What Happens to Tile Adhesive If it Freezes Before Completely Dry?

Tile Types

• Exterior ceramic tiles come in two basic forms, known as quarry tile and pressed dust materials. Quarry tile consists of natural shale or clay, while pressed dust forms the materials used to make mosaic, floor and wall tiles. For interior tiling purposes, tile composition becomes less of a factor in terms of water and moisture effects; so, pressed dust materials suffice under interior conditions. The hard materials that make up quarry-based tiles can hold their shape and form under adverse weather conditions. This type of tile material also affects how well an adhesive holds up under conditions of extreme cold.

Weather Stressors

• Adhesives used for exterior purposes include cement-based products that are designed to harden and maintain their shape and consistency, much in the same way actual cement materials do. Weather changes involving cold and moderate temperatures can cause any type of material to expand and contract depending on a material’s water content. With adhesives and tile, changing temperatures create pressure forces between tile and adhesive materials. As cold temperatures cause materials to contract, cement-based adhesives can expand as freezing temperatures set in.

Adhesive Effects

• It’s not uncommon for exterior-use adhesive materials to have a porous texture when dry. Pore sections develop as drying occurs, leaving small open spaces within the adhesive material. As a result, water can circulate through the pores as well as into surrounding grout areas. Under conditions where freezing occurs, any areas affected by water will expand and push against the tile surface. Areas with heavy water concentrations can lose adhesion and may eventually cause tiles to fall off.

Water Movements

• As freezing conditions can weaken tile adhesion properties, the gradual warming of a frozen adhesive can further weaken a tile’s surface bond. Warming conditions create an opposite effect where adhesive materials start to shrink. When this happens, porous areas can grow larger as the weight of the tile pulls against what’s left of the adhesive material. In cases where freezing and thawing conditions occur on a frequent basis, tiles may shift position and eventually fall off completely.