BAL – market leaders in full tiling solutions – have a trusted system for the installation of 2cm porcelain slabs direct onto concrete.
This method incorporates the use of BAL Level Out external leveller and BAL XL Floor One large format floor tile adhesive and is most suited when fixing porcelain, pavers, slabs or natural stone (suitable for external use) direct to an existing concrete base which may be rough or impact damaged.
This direct fixing method is essentially the same as internal tiling and can be used for patios, terraces or driveways.
The caveat being that expansion joints need to be incorporated into the subfloor, and falls will need to be added to ensure rainwater drains away fully. An effective DPM should also be incorporated into any direct-to-earth subfloors.
If needed, BAL Level Out can be applied onto concrete pads – as long as they are fully cured, free from efflorescence, laitance, dirt and other loose materials. It can be applied from 2mm to 30mm and is ready to receive tile adhesive after approximately three hours
However, BAL XL Floor One tile adhesive can be used directly onto tampered concrete slabs or BAL Level Out if levelling is needed – with no priming needed.
XL Floor One has been designed specifically for use with large tiles and external 2cm porcelain as it can be built up to 25mm in bed depth. Fully pourable, with a thixotropic nature, BAL XL Floor One provides excellent coverage on the back of the tile or paver – without the need for back buttering on flat surfaces, saving contractors time and money.
BAL XL Floor One has a pot life of 1.5 hours, open time of 1 hour and sets overnight in 6-8 hours for fast-track project completion. This ensures that large slabs can be fixed and manoeuvred into place easily, without fear the adhesive will skin over or go off in the bucket.