Homelux matting fell of wall!

richel7 · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 1:30 pm Post Subject: Homelux matting fell of wall!

Just wondered if anyone had similar experience with this matting...went to Topps Tiles to get Bal WP1 kit and was talked into buying matting instead..which actually worked out more expensive than Bal kit with tape and a tub of Bal adeshive..then put it all up for tiler next day..went up fairly easy but still hadnt set when i left last night...this morning tiler rings me to say it is peeling of wall..when we removed it it was as clean as a new sheet on the back...

the walls were all clean..one was plasterboard (not skimmed) and the other walls had been wallpapered..i had removed the paper with a steam wallpaper remover that morning..the only places it seemed to have stuck reasonably well is where some previous tiles had been removed...

I wondered if the wallpaper had left a residue which had interfered with the adehsive as it just flaked of the wall on the ones that had been wallpapered?..i followed the maufacturers instructions and firmed the matting down ontot the adhesive...its Bal flexible tiling adehsive which i assume is in date, i havent checked yet..but where the matting has come away on the plasterboard it has set fine...

just wondered if anyone knew why this may have happened..i guess Topps wont be interested although i may go back and try to get some money back..just glad the tiler rang me and didnt just tile over it as it was

bathstyle · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 5:25 pm Post Subject:

You should be fitting the matting on with a rapid setting cement based adhesive.

Once set the matting can be peeled off with a certain amount of force if you really wanted to get it off, but it is still incredibly strong, if you think about it, the paprer face of P/board can be peeled off easily too and that holds a fair amount of weight.

I suggest you give Homelux a call direct, then get Topps to sort something out as they have wrongly advised you.

richel7 · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 5:42 pm Post Subject:

i will give them a ring tomorrow..i took photos of the job halfway thru and when finished so I can show them how it was done...hopefully i can recouperate some of the cost...thanx for the advice

bathstyle · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:35 pm Post Subject:

Homelux were a little bit vague when I contacted them when I first used their product so i went with what Schluter (similar product) recommended, which was a cement based rapid setting adhesive.

Dispersion based adhesives, (like your ready mixed) rely on the adhesive drying for it to achieve adhesion, whereas a cement based adhesive attains it's adhesion by a chemical reaction when mixed with water.

As you are basically covering your ready mixed adhesive with a huge sheet of Polyethylene, the adhesive isn't getting any air in to dry it, which is part of the reason a cement based is used, and in particular a Rapidsetting.

Edit: just to add, they sell a product called Toppfix Rapidsflex grey which is adequate for your homelux fixing, cost about £12 for 20KG

richel7 · Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:39 pm Post Subject:

just to update you, i couldnt get hold of homelux so I contacted Bal and they confirmed it was the wrong adeshive for sticking homelux matting to a wall..i then rang Topps and the assistant said he had sold it with Homelux with no probs before but he would check with the manager..and when he came back he immediatly said they would give me a refund...so i guess it was the wrong stuff!...anyways i got my money back so im happy

bathstyle · Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 6:20 pm Post Subject:

Good, never trust these counter staff, they are often clueless about anything remotely technical.

pug777 · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:59 am Post Subject:

bathstyle wrote:

Good, never trust these counter staff, they are often clueless about anything remotely technical.

And that gives everyone a good idea about TOPPS , I would only ever use them as a last resort - one Salesman actually tried to tell a customer (that I was stood behind ) that you can tile straight on to floorboards !!!

jctilingservices · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:01 pm Post Subject:

pug777 wrote:

bathstyle wrote:

Good, never trust these counter staff, they are often clueless about anything remotely technical.

And that gives everyone a good idea about TOPPS , I would only ever use them as a last resort - one Salesman actually tried to tell a customer (that I was stood behind ) that you can tile straight on to floorboards !!!

yep,heard the same thing at B&Q, because it says so on the tub, the staff tell customers that.