What Impacts Do Different Substrates Have on Tile Installation with Vitrified Tile Adhesive?

I. Cement Substrate

1.Normal Substrate: Wet the surface directly with water, perform preliminary cleaning, and install tiles using the vitrified tile adhesive matched to the specific tile type.

2.Uneven Surface: For uneven cement substrates, first conduct leveling treatment—smooth the surface with cement mortar and proceed with tile installation only after complete curing.

3.Extremely Smooth Surface: For highly smooth cement substrates, it is recommended to first remove surface dust. Apply vitrified tile adhesive to the substrate before following standard tile installation procedures.

4.Lightweight Brick (Highly Absorbent Substrate): Lightweight brick substrates are typically highly absorbent. Two options are available:

 Apply a cement mortar base coat (preferably 2cm thick) and allow full curing (7 days) before tile installation; or

 Brush the substrate with an interface agent (wall consolidant) prior to tile installation.

II. Waterproof Substrate

1.Confirm the type of underlying waterproof coating.

2.Rigid Waterproof Coating: For rigid waterproof substrates, tiles can be installed directly in accordance with standard procedures—no additional substrate treatment is required.

3.Flexible Film-Forming Coating: Special attention must be paid when installing tiles on flexible film-forming coatings. The smooth, flexible surface of such coatings may cause tile detachment if installed directly, so reinforcement is necessary:

 Generally, scrape and apply a mixture of interface agent (wall consolidant) + cement or tile adhesive on the waterproof coating to create a roughened bonding surface.

 Proceed with standard tile installation only after the reinforced layer is fully cured.

III. Putty Powder Substrate

1.Putty Powder Only: The surface of a putty powder substrate is powdery.

 Completely remove the putty powder, sprinkle water to wet the surface (ensuring the tile adhesive bonds directly with the cement substrate).

 Treat the substrate with wall consolidant or vitrified tile adhesive (to prevent residual putty powder from affecting bonding performance) before conducting standard tile installation.

2.Putty Powder with Wall Paint: Latex paint surfaces are extremely smooth (similar to flexible waterproof substrates).

 Either roughen the surface with a mixture of wall consolidant + cement, or enhance bonding strength with vitrified tile adhesive, then follow standard tile installation procedures.

IV. Board Substrate

For lightweight substrates such as gypsum board and MDF (tile installation is not recommended on particleboard):

These substrates are porous (compared to concrete), resulting in high water absorption, low inherent strength, and significant deformation potential. Special precautions for tile installation:

1.Control Substrate Water Absorption: Seal the substrate by brushing with vitrified tile adhesive or interface agent (wall consolidant) to prevent deformation from excessive water absorption and powdering/strength loss due to rapid water evaporation.

2.Select Suitable Adhesive: Choose vitrified tile adhesive based on tile water absorption, size, and weight. The adhesive must have good water retention and considerable deformation resistance. For gypsum board substrates, select adhesive with high bonding strength, flexibility, and anti-slip performance.

3.Construction Method: Adopt the thin-coat method (thickness: 3-5mm). Avoid excessively thick adhesive layers. Leave tile joints and do not align tiles with joint-to-joint installation—this prevents tile hollowing or detachment caused by substrate deformation.

4.Installation Technique: Do not use tapping to level tiles; instead, use a pressing and kneading method.

V. Smooth Substrate

Substrates such as steel plates, glass, and tile surfaces are extremely smooth, impermeable to other materials, and offer high firmness and stability. Reinforcement treatment is generally required for tile installation:

1.Substrate Roughening (Only for Tile-on-Tile Installation): Use a cutting machine or electric drill to create holes in the underlying tiles, then fill the holes with cement mortar or tile adhesive before installing new tiles.

2.Vitrified Tile Adhesive Treatment: First brush Yishibao Vitrified Tile Adhesive on the substrate to enhance bonding performance, then proceed with standard tile installation.