FAQ

Usually at any temperature between  +5 and +35°C. At low temperatures materials can deteriorate or even freeze during application and curing and thus lose most if not all of their technical characteristics. High temperatures will cause rapid evaporation and removal of water from the material. Rapid evaporation will lead to crazing, reduced mechanical strength and surface dusting.

Cementitious products are subject to ageing and can deteriorate with time. However, the 'best before' dates for these products are not to be consider hard and fast rules. Generally speaking, quick setting products last for six months while normal setting products have a shelf life of twelve to eighteen months. After this period material might begin to deteriorate and there will be a reduction in product technical performance. Mechanical strength will decline, Drying times will be longer.

Preparing the substrate (i.e. the wall or the floor) well is very, very important. Remove any loose, crumbling or degraded material which is not solidly attached to the wall. Clean the surface thoroughly. Wet the surfaces. We would advise you to apply an adhesive coating, sprinkling or rendering first. Make this coating from the mortar you are currently using plus a fixing adhesive additive. Mix to a fluid consistency and then apply a thin coating to the surface. Next, apply the mortar a coat at a time applying each coat before the previous coat has time to set.

Rising damp occurs on most walls which are in direct contact with the ground. Damp can rise up walls by a few centimetres or even by several metres. Rising damp appears as salt blooming and damp patches on walls. Rising damp causes rendering, plaster and paint to break up and eventually detach from the wall.
The problem can be solved by using a restoration product system based on macroporous, high transpiration, salt resistant plasters. The first layer of restoration plaster is then finished with a finish plaster which has the same chemical and physical characteristics.

Sealants will adhere well to clean, dry surfaces which are compatible with the adhesive characteristics of the sealant itself. Teflon, polyethylene and similar non-stick surfaces are by their very nature difficult to seal. On other materials good adhesion can be obtained by thoroughly cleaning surfaces and by choosing the right silicon sealant for the job. Adhesion can be improved by applying a primer beforehand.

In very cold temperatures the propellant gas inside the can may freeze and therefore not be able to push the foam out of the can. In very hot temperatures or when the can is stored horizontally, the valve may become blocked with hardened foam.

Do not use naphtha, soapy detergents, oil-based detergents or similar products to clean surfaces prior to the application of a sealant. These products leave an oily, non-stick film which makes it difficult for the sealant to adhere to the surface. We recommend that you use acetone, industrial alcohol or similar products which evaporate completely without leaving any residue.

Generally speaking you would probably lay ceramic tiles on this substrate, fixing the tiles in place with a cementitious adhesive. The adhesive should be flexibilised to ensure that it has the same mechanical characteristics as the flexible, waterproof, cementitious coating applied previously.

Before any coating or tiling can be applied, the traditional waterproof membrane must first be covered with a load bearing bed at least 4 centimetres thick. This raises the height of the floor, increases the floor weight and is an additional cost. The bed itself is not waterproof.
A cementitious waterproofer, on the other hand, can be applied directly to the existing substrate to a thickness of approx. 3 mm; the substrate could be a load bearing bed. This application waterproofs the substrate. Once the cementitious waterproofer has dried you can lay tiles directly on top of it using a flexibilised cementitious adhesive.

Whether you use a rigid or a flexible cementitious waterproofer depends on the characteristics of the substrate and the stresses that it has to withstand. Flexible waterproofing systems are ideal for situations where there is positive pressure, i.e. in cases where the water exerts pressure on the front of the waterproofing. These systems are ideal for terraces, balconies, swimming pools and cases where there are flexing stresses and where some flexibility in the waterproofing product is therefore required. Rigid waterproofing systems work by osmosis and are suitable for applications where there is both positive and negative water pressure. This means they are ideal for waterproofing walls built against earth banks, underground walls, cellars and similar situations. They should be applied to cementitious substrates.

Of course you can. There are products designed specifically for this purpose. However, before you start you should make sure that the substrate (i.e. the old wall or floor tiles) is compact and strong enough to support the new tiles. Thoroughly clean all the surfaces to which the new tiles will be applied.

The time you have to wait before walking on, or grouting a tiled floor depends on the type of cementitious adhesive you use. The time varies from 4 to 24 hours. The time you have to wait before making full use of the floor once the floor and grouting have hardened will depend on the type of adhesive and grout you used. Here the time varies from 24 hours to 14 days. In the case of tanks and swimming pools you may even have to wait up to 21 days.

Recent years have seen the introduction of many new types of wall and floor covering. New materials such as porcelain stoneware, glazed tiles, reconstituted stone and artificial stoneware have different characteristics and consequently require specific products and cementitious adhesives if one is to achieve a high quality finish. The secret to a durable, high-quality finish lies in choosing the right cementitious adhesive for the job. When choosing an adhesive you should look at two things: the type of floor or wall tile to be laid; the surroundings, substrate and conditions in which the tile will be laid.

We strongly advise against using several different additives together. The action of one additive may limit or cancel out the action of another.  In some cases using several additives together will have none of the desired effects at all and may even reduce the quality and performance of the mortar or concrete mix to which they are added.

Generally speaking the percentage amount of additive to be added to mortar and concrete is a percentage by weight. It is very important to follow the instructions and use the exact, recommended amounts. If you use less than the recommended amount, the additive will have no effect. If you use too much additive, in some cases  there will be no technical benefits and this will just be a waste of material. In other cases you may not be so fortunate. Adding more than the recommended amount may have undesired side-effects and degrade the quality and performance of the mix.

Additives make mortars and concretes easier to use and improve all round performance. Each additive is designed to perform a specific function and modify a specific characteristic of the mixture to which it is added. There are therefore additives for a wide range of functions. Here are a few: improving chemical, physical and mechanical strength and resistance; increasing impermeability; increasing fluidity; reducing water shrinkage; accelerating drying and hardening; making material suitable for use in critical temperatures.