Author: Jonathan

External Tile Fixing

Where does the 20mm porcelain sit? Tiling or Landscaping? The difficulty is the two methods being undertaken by two very different professions.

Porcelain is a fully vitrified product and extremely dense, thus giving it little to no water porosity at all.

Landscaping is (in the main) a bed of semi dry mortar (sand & cement mix) sitting on a whacked layer of hardcore or type 1 that is tempered by a shovel before the slab gets laid into position and tapped with a rubber mallet and gauging their levels from a pinged line and a spirit level.

The issue with the mortar fixing to porcelain is that it has no real grab as it’s not very sticky and the porcelain needs to stick to an ‘adhesive’.

Whereas a tiler starts from a flat substrate (as flat as they can get) and trowels out the required adhesive with the right trowel type / size and beds the tile into the adhesive (which on its own merit had additives – Polymers to assist it to ‘stick’ to the adhesive.

Due to the landscaper not really wanting to create this ‘flat’ base (ie a concrete base that needs to dry – and be level), the best way to assist the mortar mix to stick to the porcelain would be to add the Palace Tilers Primer to the water before mixing it with the sand/cement blend.

To give it an extra ‘key’, a slurry mix of Palace Tilers Primer can be mixed with cement to form the ‘slurry’, which can be painted on the back of the porcelain before fixing to the Palace Tilers Primer Mortar mix. The porcelain can be fixed before the slurry coat is fully dried, which may also assist the bond. Once dryer, a suitable brush in joint filler or Palace Colour-Lock Grout can be used to finish the job!

Working from the ‘flat’ base, the Tiler would use one of the Palace Adhesives (Palace Flexi-Set or Palace Easi-Flex) with a 20mm round notched trowel (Large Format) to fix the 20mm porcelain to the substrate, allowing to dry before grouting using the Palace Colour-Lock Grout with the colour of the customers choosing.

Patina – The Best Known Secret

‘What’s that’…….? Derived from an old Italian word – Patinare, meaning to apply a finish. Patina has been around for over 30 years and is possibly the best product on the market for rejuvenating older wooden surfaces to make them look BETTER than new!

Its formula consists of resins and natural oils that have been combined into an easy to apply gel.

With clean and dry wood surfaces (preferably after a light sanding), just a dab of the Patina on a soft lint free cloth, working well into grain of the wood and allowed to dry. It really is as easy as that!

Patina easily shines above the conventional methods like wax, varnish and lacquers. Not only does wax costs you a lot of time and effort and prone to smearing. They also attract dust and are affected by greasy finger marks. It’s also common for these types of restorers to breakdown when repelling common stains like wine and tea.

Patina does not smear (so no greasy fingers), doesn’t attract dust and is excellent at repelling wine and tea stains along with other liquids!

Varnishes and lacquers have the problem of taking years of experience to get the required finish. Varnishes also have the added issue of sealing the wood surface, which can trap moisture inside. This causes the vapour to be drawn to the surface in the form of a white ring when a hot object is placed on it.

As well as being susceptible to sunlight, varnishes and lacquers need to be fully removed prior to reapplication.

You don’t require any such skill to use Patina. This product really is an open the tin and start using it time after time as required.

Patina can be used externally, so whether it’s a priceless antique, an old wooden box or a solid oak front door Patina will protect and beautify them year after year. So, if you want to maintain those good looks, just wipe over with a damp cloth or a duster to get rid of any dust or surface marks. There is no need to for further polishing.

That’s Patina…. the best-known secret that everyone should be shouting about!!

The Summertime Fence Paint Blitz

What a different World we live in within the space of 12 months. We have all encountered many challenges in the last year, none more so than getting hold of Fenceguard in the summer months.

We have experienced an unprecedented volume of sales during this time and the pressures that were put on the supply chain not only in manufacturing of the finished item, but also sourcing the raw materials and packaging.

Whilst we are starting to prepare ourselves for the coming season ahead it would help if you could look at your stocks and place any forward orders to enable the smooth running of supply this coming year.

To find out more about our Fenceguard range click here. For enquiries or orders email us here, or give us a call on 01513369111 for more information on our product ranges.

Does A Couple ‘Un’ Or ‘De’?

Good question! But the simple answer is…..Both!

To Decouple is to disengage or to make a change to one system without changing another, whereas to Uncouple is to unlink or to detach one thing from another. Basically, decoupling is a synonym of uncoupling. The term within construction / engineering has been around since the early AD Greek & Roman times.

So where is the term used in tiling? If you have a problematic floor such as timber or heated screeds, this can cause unwanted movement or lateral stresses, which could result in failures such as tiles cracking or worse, debonding. So, the use of a ‘decoupling’ (or uncoupling) mat isolates the two surfaces, allowing them to move independently of each other (just as the definition suggests). This prevents such stresses to transfer through to the tile, which in turn leaves a faultless finish to your floor.

There are many decoupling systems on the market, but few like the Palace Easi-Mat, which has quite a few benefits over the conventional ‘cavity’ mat.

It’s not restricted with its weight loadings, it weighs less than 8kg, it won’t roll back on you once you’ve rolled it out, it’s easy to carry, it won’t raise the floor height AND it’s not orange!

Furthermore, the Palace Easi-Mat can be used with mosaics and can be used in medium or heavy loading capacity, which means it’s an ideal solution for both domestic and commercial applications.

Although it’s not magic, nor is it a carpet, it might as well be because it is the gift that keeps giving! With gridlines and 1m markers, it makes for easy installation that can be cut with scissors or a knife and even uses less adhesive than other mats. Up to 30% less adhesive in fact.

With the Palace Easi-Mat, you will get the job done quicker (less mixes and immediate tiling) and it will also be cheaper as you are using much less adhesive.

All in all, Decoupling or Uncoupling, you have the perfect solution with the Palace Easi-Mat!

Palace Strikes Industry Pose with Innovative Video Content

Everyday life has changed for everyone – From having to wear a mask and forming orderly queues for the shops to getting handy DIY hints and tips from the internet. 

A recent survey stated that 63% of adults in the UK would seek help and advice from a how-to video before tackling a building or renovation task. Something which would previously have been a last resort. 

Times have changed from the days of watching and helping parents & grandparents’ complete projects and gaining a knowledge of how to do the task in hand. The emergence of video and online tutorials has taken the DIY industry by storm and this has led to us here at Palace Chemicals to adapt to the new way of life and keep up with the fast pace of change. We have now started to create a video library and a YouTube channel to showcase our products being used and provide really helpful hints and tips to our valued customer base. The information and gems of knowledge that can be taken from these videos are there to assist and guide the user and ensure that the products are used correctly and safely.

Giving us a competitive edge, these videos are assisting our sales team when talking to trade and DIY users. Especially when we get asked about the best use of the products. 

Knowing how helpful these are going to be, we are looking forward to showcasing our videos on YouTube and our social media channels.

One of the most powerful of these videos is the Waterseal range, which highlights how easy it is to protect your exterior brickwork from the elements of the great British weather. 

At Palace Chemicals we still believe that our range of products is the best and most comprehensive on the market. Please feel free to contact us with any questions about your projects, as we are more than happy to pass on our knowledge. Or even better connect with us on our YouTube channel for the latest visual aids when working with our products.

We Ain’t Heavy!

As the UK continues to be more aware for the need of environmentally ‘clean’ products, industry has also stood up to be counted! Not least Palace Chemicals!

Looking at various technological advances in polymers and binders to keep up to date with the ever-increasing size of tiles and varying substrates, mixed with the pursuit for environmental sustainability, Palace Chemicals have launched their range of ‘Lite’ products.

Not only do these products make for lighter lifting (easier on the limbs) the tile fixer, who can carry half the weight in their van or up / down-stairs, they are also lighter on their pallets, which has a knock-on effect for the haulier services too in both fuel economy and safer handling.

These products are predominantly made with the tiler in mind. Available in Fast or Standard setting, this range offers a high yield, easy to apply adhesive mortar that fashion C2 flexibility, an S1 classification for deformability and additional working time & pot life. Suitable for heated subfloors, these lightweight, polymer fortified flexible adhesives are ideal for fixing all types of tiling, including large format tile & stone and also offers a 50% reduced weight loading once fixed. All wrapped up in a 10kg sack, with approximately 37% of recycled material, the Extra-Lite range from Palace Chemicals offers a fantastic versatile group of products that also tick all the green credential boxes.

For product details on the Extra-Lite range click for Fast Set or Standard Set. For enquiries or orders email us here. Or give us a call on 01513369111 for more information on our product ranges.

Is Water Penetrating Your Masonry?

If you have water penetrating your exterior brickwork due to dampness, which would usually occur on north facing walls, Palace Chemicals has the answer; Treat your walls with Palace Waterseal.

Palace Waterseal comes in spirit (Waterseal) and water-based form (Aqueous Waterseal), designed to be brushed or sprayed applied with 2 coats to your exterior brickwork to form a waterproof barrier. Both products will not affect the appearance of the brickwork and will still let the brickwork breathe.

It’s always best to check any leaking guttering first and make any necessary repairs, as well as to make sure the pointing is sound on the brickwork before applying. If you are spraying around windows it’s always a good idea to mask them off with some newspaper so the spray does not go directly onto the windows, which will cause them to smear. This also applies to any decorative flooring area you don’t wish to be treated.

The Aqueous Waterseal can be applied onto damp brickwork, whereas the Waterseal is best used after 2 consecutive dry days. Allow 2-3 hours between coats.

If water is allowed to penetrate the brickwork, it can become damaged due to the water freezing and thawing (expanding and contracting), causing damage to the surface. Waterseal will stop this happening and once treated, will last for up to 7 years. An easy job for most DIY enthusiasts. Always remember to wear the right protective PPE when applying.

Simple solutions for real life problems! For more details on our Waterseal solutions click here. For enquiries or orders email us here. Or give us a call on 01513369111 for more information on our product ranges.

Around The World In 80m!

A recent conversation with a customer regarding the size of the UK tiling Market went along the lines of ‘who is the biggest in terms of adhesive volume in the UK’? I think I took him by surprise when I immediately replied, “we are” (Palace Chemicals), to which I then qualified that with the following:

When it comes to making tile adhesive, Palace Chemicals can safely say that they produce more adhesive than any other independent manufacturer in the whole of the UK! And that’s not even taking the Ready for Use products into account. Its only based on powdered adhesive.

Palace manufactured and supplied enough powdered tile adhesive last year to tile 80 million linear meters of tiles. If this is a difficult figure to comprehend; In other words, enough adhesive to tile around the world! Not just once, but twice!!

With our fully automated filling / packing lines (giving us rapid turnaround on orders), we have the diversity to supply over 25 different types of product, ranging from slow setting & fast setting adhesives to S2 and lightweight high yield adhesives. Giving you total confidence that Palace Chemicals can supply the product you need that is backed up with a quality assurance system accredited by the BSI to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 18001. Giving assurance in our products that thousands of tradesmen choose day in week out.

………So, going back to the original question & answer; This gives you a small insight into what Palace Chemicals is capable of (and we are still growing). The next goal is tiling to the Moon (and back)!

For more details on our Ready Mixed Adhesives click here and for Cement Based/Powdered Adhesives click here. For enquiries or orders email us here. Or give us a call on 01513369111 for more information on our product ranges.