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Choosing the right tile adhesive matters on the right coverage area provided by the brand who is offering the product. It totally depends on the size the notch trowel, before applying the tile adhesive you must ensure to refer to the technical data sheet of the given product. Refer the brochure or the website to see the same. Also other important key factor is to see whether the product is of thin set mortar and also the product should be cement mixed…. Many brands are offering these product with a different price tags. Would recommend to use BaseX thin set floor and wall Tile adhesive for all your house and commercial use.

To lay tiles with sand-cement traditional way is to apply the mixture of sand-cement in lump on tiles back so it has to be done with one tile at a time.

Without additive to help retaining water, mixture of sand-cement dries fast and then causes the difficulty to adjust the tiles after being laid. This leads to aesthetic problem of the line of tiles and also poor bonding strength, which will be the reason of de-bonded tiles later.

Laying tiles traditional way by applying sand- cement mixture in lump at tiles’ back will create voids underneath the tiles and water can seep through. This creates white stain problem. Moreover, tile will be fragile at the area without any adhesive underneath

Thick layer of sand-cement mixture must be used to lay tile traditionally in lump and/or to adjust the floor level, in order to gain its bonding mechanism. There will then be more loads onto structure. Moreover, there will be material wastage since the mixture dries faster than the application.

If your floor tiles are drummy or hollow sounding, you really do need to take some action. This situation will generally become obvious as soon as the tiles are laid.

It means that the adhesive does not have a good bond between the tiles and the substrate, or that there are hollow voids of missing adhesive under the tiles. If tiles are laid correctly and there is 100% adhesive coverage, and the bond is sound, then the tiles effectively become one with the substrate.

As the floor is used and subjected to foot traffic, the tiles that are not correctly laid will most likely break, crack, chip, or fail in some other way. In extreme circumstances, the tiles will actually lift off the floor.

What can cause the problem?

Drummy or loose tiles can be caused by a number of reasons including:

Not enough adhesive under the tiles, or ‘dobbing’ of the adhesive under the tiles. This leaves hollow voids.
The wrong adhesive has been used and it has not bonded with the tiles or substrate. Or, in wet areas, the adhesive is not suitable and has broken down.
The adhesive has skinned before the tiles were laid. This means that the adhesive was put down and left too long and the surface has dried. This prevents a sound bond to the tile. If the suspect tiling is over a timber floor, then the incorrect adhesive may have been used. Special adhesive must be used for a permanent and sound bond over timber, and the instructions followed closely. Excess movement of the floor boards can also create a problem, especially if the adhesive is not a ‘flexible’ product.

So what is the solution?

The bad news is that any drummy or loose tiles on a floor will cause problems down the track. This situation is not a fault of the tiles; the builder, tiler or tile retailer must take responsibility.

If the retailer specified the wrong adhesive, then that needs to be corrected. The first step is to talk to the retailer and check the suitability of the adhesive.

If the tiler has supplied the adhesive and it is not suitable, or he has let it skin, or he has not prepared the floor correctly; then he will need to correct the problem.

Likewise, if there is excessive ‘bounce’ in the timber floor, then the builder or tiler needs to rectify the project. The excessive floor movement should have been fixed before the tiles were laid.

Under certain circumstances, a white powder can form on grout, especially on floor tiles. This is a natural phenomenon called efflorescence. It is due to soluble salts rising to the surface of a cement based product. When they dry out on the surface, the remaining salts appear white and powdery.

Efflorescence often manifests itself in the cement joints of new brickwork. Numerous studies have been made around the world to try to determine why it can appear on one installation, and not on another under apparently identical conditions. One of the few things we do know are that it happens when Portland Cement is present, and that there is no real solution for it. Efflorescence does clear up over time unless there is an ongoing issue with rising damp from the substrate. It is defined as the ‘migration of soluble salts.’

This is not due to substandard tiles, adhesives, or grout; and generally, there is nothing to worry about.

What can cause the problem?

As explained, is it simply soluble salts that are present in the cement based product. This can be the concrete, mortar bed, tile adhesive, or grout. These rise to the the surface, and as it dries an annoying white powder remains on the surface. The grout is the weakest link in the floor surface, so this is where the salts will migrate.

So what can I do now?

The only real solution is to brush the grout with a stiff bristled brush and vacuum away. Repeat this from time to time, and eventually, it will generally stop recurring. You can also wash the area with a 50/50 mix of water and Phosphoric acid. Apply, leave for two minutes and then rinse thoroughly.

Some people advocate brushing the salts away and then applying a grout sealer. While these are great products and are worth using in many situations to keep your grout clean and seal out dirt, these products won’t always stop efflorescence.

If your grouting has gone dark or black, it is just dirty. This does not mean that you don’t keep a clean home or floor, but simply that the way you have been cleaning is not best suited to tiles.

The most common cause of this is that people wash their floors using too much water and detergent. The dirt is washed off the tiles and collects in the grout joints. It settles in these mini gutters and dries out leaving a film of dirt and detergent. Each time the floor is washed, this film builds up and eventually causes the grout to appear black. In truth, the black is just the film of grime sitting on top of the grout.

In some areas where there is ongoing dampness, such as a bathroom, this film is an ideal breeding ground for mould.

Cleaning the floor with too much water and detergent and then not rinsing thoroughly is the most common cause. We should explain here that the way detergent works is to capture dirt and grease on the microscopic level. The reason we mix it with water is to enable this mini globules to be washed away. If we leave a floor wet without rinsing, that film will stay on the floor, especially in the grout joints.

Whenever you wash a floor using any form of detergent, rinse it well with clean water. Most soiling on glazed ceramic tiles will lift off with plain, clean, warm water. The only thing we recommend that you add to the water is a drop or two of disinfectant (or a splash of vinegar) to kill any germs. Any greasy or oily marks can be cleaned up as a spill. For overall cleaning, leave the detergent in the cupboard.

So what can I do now?

Visit your tile store and purchase a bottle of Tile and Grout Cleaner. View DuraPro tile cleaning products. Use them to wash the floor (and rinse several times) to remove all the built up grime.

From that time on, avoid detergents and just use warm water. Always use the water sparingly; there is no need to flood the floor.

Once the floor is thoroughly clean and dry, it might be wise to seal the grout joints with a grout sealer. Once light application using the trigger spray will seal the grout joints and make them water repellent and easy to clean for around five years.