Most ceramic tiles are usually laid with cement mortar or tile adhesive. The ceramic tiles laid by ordinary people have a high moisture content and a rough back. Cement mortar can be used directly to lay ceramic tiles. As people’s living standards improve, more and more families are beginning to choose vitrified tiles with better quality.
However, traditional cement mortar as a bonding material cannot meet the laying conditions of vitrified tiles. Vitrified tiles cannot be firmly attached using only cement mortar. It is easy to have problems such as hollowing and falling tiles in the later stage.

01 Why is it difficult to lay vitrified tiles on the wall?

Vitrified tiles are the common name for porcelain polished tiles. They are a kind of bright tiles made by grinding the surface of the whole body tile blank. They are a kind of whole body tiles. They are characterized by noble color, elegant texture and stable performance. They are high in strength, wear-resistant, low in water absorption, acid and alkali resistant, and small in color difference.
There are three reasons why vitrified tiles are difficult to lay on the wall:
(1) The water absorption rate of vitrified tiles is usually below 0.5%, and the material is dense and has few gaps. This makes it difficult to form a strong bond between vitrified tiles and cement-based adhesive materials.
(2) The demoulding powder (wax) on the bonding surface of the vitrified tiles is not removed. A bonding isolation layer is formed.
(3) Use traditional cement mortar or non-standard tile adhesive to lay vitrified tiles. This type of material has a large expansion coefficient. Once it is exposed to cold and hot changes, deformation stress will occur.

02 The role of tile adhesive

Tile adhesive is also called tile back glue. It is a product composed of high-quality polymer emulsion materials and inorganic silicates. Tile back glue can be used in combination with a variety of adhesive materials. Form a tile adhesive system. Greatly improve the adhesion between tiles and the base. Tile back glue has good performance on standard concrete slabs and glazed tiles. The safety performance is greatly improved.
Specially used for the back treatment of wet-laid vitrified tiles. Effectively improve the bonding strength between vitrified tiles and adhesive materials. Solve the common problems of hollowing and falling off in wet-laid vitrified tiles. It is also suitable for the back treatment of stones and other bricks with low water absorption, dense texture and smooth surface.
Tile adhesives are widely used for stones with low water absorption, dense texture and smooth surface. Such as wall tiles, marble and natural stone.

03 Key points of vitrified tile construction

1 Cleaning of vitrified tiles and base surface

Vitrified tiles do not need to be soaked in water and should be kept dry. Lay the vitrified tiles to be pasted flat with the back facing up. Use a slightly hard brush, semi-dry towel and other tools to remove the white adhesive on the back of the vitrified tiles (the adhesive is mainly a release agent and must be removed).
The back of the tile must be kept clean and dry, without any floating dust, dust or water stains. The base surface also needs to be kept clean, solid, flat and dry. No oil, wax stain, dust, loose objects and other substances that affect the bonding effect.

2 Tile adhesives are strictly prohibited from being used with water

Dilution with water will reduce the polymer content of the back glue. Seriously affect the tile paving effect. Lead to condensation and sagging during construction.

3 The temperature is too low and it is not suitable for construction

If the temperature is too low, it is best not to carry out back glue construction. If the adhesive is applied at low temperatures, the film-forming effect will be poor and the drying speed will be slow. The recommended construction temperature is 5-38℃. Outdoor construction is strictly prohibited on rainy days.

4 Applying adhesive

(1) Applying adhesive: Use a roller to evenly roll an appropriate amount of adhesive on the back of the tile. After applying the adhesive, it must be dried to a transparent state (no peeling when rubbed by hand) before paving.
Note: Tiles applied with adhesive slurry should be placed horizontally to dry. Use pads at the four corners for support. Do not place them upright or tilted during maintenance to prevent liquid from flowing onto the front of the tile or the ground.
After applying/rolling the adhesive, it needs to be dried to a transparent state. Then the tiles can be pasted on the wall for construction. If the tile adhesive is stained with dust, water or has not dried before construction. It will directly affect the pasting effect and may even cause the tiles to fall off.