always need to use a powdered adhesive. The main factors to consider when choosing the right powder binder are color, flexibility and open or set time. We'll get to those soon.

Flooring - concrete or screed

As with wood floors, you will always need to use powder adhesives. A newly laid floor needs to be fully dry before tiling - usually at least 6 weeks for concrete foundations.

A closer look at powder adhesives

Not all powder adhesives are created equal, and there are a variety of options to choose from, depending on your project. Let's look at some of the more common options.

Color

Most adhesives are available in white or gray. Typically, when using lighter grouts, you would use a white adhesive and vice versa.

Flexibility

Even in your home, floor tiles can be under a lot of pressure from foot traffic, underfloor heating and movement of the subfloor. An adhesive bed absorbs this pressure to reduce the chances of your new floor cracking; the more deformable (or flexible) the adhesive is, the more peace of mind you'll have.