When laying facing material on the floor (both indoors and outdoors, in public places), there is often a need for a speedy result, and then the question arises: how long does the tile dry in this case? In our article, we will figure out what affects the drying process, what terms, etc.
First of all, you need to be guided by the instructions for the adhesive used, it indicates the conditions of use and the drying time. But let's also consider when it is possible to walk on the laid tiles, to do the jointing, what pressure can be exerted on the ceramics that have not yet dried out and how long it takes to completely dry after finishing the facing work.
Influencing conditions
What you need to know about the conditions that affect the readiness of the tile for use, which can both speed up and slow down the drying process.
- Base temperature. It is the main regulator of drying time, together with the ambient temperature. The norm for laying will be room temperature, about 20 ° C, for the base and air. Working temperature range - from +5 to +30 °C. It is not advisable to work with a base below zero degrees, as this can lead to an unsatisfactory result of laying tiles.
- Humidity. Optimal humidity for laying can be considered 60%. With its increase, the terms may be delayed; at a humidity close to 100%, the glue will stop drying, it will “sour”, and the tile will peel off.
- Surface water absorption. It should not be zero, especially for laying moisture-resistant types of tiles, since in this case the water from the mortar will simply have nowhere to go. But the water absorption should not be large either, the rule of the golden mean works here. So, water absorption is considered large if, after wetting, after a short time (2–3 minutes), moisture is absorbed into the base. Some kind of painted base, metal or old tile has insufficient water absorption. When it happens to encounter such bases, you can change it by removing the old layer of paint, tiles, or you can still fill in a new layer of self-leveling floor, for high-quality laying, which you can safely walk on in the future.
It is recommended when working in cold rooms, the bathroom, before starting to warm up the floor, using heaters of any type or underfloor heating in the bathroom, corridor. After laying out, heat the air in the room using the same heat guns or using any heating equipment.
Ready for grouting!
The next step after laying is grouting and grouting, but for this, the floor tiles must already be dry and support the weight of a person so that they can be walked on. More about this stage:
- Solution stage. The time when the glued tiles can be moved and adjusted without losing their adhesive properties is from 10 to 20 minutes under optimal conditions.
- Freezing. At this stage, the tile can no longer be adjusted, but you can already carefully walk on it, grout the tile joints. However, heavy loads should not be allowed yet. Under normal conditions, the curing time is 24-48 hours after installation.
- Drying. The glue has completely dried out and gained strength, after which the tile can be successfully operated, loads can be applied. Under normal conditions, the drying time is from 7 to 10 days.
Special Solutions
If you use quick-drying adhesives, the drying time will be significantly reduced: you can walk already after 3-5 hours, and full load is allowed 24 hours after the end of the work. The difficulty of using these types of glue lies in the fact that the time to use up the solution is very short, about half an hour, and the time for applying to the surface and adjusting the tile is reduced to 5 minutes.
There are also adhesives for working in a cold room, capable of drying qualitatively at a base temperature of about 0, after the same time as ordinary glue, but not lower! Frost-resistant glue is an adhesive capable of enduring multiple “winter-summer” cycles in a dried state, even after 10 or more years, and not hardening at low temperatures.
At a negative temperature of the base or air, facing works are undesirable, this will lead to inevitable damage to the material over time.
What else affects the timing of the readiness of the laid tiles for loads?
First of all, the thickness of the layer. It should be within the limits specified by the manufacturer, as well as uniform. With an uneven layer of glue, drying also occurs unevenly, the tile experiences a stress load and, after complete drying, may crack or move away from the glue. Incorrect application can affect even after a considerable time after the completion of work.
It is necessary to prevent the ingress of water, for example, in a bathroom, onto a tile that has not yet dried completely, as this can lead to uneven drying and further cracking and lagging of the tile from the base.
