It used to be said that solvent-based products were more durable and longer lasting than water-based products. In today’s world, we have water-based technology that is equal to, or better than, solvent-based products. Because of its unique molecular construction, UltraCare Penetrating SB Stone, Tile & Grout Sealer is formulated for use on both porous and dense surfaces.
MAPEI recommends a polymer-modified thin-set mortar such as Keraflex RS under and over the membrane.
Be sure to carefully follow the water ratios and all other instructions listed on the products’ Technical Data Sheets.
The thin-set mortars recommended for waterproofing membranes are polymer-modified thin-set mortars. Do not use mastics such as Type 1 or Ultramastic ECO on waterproofing membranes.
The reason for so many trowel types is that there are so many flooring types. Think about what is being installed: Everything from thin vinyl sheet to 3/4" (19 mm) solid hardwood flooring. Each flooring material has unique properties. For example, a thin vinyl sheet is very flexible, so you don’t want heavy trowel notches on the floor as they will show through to the surface of the vinyl (an effect called “telegraphing”). So for thin resilient flooring, we typically recommend very finely notched trowels. Wood flooring, on the other hand, has a variable backing structure. Some may be smooth – others, grooved or cross-cut – so you need a trowel notch that can lift and shape the adhesive in such a way that it comes into solid contact with the flooring material. Further, wood flooring is very rigid and does not bend or conform to the subfloor. Therefore you need to use a trowel notch that accommodates for subfloor flatness and still brings the adhesive into contact with the back of the flooring. Using a thin-notched trowel for this would not allow for proper adhesive transfer. The same thing is true of broadloom carpet. Typically, broadloom carpet has a rough-textured backing. In order to get proper performance out of a carpet installation, you need to make sure that the adhesive gets into this texture and that is why this application includes recommended trowel notches that create high ridges. In summary, smooth-backed flooring materials are typically installed using finely-notched trowels while texture-backed materials get installed with larger-notched trowels.
There can be different explanations of why this happened. The grout may have been washed too soon or too much during the cleaning process, causing pigment to be removed from the grout. Or, the grout powder may not have been dry-blended before mixing in order to avoid color variation.
Because you will be directly touching it with an adhesive and flooring material, both of which may not function properly when in contact with a damp substrate. For example, if your goal was to install a solid vinyl sheet flooring over a damp concrete slab using a wet-lay, water-based adhesive, once you covered the adhesive with the sheet vinyl there would be nowhere for the moisture in the adhesive to absorb into; the existing moisture would remain in its liquid state and the installation would be a mess. Another example would be to install prefinished solid wood flooring using a urethane adhesive over a damp concrete slab. The urethane adhesive would cure nicely because it cures by coming into contact with moisture, but the wood flooring would absorb moisture coming from the slab and cup, warp, curl or swell – causing a nightmare of a problem. The bottom line is that there's a reason for the moisture-limits statements of adhesives and flooring materials. As such, the installer should calculate the appropriate measurements for moisture to determine if he can proceed or if he needs to do something more to isolate that moisture from the flooring installation.
Keep in touch
