Products and Materials

Set Tile Without Mastic or Thinset

comments (9) July 17th, 2009 in Blogs

Mike Guertin, editorial advisor

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Ok, I haven't tried this stuff but I am intrigued. Bondera from Grace is a double sided peel and stick (polyolefin and synthetic elastomer) sheet you bond to a wall or countertop and then stick regular ceramic tile to. No mix, no spread, no mess.

There are limitations: 6x6 max tiles on walls (no max for horizontal apps), interior use only (but you can use it for shower and tub walls), NO floor or ceiling applications (darn), handmade uneven back tiles won't work.

On the plus side: No VOCs, Grout immediately, waterproof (think shower walls), bonds over many substrates (old tiles, plastic laminate, painted surfaces, VCT.....), reposition tiles if needed.

So what's the catch? You can only get it in Central and Northern New England at Lowes stores. Outside that area you have to contact Grace. I'll have to drive to Seekonk Massacheusetts (about 30 min) to get some.

Obviously it's geared to DIY but as a pro I can see using it for backsplashes, bathroom walls and other small tile projects I run into when remodeling. It'll eliminate the mess of mastic or thinset in tight quarters and speed the process since you can grout right away.

posted in: Blogs, kitchen, bathroom, tile, mastic, flooring

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Comments (9)

hfranca writes: I haven't done any installation with the Bondera, but for those concern about self adhesive tiles, I can tell you that the DIY Backsplash Kit works really well.
Mineral Tiles sells it online and has great prices.
Posted: 9:40 am on February 7th

nvman writes: A similar product, maybe even the same, just not aware of the name, is available at HD in Canada (Edmonton) but it is expensive. I also have to wonder how the tiles would adhere if there is a bit of unevenness in the wall?
Posted: 9:25 pm on January 18th

berferdt writes: JFink you made me laugh out loud! DIYpaper instead of flypaper! What Lucille Ball could have done with it!
Have seen it in Home Depot on the way to the most useful area - the restroom. Nothing in the store surprises me, but I did notice it since it had Grace on it.
I agree with Fortunat - PL for small jobs - if closed up with epoxy grout.
Posted: 9:01 am on April 27th

dragongate writes: you can now get this product at lowes in lakeland fl.
Posted: 7:35 am on February 28th

MikeGuertin writes: Jeremy

Bondera isn't asphalt based or anything like the Grace plastic surfaced peel and stick membranes. I used Bondera last week on 3 tile installs and it worked great. No problems with bonding except over drywall dust (to be expected)and wrinkles can be cut out then sealed over with companion seam tape.

Posted: 5:15 pm on September 24th

JeremyYoung writes: Unless you use conditioner, and are applying Grace like products at higher temps, they dont really stick that well. The conditioner works good, but since the tiles want to be flush with each other, and anyone who's applied membranes knows(especially after conditioner) it's very delicate & time consuming to get no wrinkles, witch would make tiles not flush. Not to metion the grout moving like already said above. When I see cold temp installations on here, like behind a ledger or around a window, I laugh. Like when it heats up its going to bond with no applied force evenly by itself? Ever heard of capillary weeping? It just takes a pin hole to actually suck water in! That happened(millions later) on a 20,000sqf+ home we fixed.
Posted: 10:53 pm on September 13th

demouser writes: What about the grout joints? If the bonding sheet flexes, the grout joints will fail. Stick on tiles are nothing new. After a few years of moisture exposure, the tiles come loose.
Posted: 9:47 am on August 31st

Fortunat writes: Not sure why you need the extra step of cutting and placing material on vertical, non-stressed surfaces like stair risers or back splashes. I use PL construction adhesive products and its a quick and permanent way to get things done. The shower and tub area is an interesting prospect but to have one more product to carry around just doesn't seem worth it.
Posted: 6:52 pm on August 17th

JFink writes: Cool idea - but if this sticky mat is anything like Grace's other products, I could see a problem when it comes to repositioning the tiles. I mean, is it a "once they're stuck, they're stuck" kind of a bond? Any idea what size the material comes in? I'm envisioning DIYers wrapping themselves up in giant sheets of peel-n-stick...
Posted: 9:19 am on July 20th

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