How to Successfully Install Agglomerate Tiles
Agglomerate stones have been around for years and are notoriously difficult to fix if the adhesive material used is not correct.
Resin agglomerates are typically a matrix of polyester bound chips, quartz or marble. Due to the varied nature of the different types of granite agglomerates on the market, understanding the nature of the specific reactivity for each type of product should be the key in the approach to writing an installation specification, recommendation or troubleshooting customers’ queries.
Asking questions such as; do these products have high or low moisture sensitivity? Do they have high or low coefficient of expansion? How dry is the substrate you intend on tiling over? Do you expect concrete substrate shrinkage to be a significant issue? What sort of temperature range will the tiles be exposed to?
When you find yourself working on a project that uses agglomerates, some important considerations are as follows:
1. Color/type of stone chips.
2. Size of the stones (facial dimensions).
3. Type of resin binder (ex. polyester, epoxy, etc…).
4. Combination of two or more of the above issues are the reasons that make resin agglomerates sensitive to moisture.
Bearing the above in mind, you should use the following checklist when trying to assess what type of installation materials should be used with agglomerates:
1. Normal setting latex fortified thin-set mortars for use with stones that will not exhibit any issues with curling (generally smaller than 400 mm x 400 mm {16" x 16"} in size and comprised of colors that are not inherently moisture sensitive).
2. Rapid setting latex fortified thin-set mortars for use with stones that will exhibit problems with curling. These stones are of a “semi-water sensitive nature” (generally between 400 mm x 400 mm {16" x 16"} and less than 600 mm x 600 {24" x 24"} in size and comprised of colors that are not inherently moisture sensitive).
3. Epoxy setting mortars for use with stones that are extremely moisture sensitive and cannot be exposed to adhesive mortars that contain water or moisture (generally stones of any size that are comprised of colors that are moisture sensitive and generally sizes larger than 600 mm x 600 mm {24" x 24"}).
It is important to consult with our Laticrete technical services department when an issue arises with which you are unfamiliar.
Additionally, always consult with ceramic tile and stone manufacturers for their installation & handling suggestions on their new products as they become available.
* Ask me for a copy of LATICRETE Technical Data Sheet #117 “Vacuum/Breton Process Synthetic Marble and Stone” for a quick overview on the how these stones are processed.
Resin agglomerates are typically a matrix of polyester bound chips, quartz or marble. Due to the varied nature of the different types of granite agglomerates on the market, understanding the nature of the specific reactivity for each type of product should be the key in the approach to writing an installation specification, recommendation or troubleshooting customers’ queries.
Asking questions such as; do these products have high or low moisture sensitivity? Do they have high or low coefficient of expansion? How dry is the substrate you intend on tiling over? Do you expect concrete substrate shrinkage to be a significant issue? What sort of temperature range will the tiles be exposed to?
When you find yourself working on a project that uses agglomerates, some important considerations are as follows:
1. Color/type of stone chips.
2. Size of the stones (facial dimensions).
3. Type of resin binder (ex. polyester, epoxy, etc…).
4. Combination of two or more of the above issues are the reasons that make resin agglomerates sensitive to moisture.
Bearing the above in mind, you should use the following checklist when trying to assess what type of installation materials should be used with agglomerates:
1. Normal setting latex fortified thin-set mortars for use with stones that will not exhibit any issues with curling (generally smaller than 400 mm x 400 mm {16" x 16"} in size and comprised of colors that are not inherently moisture sensitive).
2. Rapid setting latex fortified thin-set mortars for use with stones that will exhibit problems with curling. These stones are of a “semi-water sensitive nature” (generally between 400 mm x 400 mm {16" x 16"} and less than 600 mm x 600 {24" x 24"} in size and comprised of colors that are not inherently moisture sensitive).
3. Epoxy setting mortars for use with stones that are extremely moisture sensitive and cannot be exposed to adhesive mortars that contain water or moisture (generally stones of any size that are comprised of colors that are moisture sensitive and generally sizes larger than 600 mm x 600 mm {24" x 24"}).
It is important to consult with our Laticrete technical services department when an issue arises with which you are unfamiliar.
Additionally, always consult with ceramic tile and stone manufacturers for their installation & handling suggestions on their new products as they become available.
* Ask me for a copy of LATICRETE Technical Data Sheet #117 “Vacuum/Breton Process Synthetic Marble and Stone” for a quick overview on the how these stones are processed.
Labels: Agglomerate, Water Sensitive
posted by Henry @ Laticrete at 1:22 PM
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