Natural stone was traditionally supplied in thicknesses of 10-20mm. However, some manufacturers now cut stone thinner. These thinner tiles are more prone to damage, especially along natural weaknesses, so some manufacturers have used a reinforcing mesh set in a resin backing. Equally, some manufacturers just use a resin layer and blind with sand.
The resin found on the back of tiles can be:
All three of these resins come with their own problems and can be very difficult to adhere to even when using an epoxy adhesive. Polyester resin often has a waxy finish and epoxy is difficult to adhere to even with another epoxy product. Even if a limited bond can be achieved by the adhesive to the resin backing, the resin can often peel away from the tile back.
Due to the problems highlighted above it is recommended that our adhesives are not used with resin backed tiles. However, should all the resin be removed from the tile back by grinding until bare stone is revealed, the tiles can be treated as a normal stone tile.
If you have any questions or would like assistance, please contact our technical team:
Our technical team is available Monday to Friday, 8:30am until 5.00pm.