How to use SUMO S01 Tile & Stone Adhesive (ceramic & high-porosity tiles)

The substrate must be structurally sound and free from dust, loose particles, grease and anything that weakens adhesion. Sweep and vacuum thoroughly. A plaster or screed surface should be fully cured. Fill any large hollows or cracks and let them set first.

High-porosity plaster and screed pull water straight out of the adhesive. Dampen a highly absorbent surface with clean water and drain off the excess so it's damp, not wet, before you spread the adhesive.

Measure the room, find the centre and dry-lay a row to plan the layout so cut tiles fall at the least visible edges. Snap chalk lines and set your starting point so you work out of the corner, not into it.

Pour about two-thirds of the clean water into the bucket, add the S01 powder slowly while mixing with a low-speed drill and paddle, then add the remaining third of water and mix to a smooth, lump-free paste. Let it rest 2–3 minutes, then re-stir. Mix only what you can lay in the working time.

Press a firm skim of adhesive onto the surface with the flat edge of the trowel, then comb it out with the notched edge at ~45° to an even ribbed bed (up to ~6 mm). Comb only the area you can tile within about 10 minutes.

Set the tile onto the ridges and press with a short slide across them to flatten the ridges and remove air, then tap level with a rubber mallet. Add spacers and follow your chalk lines.

Lift the first tile and check the back — the adhesive should have spread across most of it. Ceramic tiles bed easily; if you see bare stripes, comb a fuller bed and re-check.

Run a level across the tiles and adjust while the bed is fresh. Keep joints straight with spacers. Wipe adhesive off the faces and rake it out of the joints before it sets; wash tools in water immediately.

Keep off the floor while it sets, let the adhesive cure (about 24 hours), then grout the joints with SUMO Sumoxy 2-Part epoxy grout — waterproof and stain-free — and cure the finished floor.