Gluing Ceramic Tile to Wood/MDF

[Jim Eller]

Is there any glue that will adhere ceramic tile to wood or MDF long term? I would like to start on hot plate trivets for next Christmas.

[Peter Quinn]

Wood moves, tile not so much. So the adhesive really needs to provide separation as well as adhesion. Much like glass to wood. So my first choice would be silicone. Its cheap enough, easy to use, and has a working temp from -20 through 400 degrees F, so that should handle the heat transfer from most items from either freezer or oven. MDF moves less, but still more than ceramic IIR, so silicone might be a good choice there too.

[Darius Ferlas]

Weldbond. Inexpensive, strong and flexible enough.

[Kevin Bourque]

Modified thinset would probably work. I would sand the wood or MDF with 80 sandpaper first.

[Jerry Wright]

The same place that sells the tiles sells a mastic that maintains a degree of flexibility when applying tiles to a sub floor. It will work for trivets on mdf or plywood.

[Lee Schierer]

You mean like this? 251679 I used silicone to hold the tile to the plywood bottom and also for the grout lines. It is over 10 years old and still going.

[Jim Eller]

Lee, I wonder how the silicone would react to heat.?.?:confused::confused:

[scott vroom]

We use this for attaching backplash tile to wood fridge panels: http://www.liquidnails.com/products/construction-adhesive-LN933

[ian maybury]

Most of the tile cement makers do a two part cement containing lots of latex and the like that's formulated specifically for tiling over plywood on floors etc.

They don't to my knowledge recommend tiling directly on to natural wood - presumably because it may move a great deal more than ply in the cross-grain direction.

Personal experience suggests that even the cements designed to tile over ply sail fairly close to the wind - despite using a recommended build (factory recommended cement over tanking over primer over sealer over waterproof ply) i've seen problems develop - especially cracking up of the grout as a result of more movement occurring than it can handle.

Silicone sounds like a decent possibility, but even in that case all is not always what it appears. Best to talk to the tech support guys at a reliable maker if it's more than a one off hobby job. Thoughts include:

It probably matters to use a good quality branded high solids content silicone (as opposed to one of the cheap box store generics) because they should be a lot tougher.

Silicone of a given type may bond better on some surfaces than others.

Most silicones exude acetic acid during the cure which could damage some surfaces - there are no/low acid silicones about for this reason.

Make sure that the bond line (layer of adhesive between the two surfaces) is pretty thick - a thin layer results in the adhesive having to handle too much shear which can lead to tearing over time. Maybe even consider some sort of spacer arrangement - beads of an appropriate size or the like...

I've bonded two pack lacquered birch plywood to glazed tile in a bathroom, and four years later it's still going strong....

ian

[Dan Hahr]

Just use some gorilla glue in middle of wood movement and some silicone under the outer edges. No sense making it weigh an extra pound...

[Jim Eller]

I think my concern is more about the heat than the wood movement. Please correct me if I am wrong. A square foot of MDF shouldn't move very much I would think. What about the Titebond HiPURformer system?? http://www.titebond.com/hipurformer/HiPURformer_A_Revolutionary_Solution.aspx

[Lee Schierer]

Lee, I wonder how the silicone would react to heat.?.?:confused::confused:

I don't think it would be a problem setting a hot pot of coffee or even a casserole right out of the oven on it, since the heat would get less over time. I wouldn't want to heat it up above 250 F, which is the temp limit some GE silicones have. There are specialty sealants that can go to 300.

[Peter Quinn]

I think my concern is more about the heat than the wood movement. Please correct me if I am wrong. A square foot of MDF shouldn't move very much I would think. What about the Titebond HiPURformer system?? http://www.titebond.com/hipurformer/HiPURformer_A_Revolutionary_Solution.aspx


The specs on the DAP 100% silicone tub and tile caulking I quoted above state it has a working temperature range of -20 to 400 farenheight. Mostly these ratings are conservative, and most things people cook at home are cooked at 350-375 degrees or have fairly low mass to transfer heat (cookies for instance). So assuming you remove a casserole from a 350 degree oven, place it on the trivet, some of the heat diffuses, some is absorbed by the tile, some radiates up and out.....I'm guessing you are in a safe place, but it might be worth battle testing. They also make high heat silicone for use around spas and tubs with heater, its good to 500 degrees continuous, 600 degree occasional contact.

I'd be concerned about the wood movement, because the wood could detach itself from the tile with the wrong adhesive when a rapid temperature change occurs. I used to be a chef in another life, some of the best modern baking tray liners and all types of molds for pastries are made from silicone, they can take heat better than almost anything and remain flexible. Problem with polyurethane adhesives, the glue line is rigid, so you get back to that wood movement issue. Wood to wood is safe because it moves together.

[Robert Chapman]

Check this website thistothat.com It's about adhesives.