rapid set

panlid · Post by **panlid** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:08 pm

doingh a kitchen floor today using porcelain tiles. used bal rapidset onto ashaplt floor.
bloody hell, the stuff took about 4 hours to set. messed my day right up. in the end i asked the customer if they had a fan heater which they did. this helped.
i take it this is normal in this cold weather?

Post by **ultimatehandyman** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:18 pm

I have only used fast setting adhesive once, but it was not BAL.

It set very quickly, one mistake and you are in trouble.

4 hours is a hell of a long time

?

bstyle · Post by **bstyle** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:56 pm

Low suction substrate and low suction tiles have slowed the process down. The cold weather and possible over wet mix hasn't helped. Bal say you can grout after three hours, four hours does seem like a long time for the adhesive to set to me.

panlid · Post by **panlid** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:02 pm

i had to put it on quite thick in places and that didnt help. took alot of disipline to not try and walk on it too soon :|

Mudster · Post by **Mudster** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:54 pm

It's setting time is quoted at 20 degrees celcius, the time increases or decreases exponentially as the temperature moves up or down from that figure.

So a two hour setting time at 20 degrees will be closer to 4 hours if the floor was at 12-15 degrees, it stops setting altogether at 5 degrees.

panlid · Post by **panlid** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:17 am

cheers muddy. i feel better now. there you go, ive learnt something else

Mudster · Post by **Mudster** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:29 pm

Always a pleasure

panlid · Post by **panlid** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 5:04 pm

im sure i could hear teeth grinding half an hour ago