2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 22:24
- The main factors that affect the drying rate
- Temperature regime
- Base temperature
- Humidity
- Determination of adhesive dryness
- Why you need to wait for the glue to dry
- Drying depending on the type of glue
- When there is no time to wait for the solution to dry
- A little about the stages of glue drying
When carrying out repairs, you want to finish all the work as quickly as possible. But in some cases this possibility is completely absent, since time becomes on the side of quality, and is decisive. In particular, this also happens when facing with ceramics. And in this case, it is important to know how long the tiles dry after laying and when you can walk on them.
The main factors that affect the drying rate
To begin with, you should study all the factors that can affect the speed of drying of the coating. The first of these is the adhesive used.
The next important factor is the thickness of the tile adhesive. It can be reduced by using a smaller trowel tooth and pre-leveling the floor surface with a screed.
Most tile adhesive manufacturers indicate the drying rate on the packaging. But we note that such an indicator is extremely conditional, and therefore a clear answer to the question of how long it takes to walk on a tile will depend not only on the glue itself, but also on the surrounding factors.
Once the packaging indicates the drying time under ideal conditions, then you can practically ignore it, since it is almost impossible to achieve such in life, or at least it is extremely difficult. For the most part, they mean:
- stable temperature of 20-24 degrees without the slightest difference;
- air humidity up to 40%.
And in such conditions, walking on the tiles after laying it will be possible in a day, but this is only in theory, in practice everything is somewhat more dramatic.
Note that it is simply necessary to wait until the tiles are completely dry, because under heavy loads, until the glue hardens, it can deform, and you can also completely ruin the coating.
But let's take a closer look at the factors that most affect how much tile dries on the floor after laying, and there are only three of them.
Temperature regime
The main factor is at what temperature the tiles are laid, as well as maintaining the regime in the future. Accordingly, the higher the temperature, the faster the drying process will take place.
But despite this, it is extremely undesirable to carry out artificial heating of the room, since this can adversely affect the quality of the coating. The conditions under which the tiles must dry must be natural, otherwise deformation of the coating or even cracking of the tiles may occur.
It can be noted that drying will be faster in summer than in winter. In addition, if we consider the winter season, we must not forget that the glue may not dry out, but simply freeze. Therefore, it is important to know at what temperature the tiles can be laid and what conditions to maintain after laying.
In particular, laying is carried out at a temperature of 20-25 degrees, and this should be when drying, with slight deviations. In the warm season, the tile will dry in 24-36 hours, in cold weather this period increases by another 12-16 hours.
Base temperature
The second factor, also related to temperature, is the condition of the base. As you can see, in the summer, the room can be warmed up by the sun, while the floors still remain cold. Therefore, you should also pay attention to them.
Thus, the minimum laying temperature is 5 degrees, but you can also turn on the floors after laying the tiles, so that this figure reaches 20 degrees, which is considered optimal. It is also important that the temperature difference between the room and the base is not too great.
Therefore, it can be noted that the colder the floor, the longer the coating will dry out.
Humidity
And the last factor is the humidity of the room. Here, unlike the question at what temperature the tiles are laid, feedback works. That is, in this case, the higher the humidity, the slower the glue will dry.
That is why you can notice that in the kitchen or corridor, laying will take less time, while this difference can reach 20-30 hours. It should be noted that with high humidity, the floor can completely dry out within a week.
Determination of adhesive dryness
Since we are waiting for the coating to dry and it will be possible to walk on it, as well as to fully operate the room, then we need to know how to check this factor. Drying check can be done in two ways. Moreover, both methods are simple and do not require additional devices.
- The first is tapping. That is, you can lightly knock on the corners of the tile with a rubber hammer, and if it is completely motionless, then the glue has dried.
- The second is an attempt to tear off the tile from the base. It is advisable to carry out such a procedure in the corner, because if it is possible to tear off the tiles from the floor, then it will be much easier to put it in place and eliminate the unevenness than in the case of the procedure in the middle of the room.
As you can see, the methods are pretty simple and primitive.
If you still need to walk on the tiles, but you are in doubt, then lay a bridge of boards or lay a sheet of plywood to reduce the load area.
Why you need to wait for the glue to dry
There are opinions that the room can be exploited, or, at least, just walk on the tiles before it dries completely, and you can even grout. Note that many "specialists" even do this.
But let's reveal the truth, this is absolutely impossible to do, and there are at least two good reasons for this:
- First of all, there is a great risk of moving the tiles. Note that even if the solution had time to set tightly, it did not dry out, and therefore did not gain strength. Accordingly, under the pressure of human weight, it can move.
- And the second factor is the risk of damaging the tiles. Especially if the work was not performed by a professional, and small voids formed somewhere due to a lack of adhesive mixture.
Thus, even for grouting, it is necessary to wait for the glue mixture to dry completely.
Drying depending on the type of glue
We dare to repeat ourselves a little and note that the most common drying time for glue is 24 hours (under ideal conditions). But nevertheless, depending on what kind of glue is used, this period can change up or down.
Consider the drying time for each type of tile adhesive:
- The first option is universal. Adhesive mixtures for lightweight tiles from the category of universal dry out in 7-8 hours, while complete drying can take 12-14.
- Considering mixtures for laying heavy tiles (porcelain stoneware, for example), their period can be from 12 to 24 hours, with high humidity, the period will be slightly longer.
Speaking of frost-resistant compounds that are used for laying tiles on the street, they dry out in a period of up to 36 hours.
Moisture-resistant glue, which is often used in saunas and swimming pools, dries for at least 24 hours, and it is better to wait two to three days.
Compositions for glass tiles (white glue) are located on a time interval from 24 to 36 hours.
When there is no time to wait for the solution to dry
There are mix options that set quickly and allow you to walk on the tile - this is a quick-drying tile adhesive. Thanks to its unique composition, it is able to completely harden within three hours, after which the grout can be started immediately.
It is often used in combination with a branded self-leveling floor, thanks to which the IVSIL EXPRESS + quick-setting tile adhesive allows for a complete installation, including all floor leveling work in just a day.
We also recommend reading: how to choose the right adhesive for tiles.
Approximately such minimum terms must be observed. But we repeat that these are only manufacturers' pointers, that is, the term for comfortable conditions, average temperature and humidity. Accordingly, in case of deviation from the norm, drying may increase.
A little about the stages of glue drying
And finally, it is necessary to note the stages of solidification of the solution, and the nature of these periods:
- The first period includes the working hours of the train. This segment includes the process of styling and adjustments. For different types of glue, the stage can last from 30 to 60 minutes. Depending on the personal conditions of laying, the terms may increase up to 2 hours.
- The second is the stage of primary solidification. Considering this period, it can be noted that the adhesive mixture is already in the phase of active hardening, the tile practically does not move and, theoretically, it is already possible to grout the joints. But in no case should you load the surface, put furniture, and so on. Comes after 1-2 days.
- And the last stage is the complete solidification of the solution. Now you can fully exploit the room, fully load it, and so on. An indicator of this period is considered to be a period of 5-7 days.
Now you know at what temperature the tiles can be laid and how long they will dry, depending on a number of external factors. And in conclusion, we propose to consolidate the material by watching several videos on the topic.
