Can You Use Tile Adhesive To Fill Holes? YES, Here Is How!

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When improving your house tiling, you may be short of time and want to save effort; the normal wall-filling substances can take up to two or three days to dry, so you can choose tile adhesive to fill any cracks or holes found in the walls because the tile adhesive dries within 24 hours. In addition, there are types of adhesive that can be tiled over after only three or four hours.

Can You Use Tile Adhesive To Fill Holes?

Yes, you can use tile adhesive to fill holes; if you are in a hurry and don’t have the time to use normal fillers because they take a lot of time to dry, you can use tile adhesive to fill the holes.  The tile adhesive is suitable for filling the holes, and it dries quickly.

Some types of tile adhesives can be tiled over after only three to four hours; for example, rapid set adhesives usually take up to 24 hours to dry, but you can tile over them only after 3 or 4 hours. 

How to Use Tile Adhesive to Fill Holes? 

  • Remove any loose paint
    If the holes were because of a nail you removed, the nail could remove some paint when you remove it, or the paint may get loosened; therefore, before filling the hole, you need to remove any loose paint around it. You can use sandpaper to remove the loose paint; the 150 grit would be a great option. Use the sandpaper to even the area around the hole before filling it, and if the area around the hole is fine and there is no loose paint to remove, you can skip this step. 
  • Apply the tile adhesive
    Fill the hole with a layer of the tile adhesive; you can use a spackle knife to apply the layer, hold the knife at 45-degrees from the wall, and move the knife over the hole to fill it with the adhesive. 
  • Let the adhesive dry
    Usually, adhesives are like a concert, they need about 24 hours to dry, but if you are using a rapid set adhesive, you can tile over it after three to four hours only. If you are not in a hurry, it would be better to let the adhesive dry completely. 
  • Scrape off the excess adhesive
    If there is an excess adhesive around the hole, you need to remove it; you can use the spackle knife to remove the excess layer by moving it slowly over the wall to remove any excess adhesive. 
  • Sand the Area
    Even the area around the hole using sandpaper; again, you can use the 150-grit sandpaper to even smooth the area. 
  • Paint or Tile
    If you are tiling the area, you can now start laying the tiles, and if you are just using the adhesive to fill the hole, you can now paint the area to cover the adhesive. 

Is Tile Adhesive Better than Joint Compound at Filling Holes? 

Yes, the adhesive can be better than the joint compound for filling holes; especially if the joint compound is in an area exposed to water consistently, the joint compound can get saturated and become softer, which will lead to failure of the joint compound. The tile adhesive doesn’t have this problem because it doesn’t get saturated with water once it dries. 

Can I Use Grout As Crack Filler?

You can use grout as a crack filler; the grout crumbles due to wear over time, and the grout is a great solution for cracks. When you use a grout to fix a crack, you will fix it, and if any repairs appear later, you can spot them. However, the grout should be only used for very thin cracks; they are usually referred to as hairline cracks. The crack’s width should be between three to four millimeters. Otherwise, you should use another suitable filler. 

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What To Use To Fill Holes Before Tiling?

There are several filters for wall holes; each filler is suitable for a certain purpose because filling a hole is not one size used to fill all. For example: 

  • Powder Filler
    The power filler is cheaper than most fillers, and it’s more suitable for deeper cracks and holes; you can even mix the powder yourself. Since it’s versatile, the powder filler is used outdoors and indoors. 
  • Ready-Mixed Filler
    The read-mixed filler can be used for many different tasks, and they have an easy application. They can fit for a wide range of widths and depths; they can fit up to 20 millimeters in depth; in addition, the ready-mixed fillers, as it appears from there, are already mixed, so you don’t need to mix them.
  • Flexible Filler
    The flexible fillers are suitable for wood, brick, and stone because they allow the materials to move. The only downside of flexible filler is that it can be used for shallow cracks and holes, but it has a long lifespan. 
  • Foam
    The foam doesn’t crack or shrink because they expand and fit tightly once you apply them to the hole. They are more suitable than normal fillers for deep but small holes and cracks. 
  • Exterior Filler
    The exterior filler can tolerate different weather conditions and water, so it’s more preferred for outdoor repairs. They are not flexible or versatile as indoor fillers, so you should only use them for outdoor repairs. 
  • Other Fillers
    There are other types of fillers, such as fine fillers, which are used for hairline cracks, rapid drying fillers, and acrylic fillers used for spaces between wood and plaster. 

How To Fill Walls Deep Holes? 

To fill deep holes in a wall, you will need a strong filler; the hairline fillers can’t be used for deep holes as they might make things worse; meanwhile, deep fillers are stronger and tougher than them and more suitable for the deep holes. 

  1. First, you need to clean the hole by removing any gunk or debris and removing loose paint or materials in or around the hole. You can clean the hole using a small brush or a scraper’s edge. 
  2. Using any tool with a flat edge, fill the hole or the crack with the deep filler; the filler should overfill the hole to make sure you have filled it properly. 
  3. After filling the hole, use the edge of the tool you have used to fill the hole to smooth and even the hole with the surrounding surface. In addition, remove any excess filler around the hole using the tool’s edge. 
  4. Deep fillers usually take up to one to two hours to dry; you can see the instructions of the filler to know exactly how long it takes to dry. 
  5. If the hole is more than 50 millimeters deep, you need to fill it in several layers, but you need to let each layer you apply dry first before applying the next layer. 
  6. You use at the end a coat of mist to make the area blend with the surrounding surface

Conclusion

To sum up, you can use adhesive to fill holes; if you are in a hurry and don’t have the time to use normal fillers because they take a lot of time to dry, you can use tile adhesive to fill the holes.  The tile adhesive is suitable for filling the holes, and it dries quickly; some types of tile adhesives can be tiled over after only three to four hours; for example, rapid set adhesives usually take up to 24 hours to dry, but you can tile over them only after 3 or 4 hours

The adhesive can be better than the joint compound for filling holes; especially if the joint compound is in an area that is exposed to water consistently, the joint compound can get saturated and becomes softer, which will lead to the failure of the joint compound. The tile adhesive doesn’t have this problem because it doesn’t get saturated with water once it dries. 

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