Superior Crack Isolation Properties

UNI-Mat PRO has a High Performance rating (accommodates lateral substrate movement of an 1/8”) per ANSI A118.12  Crack Isolation Test as conducted by the Tile Council of North America in August 2007. This is the highest rating available under this test protocol.

Schluter Ditra has not published any test results for ANSI A118.12. My understanding is that a competitor had the TCNA conduct the crack isolation test on Ditra and it failed to achieve even the lowest rating of Standard Performance.

Complies with industry standard requiring modified thinset to be used when installing porcelain tile

Blanke recommends/allows the use of modified thinset when installing porcelain on the UNI-Mat PRO. This recommendation is consistent with industry standards (TCNA Handbook for the Installation of Ceramic Tile) and with the requirements of most major thinset manufacturers.

Schluter requires the use of non-modified thinset when installing porcelain on Ditra or their warranty is voided. The contractor then has to make a difficult choice when installing porcelain: either use non-modified thinset and void the manufacturer’s warranty or use modified thinset and void Schluter’s warranty. Blanke does not put the contractor in the position of making that difficult choice.

Higher bond strength of tile to mat

Because of the mesh on the top of the UNI-Mat PRO, tile-to-mat bond strength is 60% greater on UNI-Mat PRO than on Ditra. The reason for this is obvious when looking at the UNI-Mat PRO: the mesh grid over the opening of the cavities enables the thinset to bond to the mat across the entire top of the cavity compared to the limited bond of the thinset only along the dovetailed perimeter of the cavity.

Easier to install

The mesh on the UNI-Mat PRO reduces the “memory” effect of the roll configuration and therefore lays flatter than the Ditra (particularly in cold weather).

It is easier to fill the straight-sided cavities of the UNI-Mat PRO than the dovetailed Ditra cavities. When installing Ditra, the contractor has to make many more passes with the flat side of the trowel to make sure that the underhang on each side of the cavities is filled with thinset.

The mesh on the UNI-Mat PRO makes keying in the cavities easier because the mesh “grabs” the thinset. In contrast, the thinset tend to slide on the smooth Ditra surface making the keying in process more time-consuming.

Many contractors who have switched from Ditra to UNI-Mat PRO report that they like working on the UNI-Mat PRO better because the cavities do not leave uncomfortable indentations in their hands.

Blanke Corporation