Powder Adhesives

When it comes to planning your tiling project, we realise that choosing the tiles is just one part of the process. You also need to factor in choosing the right tile adhesive, grouts and tools to achieve a professional finish. 

That’s why, here at Tiles Direct, we don’t just sell tiles. We’re your one-stop shop for tiles and tiling accessories, which includes our range of powder tile adhesive products.

As a supplier of leading brands like Mapei and Palace, you’ll find we boast an extensive range of floor and wall tile adhesive solutions to help you find just the right product for the job.

Explore all the tile adhesive options we have available and their unique properties. 

Why use powder tile adhesive?

Tile adhesive is an essential element for the correct and long-lasting installation of tiles, providing a strong bond between the tile and surface. 

When it comes to choosing the right adhesive for the job, it’s important to consider the demands your adhesive will need to be able to withstand. 

There are two main types of adhesive to choose from: ready-mix and powder tile adhesive. Ready-mix tile adhesives are ideal for small, wall tile projects using ceramic tiles as this adhesive isn’t designed to hold heavyweight tiles. 

In contrast, powder tile adhesives are suitable for any tile installation. Regardless of whether you’re fitting wall tiles or floor tiles, or the specific material the tile is made of, powder tile adhesive will deliver enduring performance - keeping tiles securely in place for decades.

• Strong bond: with a blend of cement, polymers and aggregate particles, the composition of powdered tile adhesive is designed to provide an exceptionally strong, durable bond between the tile and the substrate. This means you can enjoy a long-lasting fix all sized floor and wall tiles, even in demanding environments  
• Flexible: when laying tiles you need to allow for some level of movement, particularly with floor tiles. While this may be minimal, poorly installed or inefficient tiling can crack over time, causing tiles to become loose or even unstuck entirely. This is why many modern adhesives, like the Mapei Mapeker Rapid Set Flexible Tile Adhesive, contain specific components designed to absorb movement below the surface, preventing tile adhesive from shrinking or cracking
• Easy to use: your tile adhesive of choice also needs to be easy to work with and pliable, so it can be spread across the surface (also referred to in the trade as ‘substrate’). This will ensure it provides ample coverage of any gaps between the tile and the surface below. If gaps are left, this can cause tiles to sound hollow, which may lead to them coming loose or even cracking if put under extreme pressure
• Fast drying: different tile adhesive compositions have varying dry times. When choosing your tile adhesive, be sure to check set times - if you’re on a tight deadline, you don’t want to have to wait for days for the adhesive to set before you can begin grouting. Equally, be aware of using rapid-set tile adhesives that may go off too quickly, leading to wasted materials, as you won’t be able to lay your tiles fast enough
• Colour choice: although tile adhesive is hidden beneath the surface, we offer tile adhesive in grey or white. Both do the same job, but if you’re installing light-coloured tiles or glass options, a white wall or floor tile adhesive will ensure minimal discolouration if it comes into contact with the tile. And, in the case of translucent tiles, it’ll prevent uneven or darker colouring from coming through from behind the tile
• Temperature tolerant: whether used outside or inside, our robust tile adhesives are made to withstand temperature variations. From freezing frost to underfloor heating, you won’t need to worry about the performance of your tile adhesive

Your powder tile adhesive options

Thankfully, our range of powder adhesives for tiles meets all of those demands and is suitable for use with porcelain tiles, as well as ceramic and non-moisture-sensitive natural stones. 

As a result, this makes them a versatile option when it comes to securely fitting tiles in varying shapes, materials and sizes. 

When buying adhesive for your tiles, tile size and position will affect the type of adhesive that you choose. That’s why we stock a variety of tiling adhesive products to make sure you get the best option for your tiling project.

• Standard tile adhesive: providing a reliable bond to most substrates, our choices of standard adhesives are an ideal option for tiling walls and floors in drier environments. Best suited for use on stable surfaces like concrete or screed where there’s minimal chance of movement, these non-flexible standard adhesives offer a robust solution without the worry of cracking due to movement 
• Water-resistant adhesive: featuring water-resistance composites, all the tile adhesives in our range boast resistance to water, making them right at home in wet areas like bathrooms, kitchens and outside
• Rapid set adhesive: when time is of the essence, one of our rapid set adhesives for tiles will ensure a quick fix that won’t take up to 24 hours to set. This quick-drying action can also help prevent gravity from causing wall tiles to slip out of place while drying
• Flexible tile adhesive: some substrates are more prone to movement than others, for instance, tiling onto wooden floorboards. This is where you need a flexible tile adhesive that allows for movement in the surface beneath the tiles to prevent them from cracking or coming loose

With many of our tile adhesives, you’ll find a combination of the above qualities, meaning you can combine the specifications you need, like flexibility and quick-drying, to suit your unique needs.

Tile adhesive buying tips

When buying your tile adhesive, you need to choose wisely - using the wrong adhesive for your tiles, environment or positioning can cause a headache further down the line.

There’s no need to fret though. We’ve put together a few of our top tips for buying tile adhesive to make sure your project is a complete success from start to finish. 

1. Tile adhesive quantities

Whatever size project you’re undertaking, you need to be fully prepared before you start, making sure you order enough to complete the job. Running out of adhesive halfway through tiling can stunt the progress of your interior design project.

As a guide, covering approximately 4-5 square metres of wall tiles should take roughly 10 kg of wall adhesive. For floors, 20g of floor tile adhesive should cover approximately 5m2 on an average floor, but the amount of adhesive you use will vary depending on how level the floor is.

In addition, the Mapei rapid set wall and floor tile adhesives are designed to dry in two to three hours - leaving you with a surface that can be ready to grout in as little as three hours.

With powder tile adhesives, you’ll need to mix the solution with water yourself. This allows you to achieve just the right consistency needed for installing tiles.

2. Floor tile adhesives

In principle, you can use almost any adhesive to fix down floor tiles. But if you want your tile installations to have the longevity they deserve, it pays to be picky. This is particularly true when you’re looking for the best floor tile adhesive for the job. 

Subject to heavy footfall, impacts, moisture, movement and typically more wear and tear, you need a powder floor tile adhesive that can handle all this and more. This is because powder-based adhesives offer a stronger bond than ready-mix alternatives, making them ideal for floors and use with various tile materials. 

This stronger bond also means they can handle fixing down large format tiles with ease - often a more popular choice for floors. 

Not all powder floor adhesives are equal though. For example, if you’re tiling onto a timber floor, you want a floor tile adhesive with added flexibility to help absorb potential movement - take the Palace Easi-Flex Slow Set, for example. This standard flexible tile adhesive comes with an S1 flexibility rating and is perfect for accommodating minor irregularities with subfloor levels but takes a little longer to dry before you can apply grout.

If you have a need for speed and flexibility, then Keraquick Rapid Set Flexible Adhesive or Mapei Mapeker will give you the best of both worlds. Both these floor tile adhesives come in white or grey and can be applied to various substrates including concrete, timber and plaster, with Keraquick even being suitable for use in swimming pools. With quick-setting properties, these floor tile adhesives can be dry within 3 hours, allowing you to crack on with grouting in no time. 

3. Wall tile adhesive

When it comes to choosing the perfect wall tile adhesive for your project, you need to take similar considerations into account as you would with floors. Obviously, for small projects using lighter tiles, there’s the ready-mix option. However, for projects using tiles bigger than 30cm x 30cm, a powder wall tile adhesive is a superior choice. 

Similarly, it can be more cost effective to use powder wall tile adhesive if you’re tiling a larger wall area, even with small-format tiles. This is because these tiles will need a stronger adhesive to keep them in situ once applied. 

Using powder wall tile adhesive also gives you greater flexibility if you’re tiling uneven walls. You can mix it to your desired consistency to ensure it accounts for slight differences in the surface level without impacting the tile adhesion.

Buying tiling adhesive online

With our entire powder tile adhesive range, you can rest assured you’ll be purchasing high-quality adhesive that you can rely on.

Whether you want quick-drying solutions for speedy renovations or flexible options for tiling onto floorboards, we’re sure you’ll find everything you need available to buy online today, and all at great value prices. 

With the option to buy individual bags or bulk amounts for tradespeople, we’re confident you won’t find better prices anywhere else. We even offer a price match - if you do find any of our products at a lower price elsewhere, simply send us your quote and we’ll beat it.

If you’re still not sure which tile adhesive is right for your job or you just want some more information on any of our floor and wall adhesive products, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Give us a call on 0113 253 0005 or send us an email.