# Base trim on FRP walls



## platinumLLC (Nov 18, 2008)

Have a small utility closet to do the floor in and the walls already have FRP panels on them all the way down to the floor. Would like to use tile for the base trim but worried about it sticking to the bumpy but slick FRP panels. Will thin set or construction adhesive work to stick tile to the FRP panels? Or something else?


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## Texas Wax (Jan 16, 2012)

Power grab (quick 'hold') and silicone.


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

*Base Trim On FRP Walls*

I called Mapei on this a couple years ago, they didn't have anything. Closest they could recommend was kerabond/Keralastic. 

In butcher shop, deli, bakery of Publix we epoxied everything, it held the quarry base very well to FRP, kinda destroyed it for replacement pieces.

What we did on last commercial kitchen was cut the FRP 1/2" below height of base and bonded directly to drywall, yeah shoulda been cement board at a minimum.


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## platinumLLC (Nov 18, 2008)

I thought about cutting out the frp but if its applied right it's almost sure to destroys the drywall when you pull it off. 

Maybe I'll go pick up a sheet of frp and some different construction adhesive and epoxy and do a few test samples to see what will bond the best.


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## RiverBG (Jun 1, 2014)

What about pamtite? Never done it but that stuff sticks to everything.


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## Evan1968 (Dec 5, 2010)

When the FRP goes right to the floor we use Power Grab or Liquid Nails. Both work fine. If you want to go the thinset route Laticrete Platinum sticks to everything. Not ideal to stick tile to FRP but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

It's really not much traffic, the floor is holding the weight(one tile high) adhesive is preventing it from flopping over. The company I worked for bought epoxy by the tons per year. 

The FRP adhesive may work, if it's designed to stick one side to (not sure about what the container says it sticks to) or sure what the back is made of. I would call manufacturer of Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic and ask them instead of spending one cent and time on a mock up.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

Why not rubber base?


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## platinumLLC (Nov 18, 2008)

RiverBG said:


> What about pamtite? Never done it but that stuff sticks to everything.


That is another option I have been thinking about. Been thinking about picking up a pamtite gun.



MIKE ANTONETTI said:


> It's really not much traffic, the floor is holding the weight(one tile high) adhesive is preventing it from flopping over. The company I worked for bought epoxy by the tons per year.
> 
> The FRP adhesive may work, if it's designed to stick one side to (not sure about what the container says it sticks to) or sure what the back is made of. I would call manufacturer of Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic and ask them instead of spending one cent and time on a mock up.


I think I have a pail of that FRP adhesive at the shop I will see what it says on the back of what it sticks to. If I remember right it says something about one porous surface. 



overanalyze said:


> Why not rubber base?


Rubber base isn't out of the questions. But does the rubber base adhesive stick to FRP?


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## BKM Resilient (May 2, 2009)

platinumLLC said:


> That is another option I have been thinking about. Been thinking about picking up a pamtite gun.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


******************************

FRP glue is just *CONSTRUCTION ADHESIVE.* Yes, handled with proper understanding of the materials it will work. 

Yes, rubber base will certainly adhere to FRP but so will ceramic tile with MANY choices of adhesive. I'm no expert on ceramic but off the top of my head I could think of at least a half dozen QUICK, CHEAP and EASY solutions for adhering ceramic tile base to FRP with no chance of complications.........in a small utility closet. 

Epoxy
construction adhesive
silicone
contact cement
multi-purpose glue
pressure sensitive glue

So it's really all about the *BOND *and the allowance between a non-porous surface and a semi-porous back/tile

Hell, if you play around enough thin set would work. It would be a matter of some ADDITIVE......giving it some breathing time and then maybe using something to hold the base in place whilst that bonding agent has a chance to set.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

^^ what he said lol. You guys crack me up sometimes. The amount of time spent thinking about some of this stuff far exceeds the amount of time just Nikeing that **** out lol. I know - that word doesn't exist... But it does on my jobs. It's what I tell the help when they come to me with a thousand questions about something simple. "Just Nike that **** out and lets go home before midnight.."


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

Perhaps then there shouldn't be a book 450 pages on how to set a tile, none of which say setting on top of FRP, next year the book will be 451.


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## platinumLLC (Nov 18, 2008)

PrecisionFloors said:


> ^^ what he said lol. You guys crack me up sometimes. The amount of time spent thinking about some of this stuff far exceeds the amount of time just Nikeing that **** out lol. I know - that word doesn't exist... But it does on my jobs. It's what I tell the help when they come to me with a thousand questions about something simple. "Just Nike that **** out and lets go home before midnight.."


I don't like to "Nike" stuff when I'm not 100% sure it is the correct way to do it. I don't like call backs and was just asking others to see if they had advice based on their experience. Just trying to avoid just slapping("Nikeing") it out and have it not hold up and get called back to fix it. Plus I haven't even started this job yet so it doesn't hurt anything to ask before hand, not holding me up one bit. 

Thanks for all the suggestions.


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

*Base Trim On FRP Walls*

Nike'ing, I like it, nike'n(slapping)my *****, just Kidn, Trump and Nike lawyers, I will cease and desist.


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## Rio (Oct 13, 2009)

Had a project where we needed to bond hard neoprene to wood and where we got the neoprene the salesman said this stuff is waterproof and very sticky, will stick to anything (sounds like a potential ******** situation)
http://cimindustries.com/products/cim-product/cim-1000/


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

Kerdi Fix and NobleSealant 150 will also work very well. Look I'm not saying their isn't a time and place to get technically specific and uber anal about the what's how's and why's of something but ffs we're talking about a few feet of tile base in a utility room. It needs to not fall down. Damn. Caulking would probably work. If I felt the the need look at the tcna manual for that small of a problem to solve, it's time to hang up the trowel.


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

Quarry base or any for that matter takes a beating, wheeled carts bash into them on a continual basis. Whatever holds it should be solid behind, my perspective as well is to do it once and never be back. We continually replaced base, usually we busted a pallet apart, dug out whatever fell apart behind it, screwed the board to studs and retiled it. 

I think Platinum is asking some good questions, ones that make money. In this trade, leaps and bounds are what's needed to stay afloat. 

I think we are all missing the science behind all the products we use, maybe there is a science forum for us common folk.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

Sorry. From his first post I didn't realize he was tiling the laundry facility at Cowboys stadium. My bad. I thought he asked what would stick tile base to frp in small utility closet. Not a stupid question by any means. My point was sometimes you guys turn a 20 min job into 4 days of research, $400 in supplies, an in-depth review of the msds and product data sheets, and a call to tech support... Stick the **** to the wall already lol. Now I'm starting to see how govt bureaucracies get so huge lmao. 

For the most part I agree with you Mike. I'm just busting balls while being a little bit serious too


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

My concerns are information not transferred, or the experience we have. 

I say epoxy, but that's just A&B, we used Aerosil to fluff it up, make it stand up, & stick.

The purpose of FRP, is so stuff doesn't stick to it, I'm not sure if front is same as back, I don't think it is. So to bond to glossy surface sometimes scuffing up is the answer, sometimes a chemical overcomes the need to do that, I don't always have success with that method, many things have come apart.

My question is what's the surface of FRP, what will bond to it, easily, with keeping cost down. I haven't researched the manufacturers (FRP) recommendations.

So -"construction adhesive" I guess that falls under any type of building that requires adhesive would be considered "construction adhesive".

Last I checked(years ago) the FRP adhesive by volume was nowhere near the same price as "liquid nail" or I'd be filling up tubes with FRP adhesive. The formulas are different, it may be same base chemicals but different recipe.

Paul, I think I could work behind any of your jobs and not even think anything out of the norm, some jobs, I ask myself wtf was this guy thinking.

Disclosure- I did call Mapei last week, we were running out of Congoleum SU-100 adhesive and if Mapei had a substitute, they did not. I said I had Eco 360 and that's held down every solid vinyl I've tried it on, well it didn't work too well on the edges.


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## BKM Resilient (May 2, 2009)

PrecisionFloors said:


> Sorry. From his first post I didn't realize he was tiling the laundry facility at Cowboys stadium. My bad. I thought he asked what would stick tile base to frp in small utility closet. Not a stupid question by any means. My point was sometimes you guys turn a 20 min job into 4 days of research, $400 in supplies, an in-depth review of the msds and product data sheets, and a call to tech support... Stick the **** to the wall already lol. Now I'm starting to see how govt bureaucracies get so huge lmao.
> 
> For the most part I agree with you Mike. I'm just busting balls while being a little bit serious too


Coincidentally I was recently working on the laundry facility at Unversal Studios/NBC Los Angleles. Holy CRAP what a huge joint and clusterF of workers every day/night. We put 2MM Nora with waterjet cut stuff to direct the crowds and borders and such----all heat welded. Very sweet stuff.


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