When you are working with travertine and travertine tiles you need to ensure that you use tile adhesive and grout that is suitable for use with travertine. We have put together some general information about the different types of tile adhesive and grout that is available and what they each do.

Ready Mixed Tile Adhesives

As the name suggests ready mixed tile adhesives are premixed to help ensure ease of use. This type of tile adhesive is only intended for use on internal walls and in dry or intermittently wet areas. There are two grades of ready mixed tile adhesives: these are standard class D1 and D2 – which is resistant to water. You will find some ready mixed adhesives that claim to be waterproof: this is misleading as they do not give waterproof barriers.

Many of the ready mixed tile adhesives are considered non-slip. What this means is that the tile adhesive is designed so as not to let the tiles slip down the wall: this helps with fixing the tiles as it reduces the need for using tiling battens. The non-slip tile adhesives are suitable for use in fixing wall tiles, as well as some floor tiles and also some stones to a variety of wall surfaces. This type of ready mixed tile adhesive will only set if it is able to dry out naturally. You therefore need to allow for extended setting times if your tiles are fixed to surfaces that are non-absorbent or if your tiles are glass or porcelain both these are non-absorbent. You should not use ready mixed tile adhesives for fixing large format porcelain or glass or any porcelain or glass to surfaces that are non-absorbent. You should always read the instructions carefully before use.

Cement-based Tile Adhesives

Cement-based Tile Adhesives are extremely versatile because they can fix a large variety of materials to a wide range of internal and external surfaces: these include wet locations such as swimming pools. Cement adhesives chemically set and these adhesives will set under water. This is why you should not pour any residues from cement adhesives down drains as they will become blocked! Most of these cement adhesives are available in both standard 24-hour set and rapid setting varieties.

You will enhance the bond strength of your mix by adding polymers (polymer-modified cement based tile adhesives) or choosing it as a separate additive. This type of tile adhesives are often described with the adjective ‘flexy’ or ‘flex’, or given branded names such as ‘TileTech’ You must use polymer modified adhesives when you are fixing porcelain or any other non-absorbent tiles. Most tile floors now tend to be porcelain so it is good to use only polymer modified adhesive for fixing your floor tiles. Cement-based adhesives come in powder form and need mixing with water to create a slump free mortar. You need to read the instructions on the bag to see how much water you should add. Once it is mixed the mortar will have a set pot life (which is the time that you have to use it) and also an open time (this is the time that you will have to bed your tiles into the spread adhesive). You must read the instructions carefully before use.

Elastomeric Tile Adhesives

Elastomeric Tile Adhesives is the fancy name given to cement-based tile adhesives that are created to stick to most surfaces. These tile adhesives are also able to withstand some vibration and some of them are designed to be able to absorb movement in timber floors and steel decking. Some examples of this type of tile adhesive are Bal Fast Flex for floor tiles and Bal Flex for wall tiles: these adhesives are often chosen for use for fixing to timber floors.