Hemihydrate Screeds

Hemihydrate screeds, also known as calcium sulphate screeds or gypsum screeds, have different properties compared to traditional cement-based screeds. They have a higher moisture content and are more susceptible to moisture movement.

When tiling, it’s essential to have a stable and dry surface to ensure proper adhesion and prevent tile movement or cracking. Hemihydrate screeds can have higher moisture levels, which can lead to issues such as adhesive failure, tile delamination, and mould growth.

To tile onto a hemihydrate screed, it is generally recommended to apply a suitable primer. This helps to create a more suitable substrate for tiling. Consult with a professional tiler or follow the guidelines from Ardex Ireland to determine the best approach for your specific situation.

It’s important to ensure that the screed is fully cured, moisture levels are within acceptable limits, and any necessary primers and mechanical preparation is carried out before tiling to achieve a successful and long-lasting tile installation.

Ardex Building Products Ireland are delighted to bring to the market the newest member of the Ardex group, the well-known and ultimate backing board solution from Wedi.

The Wedi building board consists of a blue core made from ex-truded polystyrene rigid foam that is reinforced with glass fibre (with alkali-resistant finish) on both sides and coated with a polymer-modified cement providing a smooth surface for plastering or laying tiles, slabs and natural stone coverings using the thin-bed mortar method.

It does not only provide protection against mould and fungus and fantastic insulation, but thanks to being 100% waterproof to the core and inert, it also offers sealing and decoupling at the same time, thus saves time, stress and money.

So why choose this high-end tile backerboard?

100% waterproof, not water resistant etc
Protects against mould and fungus
Thermally insulating, lightweight, using the 310 sealant you can seal and bond in one step.
It has a vertical load capacity of 120kg, no priming necessary, safe to handle and cut, no PPE needed. Installation advantages where it saves on time, money and labour!
Available and in stock at Ardex Building Products Ireland.

We are pleased to communicate that we are holding an RIAI approved tiling CPD in the Harbour Hotel, Galway on 25^th May at 13.00 and we are inviting you and your practice to attend.

The title of our CPD is “BAL Specify tiling in wet rooms with confidence” with a light lunch being provided during the CPD. We would suggest that you arrive no later than 12.45 as the CPD will start promptly at 13.00 and will be followed by a Q&A session.

Please confirm your attendance and the number of attendees to David Henderson, by email at david@ardexbuildingproducts.ie no later than 13.00 on 24^th May.

ARDEX Building Products Ireland Limited is one of the leading suppliers of adhesives, grouts, flooring preparation products and specialist industrial floor coatings to the Irish flooring and tiling market. With core brands including BAL and ARDEX, the company provide support including technical advice, site surveys and extensive training through its own Training Academy in Dublin.

We pride ourselves on our RIAI accredited tiling, flooring and CPD courses and have available a range of 1-hour CPD seminars, which are listed below. These CPD seminars can be delivered at your offices during lunch (yes, the lunch is on us!) and we will be available at the end of the CPD for a follow-up Q&A session with you and your colleagues.

We would be happy to discuss your individual practice requirements for providing you with any of these CPD seminars, so please don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule this.

We now have seven CPD’s approved by the RIAI. 3 of these are in relation to ARDEX products / systems and 4 are in relation to BAL products / systems.

Attention all flooring installers! Ardex Ireland are pleased to announce further collaborations with premium flooring manufacturers for the Irish floor fitter. Karndean installer training is being delivered over 3-days on June 26, 27 & 28^th. The course will be aimed at fitters with some experience looking to improve their skills and expertise. Key content will include:

Extensive subfloor identification and preparation training – provided by ARDEX
Knife skills check – this will include an essential technique and safety overview including professional hints and tips.
Ply templating of own bays
Skim coating practical
Over view of adhesives
Scribing, templating and setting out techniques
Installation of Karndean glue down to include straight lay demo, laying on the 45, design strips and borders plus herringbone designs.
Demonstration of Karndean Versilay and Instashield

All materials will be supplied please bring your own toolboxes. Lunch will be provided as well as Karndean and Ardex T-shirts, Travel mug and a certificate of completion. The cost for this 3 day course is €540 plus VAT.

Further information on times and booking contacts will be outlined from May 22^nd. It is expected that this course will sell out quickly.

Ardex Ireland are located at Northwest Business Park Ballycoolin Dublin 15. D15 VN36.

Local accommodation can be found at:

Carlton Hotel Tyrellstown – 10 minutes from Ardex

Pillo Hotel Ashbourne Co. Meath 20 minutes from Ardex

Cracks in concrete and screeds are often as a result of stresses caused by drying shrinkage and incorrect placement of stress relief joints.

It’s best to repair cracks in screeds before the installation of floor finishes such as tiles, natural stone and vinyl finishes as cracks can migrate through the adhesive bed ultimately crack or damage the floor finishes.

ARDEX P 10 SR is designed for the rapid repair of non-structural cracks, joint sealing and as a rapid hardening general-purpose adhesive. The kit is very easy to use and includes stitching pins, protective gloves and mixing/dosing bottles.

Easy to use, no mixing equipment required.
Fast setting and load bearing in as little as 20 minutes.Odourless and low emission.
Can also be used as an adhesive to fix metal profiles, carpet grippers etc.
Each 600ml kit will repair approximately 4 linear meters.

Why choose Wedi?

The wedi building board has a blue core made from extruded polystyrene rigid foam which is free from HCFCs. This makes the wedi building board the ideal base for all plastering and tiling work. It can be put on almost any surface, is waterproof, heat insulating, light and stable and can be used in a variety of circumstances.

What does Wedi INSIDE have to offer?
The principle of Wedi INSIDE is wonderfully simple: High-quality ceramic coverings require a completely secure surface underneath. For this reason, especially for use under tiles, tradesmen have been trusting Wedi’s unique quality for decades.

The blue XPS core is 100% waterproof and still functions if it becomes damaged.
abP* approved: Wedi 610 seals joins between boards and makes them waterproof without the need to use any other tanking products.
As it is not necessary to use any other waterproofing materials, the tradesman benefits from increased security and a shorter application time.
The cement-coated surface forms an incredibly strong base for adhesive thanks to the integrated fabric.
All of our building board systems provide fantastic insulation, save energy costs and protect against mould for the long-term.

PVC free floor coverings are gaining increasing market importance in the area of elastic flooring. There are many variants of these floor coverings available. Flooring with a PU, PET, synthetic thermoplastic of PO base can now reliably be installed with one adhesive, Ardex AF139 PVC free Adhesive. Apart from chlorine-free flooring, all other common design floor coverings can also be installed with Ardex AF139 PVC free Adhesive. One adhesive for the most diverse requirements the use of renewable and recycled raw materials leads to a variety of flooring variants on the market. This creates diverse technical requirements for the adhesives. With Ardex AF139 PVC free Adhesive it is possible to bond all these flooring reliably. Super strong for extremely high dimensional stability. With its extremely strong adhesive ridges Ardex AF139 PVC free Adhesive ensures very high dimensional stability of the installed flooring. Typical movements of the floor coverings, e.g. due to external factors, are thus reduced to a minimum. The perfect surface appearance remains unchanged.

Comfortable thanks to high suction adhesion and long open time, the wet-set adhesive offers very high suction adhesion to minimise the floor covering slipping during the installation phase. Thanks to its long open time and the excellent wettability, Ardex AF 139 PVC free Adhesive enables the reliable installation of long sheets and more complex laying patterns. Reduce emissions and protect resources in a timely manner Ardex AF 139 PVC free Adhesive has very low emission levels and is classified as EMICODE EC1 PLUS. The adhesive is supplied in a recycled bucket. The current data can be found in the sustainability datasheet. Please always observe the technical information before application.

Building elements

Innovative. Systematic. High-quality

wedi range now in situ at Ardex Building Products

Functionality and safety play important roles in the case of all substructures. That is the reason why tradesmen have been putting their faith in the unique quality of wedi building boards for decades. They are thermally insulating, light while still stable as well as completely waterproof and can be used for a wide-range of applications.

wedi building board systems
wedi building boards have a blue core made from CFC-free extruded polystyrene rigid foam. This makes the wedi building board an ideal basis for any type of plaster and tile. wedi building boards can be applied to practically any substrate, are waterproof, insulating, versatile, light and robust.

The blue XPS core is 100% waterproof and remains fully functional even after possible damage.
Building board butt joints can be sealed 100% simply by using wedi 610. As no other seal is necessary, craftsmen benefit from increased security accompanied by a shorter tiling time.
The cemented surface is a good adhesive under-surface. The fibre fabric also absorbs tensile forces.
All building board systems have great heat insulation properties

Please contact your local area representative to discuss the unique qualities of the wedi system that can offer multiple advantages to your company.

Dublin – Niall O’Carroll – 00353 – 863801042

Northern Ireland – Paul Crozier – 0044-7792473882

Munster – Gerry O’Riordan – 00353 – 860317468

Or contact us today.

As market-leaders for tiling, delivering innovative products and service solutions, BAL is now celebrating 60 years this year (1963–2023) and has been trusted throughout those decades by industry professionals from tile fixers, to contractors, architects and specifiers. Whatever the tile material, background or function of the tiled environment, a BAL solution can be trusted for quality and lasting performance.

Products are sold under the BAL and MUDD, Dunlop & Profix, Tecnofix brands, aimed at diverse market segments. BAL is the leading authority in the Irish professional tiling market and is renowned for its stringent product quality, superior technical know-how and excellence in training.

The first products rolled off the production line in February 1963 and in the BAL’s first years, fixers welcomed the arrival of TAD – its first ready-mixed adhesive – along with more powdered adhesives as well as the first BAL Grout.

Milestone after milestone has followed including: the first epoxy grout, first tile adhesive using rubber crumb, first variable-setting tile adhesive, first anti-bacterial grout. Alongside research and development, BAL broke new ground by submitting products for independent evaluation by the BCRA (now CERAM). It set a standard for all future products in this brand: rigorous pre-launch testing, then quality testing throughout production.

Building Adhesives stands for more than just high-quality products. Backed by 50 years’ experience and supported by the global resources of the Ardex Group, the Company is committed to continuous innovation, technical expertise and training programmes.

Ardex Building Products Ireland distribute these high performance brands throughout the island of Ireland and would like to congratulate BAL on its anniversary of 60 years in business.