7 causes of tile falling off and the solution

In home decoration, wall tiles play an important role in keeping the interior neat and tidy while also giving us visual enjoyment. However, there will be a phenomenon of falling off after a period of time. Why are my wall tiles falling off?
Meikai, a professional manufacturer of cellulose ether (an essential additive of tile adhesives), will tell you what are the causes of tile falling off and the solutions.

1. The back of the tile is not cleaned

 

The back of the tile is not cleaned, there is dust or release agent, and other substances that affect the bond strength exist.
Solution: Be sure to clean the back of the tiles before laying them and the surface of the substrate also needs to be cleaned.

 

2. The tiles are not firmly bonded

Currently, in the tile market, the tiles are getting bigger and bigger, large tiles are easy to sag, and the sagging of the tiles will significantly reduce the bond strength. Also, with the use of tile back glue, it is difficult to remove all the air from the cement mortar bonding layer for large tiles, so it is easy to form a hollow, and the bond is not strong.

Solution: MikaZone^TM HPMC MK200P is highly recommended in the tile adhesive formulation to improve its bonding strength and slip resistance performance. The tile back glue is not suggested to use for large tiles for bonding, although the glue has adhesion, its adhesion is limited, large size tiles are too heavy, and the adhesion of back glue is not enough to hold the large tiles. In addition, the tile back glue is used to bond the low water absorption type tiles; it does not work for the high water absorption type semi-porcelain soaking tile.

3. The application amount of tile adhesives

 

If the amount used is insufficient, it will not be fully sticky after paving. If the amount is too large, the adhesives will be too thick, resulting in large shrinkage during the drying process, forming a hollow.
Solution: Be sure to operate according to the dosage instructions of the product package, do not save material, and cause subsequent trouble. Tile adhesive dosage is not the more the better. Generally, the dosage is about 1.2KG ~ 1.4KG/M2 for full coating (thickness 1mm). However, the actual amount also needs to consider the substrate leveling and other factors.

 

4. Bad water retention of tile adhesive

The Water retention performance of tile adhesives will affect the shrinkage of cement to a certain extent, bad water retention is prone to cause dry shrinkage cracks, and even falling off.
Solution: MikaZone^TM HPMC MK200P is highly recommended to improve the tile adhesive’s water retention and workability and construction efficiency.

5. Tile adhesive was placed for too long after mixing and not used in time

 

As shown in the figure, the tile adhesive will be cured if placed for too long after mixing, which will lead to bad workability and reduced adhesion strength.
Solution: The addition of MikaZone^TM HPMC in the formulation of tile adhesive will extend its open time after mixing, don’t place it too long even though.

6. Adding extra materials to the tile adhesive

If the tile adhesive is not stirred evenly or not according to the regulations, such as adding cement and sand, the performance of the tile adhesive will be unstable, which will easily lead to weak adhesion, forming hollo,w or falling off.
Solution: The tile adhesive is already a product formulated according to the formula, and the random addition of extra materials will influence the performance of the product. Just mix and use directly.

7. Too small or no grout space between tiles

Adjacent tiles squeeze each other due to stress caused by thermal expansion and contraction when the temperature changes, resulting in various warping, hollowing, and even falling off in severe cases.
Solution: Laying tiles with grout space, it is highly inadvisable to lay tiles without gaps in between them.

MikaZone^TM cellulose series products are essential additives in the formulation of tile adhesives, they can help to enhance water retention and bond strength, extend open time, and improve the workability of tile adhesives. Make sure the tile adhesives you bought are formulated with cellulose addition, which will ensure a happy work time for your tiling and excellent performance.

If you are a tile adhesive manufacturer, please contact our product experts to choose the right cellulose and customize the tile adhesive formula for you.