TEC Tile Setting Materials

The mortar range splits by what you are setting and what you are setting it on. Ultimate Large Tile Mortar is built for large format, where a standard thin-set cannot hold the weight without slumping. Super Flex Ultra Premium, Full Flex Premium, Sturdi Flex and Quik Flex Accelerated are the thin-set tier, all polymer modified, all non-sag, with Quik Flex the one to reach for when the floor has to take traffic sooner than the calendar allows. SturdiLight and High Performance Mortar 3N1 are the lightweight options, which matters more than it sounds on a wall or an upper floor.

Full Set Plus is the unmodified mortar, and it is there for a specific reason. Some porcelain and some membrane systems need an unmodified mortar to cure correctly, and using a polymer modified product because it seems like the better one is a common and expensive mistake. Uncoupling Membrane Mortar is the matching product for membrane work.

How to choose: large or heavy tile goes to Ultimate Large Tile, membrane work goes to Uncoupling Membrane Mortar or Full Set Plus, a fast turnaround goes to Quik Flex, and anything standard sits comfortably on Full Flex or Sturdi Flex.

Concrete gives off moisture for longer than most people expect, and that is where flooring adhesives usually fail. Contract Multipurpose, Universal Multipurpose, Premium Fast Grab Carpet and Releasable Pressure Sensitive Carpet are all rated to hold at up to 8 lb MVER or 86% relative humidity, which is the number that matters on a basement slab or a new pour.

RollFast and Premium Transitional cover vinyl plank and sheet. Premium Cove Base is formulated for rubber, vinyl and TPR wall base, and has the body to hold a base against a wall without sliding down it while it sets. Clear Thin Spread is the VCT option.

How to choose: if the slab is new or below grade, start with the moisture rating and work back from there. If the carpet or tile may be lifted again later, the releasable pressure sensitive adhesive is the one that will let you.

AcrylBond AMA, Acrylic Grout Additive and Xtra Flex Acrylic Latex are mixed in to raise flexibility and bond strength where a job needs more than the dry mix gives on its own. They are a correction for a difficult substrate, not something to add by default.

We carry TEC because our own crews use it. Squarefoot Flooring runs in-house installation teams out of Mississauga and Barrie rather than subcontracting, so the mortar that goes on a customer floor in Toronto or Barrie is the same product our installers have already decided they trust. A product that gets handed back by our own fitters does not stay on the shelf long.

The honest part: setting materials are unglamorous and most customers never think about them until something goes wrong. That is exactly why it is worth asking. Tell us the tile, the room and the substrate, and we will tell you which bag you actually need rather than the most expensive one.

The TEC range is on display at both stores. If you are searching for tile adhesive near me or a flooring store near me and you are anywhere between Toronto, Mississauga and Barrie, bring the details of your job and we will spec it with you at the counter.

• Mississauga: 700 Dundas Street East, Unit 3-4. Call 905-277-2227.
• Barrie: 112 Saunders Road, Units 1-4. Call 705-726-2272.

Bring your tile size, your substrate and a photo of the room. That is usually enough to get the right mortar in your hands in a few minutes.