Bonding MDF or Chipboard to Glass or Ceramic Tiles without Bending

[astojkovski]

Hello guys, first time poster, hope to be a contributor too!

I am trying to glue some 3mm Laminam (XL size ceramic tiles) to Melamine coated chipboard 18mm, using a silicone gun and Neutral Silicone adhesive. I am having trouble with the panels bending afterwards, not at the time of gluing, but after a day, two, maybe a week, and it only keeps getting worse. Also had the same effect trying to glue mirrors to mdf or mfc. What do you think would be an appropriate bonding adhesive to connect such materials? Thank you all in advance!

 

[MintJulep]

Is the melamine on one or both sides?

If one, are you bonding to the melamine side, or the not-melamine side?

Which way are the panels bending? That might provide some clues about why they are bending.

I would guess that as the adhesive is curing and out-gassing, the gas not being able to pass through the ceramic or glass is permeating the substrate and swelling the resin.

So a low-, or non-out-gassing adhesive would be something to try.

 

[astojkovski]

Thanks for the comment! The chipboard being glued is 18mm double sided melamine coated chipboard, it is what i can get in my country. Either that, or completely uncoated chipboard, but gluing to an uncoated chipboard yielded the same results (bending).

This is the material i am talking about:

This is a picture of the material after bonding, already half-bent

I am not informed on the process of drying on silicone adhesive, what type of adhesive would you recommend? What should i ask for when i ask the supplier

Thank you for the help.

 

[MintJulep]

You could ask for "low out gassing" silicone.

Might be expensive. Might solve the problem, might not.

I'd use something other than chip board.

Do you have this where you are?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cement_board

 

[IRstuff]

Just to confirm
> you are gluing to the coated side?
> the chipboard is warping and not the ceramic?



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[TugboatEng]

The MDF itself isn't dimensionally stable and is usually installed on framing to make it rigid.

 

[3DDave]

Attaching a very stiff, water tolerant item (ceramic tile) to a not-stiff, water sensitive material (chipboard).

It takes only a tiny difference from humidity change to produce a noticeable warp. Notice that the melamine is on both sides - that's to balance the strain from humidity change.

You can make the silicone bond thickness much larger - 1/8th to 1/4 inch (2 to 6mm) to provide more distance for the strain to equalize, preferably not a solid bond but one with significant areas unbonded. Or make the bond equal with tile on both sides.

 

[Compositepro]

Wood expands and contracts a lot with changes in humidity. Ceramic tile does not. The wood panel also has a rather low bending stiffness.

 

[DAVIDSTECKER]

RTV silicone also uses Hydrogen as part of its curing process so it maybe that it is drawing the moisture out of the wood causing that side to shrink and curl.