Doing it yourself

Hi can anybody help?

We are going to be doing a bit of external tiling next time we are out in Spain does anybody know of a Spanish equivalent of the good old British 'unibond' cos it would save a lot of problems trying to put this stuff in our suitcase?

Cheers from one do it yourselfer to hopefully another.

Jojan

Hi Jojan

I cannot remember what it's called but you can get a Spanish equivalent. It's quite expensive but cheaper than trying to bring 'unibond' over!

I will try to find out the name but i'm sure if you ask in any good builders merchants they will sort it out for you.

Hi jojan,

When you say 'unibond'  (unibond, as a trade name, do lots of things) are you talking about PVA glue? The stuff you mix with cement to make it stronger (ie: bonding) and/ or waterproof? If so you can get it at any ferreteria. Ask for 'cola plastica'

Febe

Yes it is unibond pva I need to seal a concrete surface before tiling the patio so is that what I should be asking for?

I don't believe it I think we are watching your area on TV right now on Place in the Sun isn;t that weird.

Jojan

on a similar theme the cement grout on our patio tiles is breaking up, should i use pva to improve the bond of the grout and can you but premixed sand and cemment. i have looked in the usual diy outlets and drawn a blank so far. any tips would be much appreciate

james (sorry to hijack thread)

Found this, might be of help:

1. Whether you're repairing a walkway, patio, driveway, basement or other surface, remove cracked and loose materials with a stone chisel and/or wire brush.

2. Step 2

   Use a grinder with an abrasive masonry wheel to widen hairline cracks for filling.

3. Step 3

   Clean the surface with a hose and nozzle, or a pressure washer.

4. Step 4

   Use a shop vacuum to clean out cracks and holes.

5. Step 5

   Dampen the surfaces with a hose or spray bottle, and brush off any standing water.

Filling a small crack with pourable grout

6. Step 1

   Cut the tip off the grout container to create a hole a little smaller than the width of the crack. Pour in the grout to fill the crack.

7. Step 2

   For deep cracks, pour in the grout one layer at a time and allow complete drying between layers.

Filling a large crack

8. Step 1

   For cracks wider than about 1/2 inch (12 mm), use a mason's hammer and chisel to cut the crack so it is wider below the surface than at the surface, a process called undercutting. Undercutting prevents the patching material from being forced out in response to temperature changes.

9. Step 2

   Mix vinyl concrete patcher with water as directed. Press the material into the crack with a mason's trowel in layers no more than 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Allow each layer to dry completely before applying the next.

10. Step 3

    Using a steel trowel, wood float (a wood block with a handle), broom or brush, finish and texture the surface to match the surrounding area. A steel trowel gives the smoothest surface; hold it flat and use a swirling motion.

Repairing a broken step

11. Step 1

    Apply a concrete bonding adhesive to surfaces you'll be covering with new material. Use an old paintbrush to work the milky liquid into the surface. This extra precaution is worth taking, considering what could happen if the patch were to fail and break off underfoot. The primer or adhesive will stain adjacent surfaces, so mask them with tape.

12. Step 2

    Wash the brush immediately after use with soap and water, or discard it.

13. Step 3

    Mix an already fortified concrete mix (typically a nonsagging formula designed specifically for this type of repair) with precisely the amount of water indicated by the manufacturer. If you'll be applying the materials in layers, mix only what you can use in each layer. Or use a latex primer or additive in lieu of water if you choose a standard sand or concrete mix. Measure quantities carefully. Otherwise, concrete can fail.

14. Step 4

    For shallow or small repairs, use a mason's trowel to apply the patch mortar. Press firmly to work the initial layer into the surface for a good bond.

15. Step 5

    Allow each layer to dry completely before applying the next one.

16. Step 6

    For large repairs, screw together a wooden form and hold it in place with wooden braces, bricks, concrete blocks or similar heavy objects. Then apply the fortified concrete in layers as directed by the manufacturer until the form is filled (see A). Again, work in the initial material well to eliminate all voids.

17. Step 7

    When the patch is firm but not yet dry, remove the form by taking out the screws and carefully lifting off the pieces.

18. Step 8

    Finish or texture the repair to match, and feather it into the surrounding area with a wood float or stiff brush (see B). Use an edging tool in a back-and-forth sanding motion to round over the corners, if that's how the existing nosing on the tread is finished.

19. Step 9

    Cover the repair with plastic to retard evaporation and slow curing, which helps prevent cracking. Keep the surface damp for the next two or three days by misting it with water and keeping it covered.

Hi all

This thread is really useful. Does anyone know what type of tile adhesive to use when retiling over existing wall tiles? There are several types but cannot work out the best one to use.

Cheers

Jean

Hi Febe

You say a good ferreteria, well not sure what that was so went onto the free translator and it looks like it is a hardware store so will try to find one in the Duquesa area.

Cheers

Jojan

Hi Jojan,

One thing the previous poster forgeot to mention.

If you are going to apply cola-plastica (basically PVC wood glue) directly to an existing wall mix it with water first, a very dilute solution works fine (1 part glue to 5 parts water). Also dont forget to scratch up the surface of the wall first to give better adherence for the tile glue.

Ayrez,

If you are tiling on top of tile you need to cover the old ones  first with a special paint (sorry cannot remember the name but all big DIY places or building yards/tile shops will sell it). This is to give a rough surface for the new tile glue to adhere to. You can then use normal cemento-cola for the new tiles.

hope this helps

sms0611

Thank you for that advice it is actually the floor on the veranda that is the problem the tiles obviously have not been put down properly and they are all lifting so we thought a coat of unibond would help it adhere to the concrete, we were out there a few weeks ago and had to pick our time to do any work because it was so hot.  We didn't use unibond that time because we didn't know the Spanish equivalent and sure as shot it would have made a bit of a mess of the case if it had leaked so hope the tiles that we did get laid haven't lifted, time will tell.

Cheers

Jojan

Jojan,

Not sure if you have been out to Spain & solved your problem yet.  There is though an excellent Ferreteria in Sabinas next to Duquesa. Its close to the main roundabout, junction of A7 with road to Manilva & next to a furniture store (Bernard Munoz! sorry not sure of spelling). It's a little Aladins cave and they are very helpfull. If possible take a picture of the problem you are trying to solve on a digital camera and take it in with you. It helps overcome any language issues and they will recommend the right product for you.

John

Thank you so much John 777 we go out again in a couple of weeks and we know whereabouts you mean so that is great.  This thread is proving very helpful thank you all.

Jojan

Hi Folks

Well we are back home now, uuugh back to the cold and hum drum life of working for a living, and thank you John 777 we did use the Ferreteria in Sabi who was very helpful until the time we went in first thing in the morning and he was in a real bad mood (think he got a ticking off from his sister for being late), so we avoided an early morning call after that.  We did find, what we would call a builders merchant in England, just behind Lidl supermarket at Sabi and that was most useful although you have to know what you want because they are not very good at understanding English when you are asking for a specific product, nevertheless we got by on that one.  It has been hard work doing the work we needed to do especially in the heat but it has been fun finding out where to buy all these different products.

Can't remember which thread we were on when we found the bit about a garden centre called Agrojardin on the N340 between Cancelada and Estepona but whoever posted that thank you because on our way to finding it we also found a place called Bricorama it was brilliant, rather like a small B&Q and there was a guy in there who spoke quite good English so between us we got everything we wanted and more in fact we spent loads in there so we would highly recommend that place to anyone, they are open we believe from 9.00 am - 9.00 pm.

James - not sure if you are near Sabi but if you are, the builders merchant that we are talking about in the first paragraph we bought from them some cemento cola in a 25kg bag for just 2.78 euros it was excellent value and hopefully it will prove to be very good on the tiling work we have done, well they recommended it so presumably it will be.

Good luck to all you do-it-yourselvers.

Jojan

Hi everyone

Afraid we haven't got time to 'do it ourselves' so does anybody know a good carpenter/joiner in the Manilva/Duquesa area?

Jojan