What Happens if Porcelain Tile Adhesive Freezes?

Porcelain Tile

• Porcelain tiles can create an aesthetic effect for outside areas around a home, such as porches, patios and walkways. Installation steps involve laying tile over mortar beds or concrete slab materials. As flooring surface exposures can allow water to accumulate in spots, underlayment materials should create a mild slope effect to allow for water runoff. When laying porcelain tile in freezing temperatures, surface bonds between tile, adhesive and underlayment may vary depending on each material’s water absorption rate.

Cold Temperatures

• Exterior tile work requires a strong adhesive material that can maintain its shape and durability under harsh weather conditions. Cement-based adhesives provide the hard-bonding properties needed for exterior tile applications. When subjected to cold temperatures, the risk of freezing becomes a factor for most any adhesive material. As cement-based adhesives contain a certain amount of water, these adhesives can freeze before drying under conditions of extreme cold. When this happens, the tile adhesive expands as its water content turns to ice.

Water Conditions

• Even under favorable conditions, porcelain tile adhesives become porous in texture once they dry. Porous areas consist of tiny open spaces throughout the adhesive material. In effect, porous surfaces become prime areas for water and moisture to form. In cold climates, water-filled pores can freeze and turn to ice. As the adhesive dries, the expanded pore sections push against tile surfaces and underlayment materials. When this happens, the adhesive bond becomes unstable and can result in loose or dislodged tile placements.

Freeze-Thaw Effects

• Porcelain tile installations may undergo significant damage in cases where freeze-thaw conditions interfere with an adhesive’s bonding. A tile adhesive that freezes before it dries will thaw out once weather conditions become warmer. When this happens, adhesive materials shrink in the areas where water was. As a result, any existing pores within an adhesive’s texture grow larger as the weight of the tile (as well as weight from foot traffic) bears down on the adhesive and underlayment. The next freeze and thaw can potentially worsen the structural integrity of the adhesive. Eventually, tiles may come completely loose or even fracture as water seeps through the adhesive and starts to degrade tile surfaces.