British Standards For Tile Adhesives
The European Union states that every kind of construction material used needs a CE marking. This depicts their safety. British Standards state that tile adhesives have to meet safety specifications as set out before they will declare them fit for purpose.
To be used in Europe all construction materials including adhesives need to pass the safety test. This can include adhesives for tiles, plastic water pipes, gypsum blocks, metallic components and timber. Tile adhesives need to pass the test to conform by the BS EN 12004 as a minimum requirement. This marks the perfect British Standard and is far more descriptive as to its properties as compared to the former British Standard BS 5980. Adhesives have to pass a series of tests which include dispersion, performance and reaction in order to be classified.
The newly introduced tests are far more detailed as to what were carried out earlier for meeting safety standards. Water resistance, ability to stretch, slipperiness and the ability to withstand deformation are some of the factors taken into consideration in the newly formed safety tests. It is a requirement of manufacturers to declare that the proudct meets the basics of these outlined characteristics in order to prove the adhesive meets British Standards. The manufacturer will mark the product under a certain category that will instantly confirm that it is safe for use.
There are prerequisites which are compulsory and are stated in the directive for BS EN 12004 but it does not necessarily mean that all CE marked adhesives conform to this. To be sold in the European Union markets, products that have the CE marking are classed has being fit to use according to the general stardards. They are however, not classed as having full safety to use according to the new British Standard. Heat ageing, freezing and thawing tests all have to be passed before an adhesive can be considered fit for BS EN 12004 standards. These tests however, are not included in order to pass the CE certification. The durability of the product however needs to pass the Construction Products Directive.
Checking the markings, before you buy on any product is advisable. The label holds the information for the public to ensure they are buying a safe product. It is therefore important that they hold both the CE and the BS EN 12004 certification. The adhesives content label should still be checked to see if it meets the heat ageing, thaw and freeze requirements despite having both markings. The adhesive will show signs if it contains this property, such as a no performance determined NPD sign. It may also have a N/mm2 value which is lower than 0.The sign that clearly states that it does not pass the test of durability is 5N/mm2.
To know that the product you are buying passes all safety norms, you can look out for the classification rating set by the manufacturer, the CE and the BS EN 12004 marks.
With these kind of checks in place the public can rest assured whether decorating the bathroom, with those gorgeous ceramic bathroom tiles or choosing a tile design for your kitchen, each product has had to pass the safety checks in place.
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