Choosing tile glue: professional advice

At that moment when you wanted to put ceramic tiles - it's time to stop and think about how to choose the right glue. The choice of glue is a very important stage, because it depends on how long the tiled surface lasts for you. At the same time, the glue should not only be of high quality, but suitable for this particular purpose.

In the recent past, the question of which glue to glue the tiles did not stand on. Previously, cement-sand mortar served as the “glue”. Also used for bonding bitumen, and sometimes even paint. Today in the building materials market there is a huge selection of different options and it is important to choose the right one for your conditions.

Nowadays, glue is sold in the form of powder and belongs to the products from the "dry construction mixes" section. And now sand and cement are the basis of glue, and manufacturers also add various polymeric substances. Thanks to these additives, it is possible to obtain a more elastic glue. It is very important that all these additives do not have a negative effect on human health and are completely safe. Therefore, the glue has no restrictions on the scope - it is safe both for exterior decoration and for interior decoration. In case of undesirable use of this glue for internal work, the manufacturer must indicate such information on the packaging.

Also, the manufacturer must indicate the level of adhesion. Adhesion is an indicator of adhesion of surfaces. The higher it is, the stronger the tile will be glued to the surface. Therefore, when choosing glue, it is necessary to pay attention to this indicator.

When buying glue, you also need to pay attention to such an indicator as elasticity. If the level of elasticity is small, then it is necessary to be prepared for the fact that after drying microcracks and sometimes even damage to the material may appear. Therefore, if you intend to use, for example, glass tiles, then you need to choose an adhesive with the highest possible level of elasticity.

The choice of glue also depends on which tile will be glued. If this is a lightweight tile in standard sizes, then the presence of additional additives in the glue is not necessary. For this case, a cheaper version of the glue is suitable. If necessary, glue heavy types of tiles, the most suitable option is reinforced adhesive composition. This type of adhesive is suitable for surfaces experiencing constant stress and load. There is also universal glue, which is distinguished by a much higher price, but at the same time it can be used for gluing not only ceramic tiles, but even ceramic granite. In addition, it can be used to fix natural or artificial stone.

Thanks to the constant progress and the emergence of new synthetic materials, another type of glue has appeared - polyurethane. The presence of such properties as heat resistance, water resistance, durable seam allows you to use it to work with absolutely any materials. Polyurethane adhesive can be used for cladding with ceramic tiles, and wooden panels, artificial and natural stone and so on. Due to such a property as gradual curing, bonding strength is achieved “for centuries”. At the same time, the price of such glue is not overpriced and quite competitive.

When choosing glue, it is also necessary to take into account such conditions, humidity and temperature. For a sauna, pool, bathroom, glue with an indicator such as increased moisture resistance is needed.

In the case of using glue for outdoor work, glue is needed, the composition of which contains substances used to increase its frost resistance.

Having familiarized yourself with these simple rules, you are sure to find the glue that is most suitable for your planned work!