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Dunlop Technical Team Blog

Our team on the road put their heads together to answer your burning questions and provide helpful solutions to common challenges.

 

Lino Ciriaco says...

Tiling onto plaster is relatively straightforward, provided you have prepared properly and use the right tools and products. Make sure you plan ahead to prevent any mistakes – take care with your setting out and ensure the surface is clean, dry, sound and flat. Before you start tiling, ensure that the tiles you are using are suitable for the surface you are going on – and that includes plaster. Bear in mind that gypsum plaster has a maximum weight tolerance of 20kg/m2 and that includes the weight of the tile and the adhesive.
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Dave Rowley says...

Knowing your tile type is absolutely crucial for adhesive and grout selection – as well as consideration of background preparation. The main tile types found on the market are ceramic, porcelain, natural stone (such as marble, granite, limestone and travertine), mosaic tiles and agglomerate tiles such as quartz. Each tile type has unique qualities and are only suitable for certain applications – while different adhesives and fixing techniques also need to be considered. In this guide we will go through the main tile types, their suitability for different uses and adhesive selection.
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Sean Page says...

Easy to lay, low cost and self-levelling, anhydrite – or calcium sulphate – screeds are becoming more and more popular for new builds, domestic extensions, conservatories and small commercial jobs. While there are many benefits associated with anhydrite screeds, tradesman need to be aware of the many potential problems when you come to tile them. The main issue with anhydrite screeds is their relatively high moisture content which means they take considerably longer to dry than conventional sand and cement screeds. According to British Standards, an anhydrite screeds needs to dry to no more than 75% relative humidity or 0.
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James Hailstones says...

It’s no secret that knowing when to opt for a powdered adhesive over a ready-mixed tile adhesive can be confusing.  Here Dunlopman shares his tops tips for correct product selection. It’s an age-old predicament, can I use a ready-mixed tile adhesive, or should I go for the conventional cement-based powdered tile adhesive? The truth lies behind how the product dries. Ready-mixed is generally easier to use as it can be spread straight out of the bucket and does not require water or mixing (hence the name).
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James Hailstones says...

Before tiling with a cement-based tile adhesive, a number of backgrounds require priming for a number of reasons. These include reducing absorbency which could cause rapid loss of moisture from within the tile adhesive resulting in poor hydration of the cement, reducing the risk of chemical reaction between the substrate and the tile adhesive i. e. with cement-based adhesive for calcium sulfate backgrounds.
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Lino Ciriaco says...

Thanks for your question Pete! This is a common problem for many tradesmen, especially when tiling bathrooms or wet rooms, but luckily it is quite easy and simple to solve – with the right products of course! For going over an electric underfloor heating mat system we would recommend using our LX-360 Fibre Leveller. This is a great product for this application because it can be used from 3mm up to 60mm, and because it is flexible and fibre reinforced it can cope with movement of the background and thermal changes that occur with underfloor heating systems. Before laying the electric underfloor heating mat, it is crucial to ensure that the background you are going onto is dry (less than 75% relative humidity), sound, clean and free from dust, grease of other contaminants. Depending on what background surface you may need to prime the surface with Dunlop SBR Bonding Agent before laying the mat.
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Sean Page says...

A decorators caulk which cracks when painted over is a decorator’s worst nightmare, but unfortunately it’s an all too common problem. Caulking is an age old practice for filling joints which require overpainting, such as door frames, skirting boards, or ceiling lines and is pretty much an essential job for all decorating project. Most decorators these days use a standard acrylic filler, as they are the easiest to work with, providing a neat, clean seal. However many decorators experience problems with decorators' caulk cracking or crazing when overpainted with matt emulsion – even when they’ve been applied by the book.
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David Rowley says...

The trouble with a gypsum-based filler is the speed at which is dries. Depending on the thickness, you’re looking at anywhere between three to 24 hours before the product is surface dry and therefore able to take wallpaper or paint. What’s more, you often get issues with slumping and shrinking, meaning you need to re-fill. Luckily speeding up this process is easy with Dunlop Rapid Rescue Repair Filler.
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Lino Ciriaco says...

Thanks for your question Tom. Large format tiles are becoming more and more popular as they give walls and floors a more open look. But while they may be more aesthetically pleasing, large format tiling has its installation challenges. Tile weight is a major consideration, whether tiling onto floors or walls with large format tiles.
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Dave Rowley says...

Hi Bradley, sure can! Grouting is easy – just as long as you’ve got the right product and tools. Before you start get everything ready. You will need; a standard hand trowel, rubber grout float or squeegee, and mixing bucket, plus your bag of powdered grout. Start by pouring the powdered grout into some clean cold water in a mixing bucket with clean hand trowel.
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