My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners.
The tiles were originally stuck by bedding in some type of cement product that is very tough and I cannot remove it without damaging a lot more of the fireplace. So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles.
The fireplace is not used much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact adhesive, or tile adhesive.

So which glue to use ?
1. PVA - probably would work to some extent
2. PVA + SBR - a bit better than 2.
3. PVA and/or SBR + cement slurry
4. Gorilla glue - oozing edges might be a pain
5. Anything else ?

Simon.

In message ,
sm_jamieson writes
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be a
mix of concrete and iron strengtheners.
The tiles were originally stuck by bedding in some type of cement
product that is very tough and I cannot remove it without damaging a
lot more of the fireplace. So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles.
The fireplace is not used much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not noticeably
proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact adhesive, or
tile adhesive.

So which glue to use ?
1. PVA - probably would work to some extent
2. PVA + SBR - a bit better than 2.
3. PVA and/or SBR + cement slurry
4. Gorilla glue - oozing edges might be a pain
5. Anything else ?

Simon.

I understand that silicone sealant can be used (sparingly).
--
Ian

On 21/11/2017 13:36, Ian Jackson wrote:
In message ,
sm_jamieson writes
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be
a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners.
The tiles were originally stuck by bedding in some type of cement
product that is very tough and I cannot remove it without damaging a
lot more of the fireplace. So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles.
The fireplace is not used much and will not need to withstand very
much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not
noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact
adhesive, or tile adhesive.

So which glue to use ?
1. PVA - probably would work to some extent
2. PVA + SBR - a bit better than 2.
3. PVA and/or SBR + cement slurry
4. Gorilla glue - oozing edges might be a pain
5. Anything else ?

Simon.

I understand that silicone sealant can be used (sparingly).

If it is staying cold I would go for "Sticks like sh*t" type stuff,
which is a bit runnier than silicone so should squeeze down better.

On 21/11/17 13:08, sm_jamieson wrote:
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners.
The tiles were originally stuck by bedding in some type of cement product that is very tough and I cannot remove it without damaging a lot more of the fireplace. So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles.
The fireplace is not used much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact adhesive, or tile adhesive.

So which glue to use ?
1. PVA - probably would work to some extent
2. PVA + SBR - a bit better than 2.
3. PVA and/or SBR + cement slurry
4. Gorilla glue - oozing edges might be a pain
5. Anything else ?

Simon.

epoxy is as thin as anything else and if set with a hair dryer or heat
gun will stand temps up to around 150-200C



--
€œBut what a weak barrier is truth when it stands in the way of an
hypothesis!€�

Mary Wollstonecraft

On Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 3:52:10 PM UTC, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 21/11/17 13:08, sm_jamieson wrote:
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners.
The tiles were originally stuck by bedding in some type of cement product that is very tough and I cannot remove it without damaging a lot more of the fireplace. So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles.
The fireplace is not used much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact adhesive, or tile adhesive.

So which glue to use ?
1. PVA - probably would work to some extent
2. PVA + SBR - a bit better than 2.
3. PVA and/or SBR + cement slurry
4. Gorilla glue - oozing edges might be a pain
5. Anything else ?

Simon.

epoxy is as thin as anything else and if set with a hair dryer or heat
gun will stand temps up to around 150-200C

I am only used to araldite. Where can I find a more runny epoxy glue ?
Simon.

On 21/11/2017 16:13, sm_jamieson wrote:
On Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 3:52:10 PM UTC, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 21/11/17 13:08, sm_jamieson wrote:
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners.
The tiles were originally stuck by bedding in some type of cement product that is very tough and I cannot remove it without damaging a lot more of the fireplace. So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles.
The fireplace is not used much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact adhesive, or tile adhesive.

So which glue to use ?
1. PVA - probably would work to some extent
2. PVA + SBR - a bit better than 2.
3. PVA and/or SBR + cement slurry
4. Gorilla glue - oozing edges might be a pain
5. Anything else ?

Simon.

epoxy is as thin as anything else and if set with a hair dryer or heat
gun will stand temps up to around 150-200C

I am only used to araldite. Where can I find a more runny epoxy glue ?
Simon.

Pop the tiles in the oven at about 100 C. Put a gloop of standard (not
rapid) araldite near each corner and you will find it gets much more
runny as it warms up. Apply.

Wear suitable gloves, obviously.

Or you can melt the mixed stuff in a spoon over a gas cooker or small
gas torch, but you need to get the timing right because when it sets, it
goes quickly. With practice, you get to recognise the signs.

On 21/11/17 16:13, sm_jamieson wrote:
On Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 3:52:10 PM UTC, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 21/11/17 13:08, sm_jamieson wrote:
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners.
The tiles were originally stuck by bedding in some type of cement product that is very tough and I cannot remove it without damaging a lot more of the fireplace. So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles.
The fireplace is not used much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact adhesive, or tile adhesive.

So which glue to use ?
1. PVA - probably would work to some extent
2. PVA + SBR - a bit better than 2.
3. PVA and/or SBR + cement slurry
4. Gorilla glue - oozing edges might be a pain
5. Anything else ?

Simon.

epoxy is as thin as anything else and if set with a hair dryer or heat
gun will stand temps up to around 150-200C

I am only used to araldite. Where can I find a more runny epoxy glue ?
Simon.

Use araldite and a hair drier. It will be like runny hunny

Some people thin it with acetone


--
"In our post-modern world, climate science is not powerful because it is
true: it is true because it is powerful."

Lucas Bergkamp

On 21/11/2017 13:08, sm_jamieson wrote:
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be
a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners. The tiles were originally
stuck by bedding in some type of cement product that is very tough
and I cannot remove it without damaging a lot more of the fireplace.
So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles. The fireplace is not used
much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not
noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact
adhesive, or tile adhesive.

What do you have against epoxy? The standard slow cure stuff will hold
well enough on ceramics and works best with a very thin layer.

You want the original slow cure stuff - it goes quite runny and spreads
very thinly shortly after mixing. 5 minute stuff no good for this - you
need a decent working time with it and you may have to support any tiles
which have gravity working to pull them off for a few hours.

You might want to put a spec of TiO2 pigment in to make it white (or buy
the white version which is more expensive). The default clear/straw
coloured stuff will be slightly visible in a fine crack otherwise.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 4:36:16 PM UTC, Martin Brown wrote:
On 21/11/2017 13:08, sm_jamieson wrote:
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be
a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners. The tiles were originally
stuck by bedding in some type of cement product that is very tough
and I cannot remove it without damaging a lot more of the fireplace.
So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles. The fireplace is not used
much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not
noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact
adhesive, or tile adhesive.

What do you have against epoxy? The standard slow cure stuff will hold
well enough on ceramics and works best with a very thin layer.

You want the original slow cure stuff - it goes quite runny and spreads
very thinly shortly after mixing. 5 minute stuff no good for this - you
need a decent working time with it and you may have to support any tiles
which have gravity working to pull them off for a few hours.

You might want to put a spec of TiO2 pigment in to make it white (or buy
the white version which is more expensive). The default clear/straw
coloured stuff will be slightly visible in a fine crack otherwise.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

I've always used Gripfil Original for that, indoors and out

On Tuesday, 21 November 2017 13:08:50 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote:
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners.
The tiles were originally stuck by bedding in some type of cement product that is very tough and I cannot remove it without damaging a lot more of the fireplace. So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles.
The fireplace is not used much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact adhesive, or tile adhesive.

So which glue to use ?
1. PVA - probably would work to some extent
2. PVA + SBR - a bit better than 2.
3. PVA and/or SBR + cement slurry
4. Gorilla glue - oozing edges might be a pain
5. Anything else ?

Simon.

PVA has no gap filling ability, so unlikely to work. I learnt that the hard way.
Epoxy is thin enough if you just dot it about, I don't know about its temperature resistance.


NT

On Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 1:08:50 PM UTC, sm_jamieson wrote:
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners.
The tiles were originally stuck by bedding in some type of cement product that is very tough and I cannot remove it without damaging a lot more of the fireplace. So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles.
The fireplace is not used much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact adhesive, or tile adhesive.

So which glue to use ?
1. PVA - probably would work to some extent
2. PVA + SBR - a bit better than 2.
3. PVA and/or SBR + cement slurry
4. Gorilla glue - oozing edges might be a pain
5. Anything else ?

Simon.

Well in the end I used gorilla glue (polyurethane glue), which I already had, and as you expect, had to keep pressing the 6 tiles back down as it expanded, since 2 food cans on each tile did not hold them down enough. And a bit of oozing to scrape off, but the tiles are smooth so a sharp knife works fine.
And it seems very solid.
Not quite up to epoxy level, but should be fine.
I'll remember to tips about epoxy for the future.
Why do most shops (inc. toolstation and screwfix) only sell the rapid araldite these days ?

Simon.
Simon.

On Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 10:03:34 PM UTC, wrote:
On Tuesday, 21 November 2017 13:08:50 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote:
My fireplace is made of tiles - stuck over a former which seems to be a mix of concrete and iron strengtheners.
The tiles were originally stuck by bedding in some type of cement product that is very tough and I cannot remove it without damaging a lot more of the fireplace. So I need to "glue" back the loose tiles.
The fireplace is not used much and will not need to withstand very much heat.

The glue needs to be very thin so the replaced tiles are not noticeably proud of the others - so probably not epoxy or contact adhesive, or tile adhesive.

So which glue to use ?
1. PVA - probably would work to some extent
2. PVA + SBR - a bit better than 2.
3. PVA and/or SBR + cement slurry
4. Gorilla glue - oozing edges might be a pain
5. Anything else ?

Simon.

PVA has no gap filling ability, so unlikely to work. I learnt that the hard way.
Epoxy is thin enough if you just dot it about, I don't know about its temperature resistance.


Also PVA needs at least one porous surface or it never dries out.
Simon.