# This old house. Double sided sticky tape for tile



## Morning Wood

It's caught this old house short of Tom helping a homeowner put a mosaic tile backsplash on his kitchen countertops. He used a double sided sticky mat. I was surprised. It was only 5 1/2" tall, but just snapped a line put on the stuff like you run vycor and then put on the tile. Then grouted immediately. They even said it could be used in showers. Really? That sounds sketchy. For something simple like a kitchen backsplash that isn't exposed to much moisture, how do you guys feel about mastic troweled or membrane type?


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## angus242

Bondera Mat.
http://www.bonderatilematset.com/

No, I wouldn't use it. It does not carry and ANSI or TCNA specs or recommendations for adhesion.

Honestly though, I have a feeling this is a direction tile installation will be going...at least as a niche. Bondera is waterproof (not sure of the PERM rating), a crack isolation membrane and is easily marketable to DIY. Mapei already sells Mapeguard so get used to seeing these types of installations. 

What will set the good ones apart from the DIY junk will be the adhesives. I'm definitely on a wait-and-see with this technology.


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## thom

I don't see any reason why a company could not make an adhesive on a mat work just as well as an adhesive in a bucket. It seems that the adhesive on a mat might be more difficult in that moving a tile might be impossible.


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## angus242

thom said:


> I don't see any reason why a company could not make an adhesive on a mat work just as well as an adhesive in a bucket. It seems that the adhesive on a mat might be more difficult in that moving a tile might be impossible.


It's not necessarily the adhesive itself, but how the adhesive is transferred to the tile. The back side of most ceramics are not flat. That means with a 2 dimensional adhesive mat cannot get you full coverage. This is why there are different sized trowels for different applications. Like I said, when TCNA recommendations are achieved with an adhesive mat, I'll look at them more seriously.


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## Taurus Flooring

I think the practical applications would involve small tiles which are difficult in setting into any glue or mortar. How many times have you had to scrape out dried glue from the joints. The trick would be to apply the tiles perfectly every time. My guess is, no matter how good they may get, they will have limited applications, especially in wet or heated areas.


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## I Mester

they're pushing the hell out of those adhesive matts at the home depots around here. dunno. people are falling for it. have yet to venture there. not do i have any desire to venture there.


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## CO762

ISM37 said:


> they're pushing the hell out of those adhesive matts at the home depots around here.


They also used to push the hell out of ditra too.
In a lot of them, they also have diy seminars on the weekends.

Backsplashes are really brainless and IMO aren't worth it for a professional. DIY or drunken son in law work. :whistling


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## Morning Wood

They were using a sort of skinny rectangular mosaic tile. Smaller pieces put together in a roughly 12x12 tile. It was a mix of materials. Glass and ceramic. They were all glued to a mesh and then they glued that onto the back splash mat.


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## Sar-Con

Hey, wallpaper seems to stay on the wall just fine...why not tile?

But what do I know? I haven't seen anything beyond concrete and dirt a couple of years now....:laughing:


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## Ceramictec

DIY'ers will fall for any product that's cheap & easy.

the Custom Simplemat is the same type of stuff. 
yeah it's sticky but homeowners can fail at it pretty easy.


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## andeeznuts

dudes how the heck will a wet tile coming straight from the WET saw stick to any form of a sticky mat......


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## tileman2000

andeeznuts said:


> dudes how the heck will a wet tile coming straight from the WET saw stick to any form of a sticky mat......


The same way you set a tile from the wet saw in thin-set. You need to dry the backs and back-butter. 

Not that I'd use any of the sticky mats in the first place.


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## JHC

Honestly for a light weight mosaic back splash it will probably be fine. Agree its not what I would do, but most likely there won't be a failure.


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## angus242

Can't back butter with a sticky mat :laughing:

I'm not gonna say all adhesives are junk. I know they are some that can be used in wet locations....while wet. Sticky mats seem to offer a solution without "issues". We all know there are many situations that pop up while tiling and sticky mats just aren't the answer to all of them. Maybe some day, just not now :no:


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## MALCO.New.York

Ever tried to remove double-stick tape from a surface???


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## tileman2000

Thanks for pointing that out, Angus. I typed from my phone while at work. My mind was somewhere else apparently.:whistling

I don't know anyone that has tried the mats, so would be interesting to hear what a true tile installer would have to say about it.


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## orson

One of my big questions is, can you adjust the tiles once they're stuck to the mat?

When is the last time you installed tile that you didn't have to adjust tiles already laid to make everything work?


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## angus242

orson said:


> One of my big questions is, can you adjust the tiles once they're stuck to the mat?


Bondera mat claims you can which makes me question how good the adhesive is in the first place.


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## MALCO.New.York

angus242 said:


> Bondera mat claims you can which makes me question how good the adhesive is in the first place.


There are MANY adhesives that take a bit of time to completely bond.

Not saying that this is the case here. I know not. Just MY experience with adhesives.


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## TheItalian204

I was taught to only use mortar to set tiles.

I am open to any and all sorts of new subtrades but I am pretty reluctant to pre-mixed adhesives,glues,mastics,clays,double sided tapes,bubble gum,spit,human cells (a.k.a. sperm) and etc.

If you dont mix it,you know its a sham.


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## MALCO.New.York

Soooooo. 


What have YOU set with "Human Cells"?

(Really do not care for an answer...)


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## TheItalian204

MALCO.New.York said:


> Soooooo.
> 
> 
> What have YOU set with "Human Cells"?
> 
> (Really do not care for an answer...)


I havent anything really..but that was an old joke my foreman used to make


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