How to glue a tile back on the wall?

[charlie0123]

I just removed some old ceramic tiles from bathroom wall, and noticed yellow coloured adhesive glue on the back of the tiles. Obviously it is not cement based (see photo). Could anyone tell me the type of the adhesive glue? After tiddying up the Villaboard, which new adhesive glue is the best for re-tiling (ceramic)? The surface is still likely to have some thin yellowy residual glue. Cheers.

[EricL]

Hello @charlie0123 

Thanks for sharing your question about what adhesive to use on your ceramic tile. I suggest trying to remove the old adhesive at the back of the tile before applying the new adhesive. I suggest using Dunlop 310ml Tile-All Plus Premixed Tile Adhesive. It's a multi-purpose, adhesive and sealant in one, it's suitable for replacing tiles underwater in swimming pools and water features. It has excellent strength and is highly flexible. it's rated for indoor and outdoor use.

My best advice is to use masking tape to hold the tile in place while the adhesive cures. Once it cures you can then remove the tape holding the tile in place. 

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

[charlie0123]

Thanks, Eric.

It seems to me that the old adhesive is Liquid Nails.  Before the tiles were removed, the tiles had been detached from the wall, the only thing to hold the tiles in place was actually the grout. It was very easy to cut the grout and remove the tiles. Apparently the Liquid Nails between the villaboard and the tiles had become disintegrated.However the Liquid Nails residual on the villaboard is very hard and very difficult to scrap off with a scraper. I don't think I can remove it completely. Do you think Dunlop 310ml Tile-All Plus Premixed Tile Adhesive can be used over Liquid Nails for re-tiling? 

[EricL]

Hi @charlie0123 

If the old adhesive on the wall has petrified, I propose sanding the high portions down, please make sure not to sand through the water proofing. Your goal is to lower the high spots of the adhesive and lower its thickness. Once you are happy with the preparations make sure to apply the Selleys tile all adhesive in thick vertical straight lines 30mm apart. Make sure to press the tile firmly to the wall and that it is level with the other tiles. Don't forget the masking tape to hold it in place. Use a BBQ stick or similar item to remove excess adhesive that might come out of its sides.  

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[charlie0123]

Thanks, Eric.

As shown in the photo, the villaboard didn't have waterproofing, obviously because it's not in the critical area. Maybe I should do it. What type of the waterproofing product would you suggest?

Alternatively, if there is no Liquid Nails-compatible waterproofing product, can I coat the surface with tile adhesive first (skimming) or primer or a bonding agent, then apply waterproofing, and finally install tiles?

Thanks again for your help.

[EricL]

Hello @charlie0123 

If it did not have waterproofing on it, I don't recommend putting any on. Waterproofing is usually applied as a single homogenous layer so if the grout fails the waterproofing will guide the water towards the drain. Putting waterproofing on means that all the tiles will need to come off in order to apply it. At this point in time, I suggest gluing the tile back on using the Dunlop 310ml Tile-All Plus Premixed Tile Adhesive. 

Once the adhesive cures properly you can then grout the tile gap. My best suggestion is to use Betta TileCare 500ml Tile And Grout Sealer With Wheel Applicator on top of the grout once it is totally dry. 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[charlie0123]

Actually I have removed rest of the tiles. I am sanding back the surface, but I don't think I can get rid of all Liquid Nails. So I was thinking to use sort of primer first to coat the wall and the Liquid Nails residual and then apply waterproofing and lay new tiles.

The photo previously only shows a small section of the wall in order to get a good view of the glue.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @charlie0123,

Unless you can get the vast majority of the Liquid Nails off, I suggest replacing the sheet. We don't know whether the tile adhesive will adhere to it, even with primer.

On a side note, have you had your property checked for asbestos? Older properties can contain it in bathrooms, and it is best to treat any cement sheet as asbestos and not sand it unless verified otherwise. 

Mitchell