Flawless floors and walls
The natural stone and mosaic tile adhesive is just as important as the mosaics and natural stones themselves. This guide to different types of mosaic, natural stone and marble tile adhesive will help you choose the best adhesive mortar for the job.
You’ve selected the tiles, but what about the adhesive? Choosing the right mosaic tile glue will make application easier, resulting in a great finish.
After selecting the tiles for your project, consider which mosaic tile adhesive will give you the best results.
These are the factors to keep in mind:
- Compatibility. You need a tile adhesive that’s compatible with the tile material (ceramic, natural stone, mosaic, marble).
- Indoors or outdoors? Some tile adhesives are more suited to indoor environments, while others are particularly tough and weather resistant.
- Colour. Especially for natural stone and marble, white tile adhesive helps you achieve a clean and uniform look.
- Strength and resistance. The best adhesive for marble tiles, for example, will be an adhesive labelled as “high strength”. It should remain in good condition for many years.
- Workability. Look for a fast setting mosaic or marble tile adhesive that still allows you sufficient time to work.
The two main kind of tile adhesives are thin-set (cement-based) and epoxy. Thin-set mortar is an excellent tile adhesive for areas exposed to heat or water and it's very easy to use. Epoxy tile adhesive also offers high bond strength and is suitable for mosaic and other tiles, materials.
INFO
Henkel Polybit specialises in thinset mosaic tile glue, and has a wide range of products. In addition to the standard tile adhesive Ceresit CM 9, there are adhesives specially designed for difficult substrates, such as the deformable tile adhesive Ceresit CM 17.
Ceresit CM 17 is a versatile tile adhesive and can be used as mosaic and natural stone tile adhesive.
If you need a high strength, easy-to-use tile adhesive, we recommend the natural stone tile adhesive Ceresit CM 17. This flexible thin-bed mortar is ideal for balconies and terraces, and can be employed as part of a comprehensive insulation or waterproofing system. It’s compatible with a wide range of materials, including porcelain, stoneware and earthenware tiles.
Here’s how to install tiles with the natural stone tile adhesive Ceresit CM 17 for best results. Make sure you work in dry conditions and in temperatures between 5 °C and 45 °C.
- Prepare the substrate. The substrate must be clean, dry, even and load-bearing. If the substrate is absorbent, apply Ceresit CT 17 primer.
- Mix the tile adhesive. Pour the adhesive into a container of measured clean, cool water. Mix with a drill mixer until it’s completely smooth. Wait 3 minutes, then mix again.
- Apply the tile adhesive. If installing tiles indoors, the mortar coverage on the backside of the tile should be at least 65%. For outdoor installation, the minimum mortar coverage is 90%. Use a notched trowel to apply the adhesive, maintaining a consistent angle and pressure. The layer of adhesive must be sufficiently thick and wide to avoid cavities. For large tiles and outdoor applications, use the floating-buttering method to ensure sufficient adhesion.
- Remove excess adhesive. You can remove fresh adhesive with water. Once the adhesive has hardened, it has to be removed mechanically.
Tiles will be ready for grouting after approximately 12 hours. Wait at least 24 hours before walking on the tiles.