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Installation Information in this section is based on the recommendations given in the following Codes of Practice:
• BS 5385-1: Code of Practice for the design and installation of
• BS 5385-5: Code of Practice for the design and installation of
internal ceramic and natural stone wall tiling and mosaics in
terrazzo tile and slab, natural stone and composition block floorings.
normal conditions.
• BS EN 13888: Grouts for tiles. Definitions and specifications.
• BS 5385-2: Code of Practice for the design and installation of external ceramic wall tiling and mosaics (including terracotta and faience tiles).
In addition, the general principles of BS 8000: Part 11, Code of Practice for wall and floor tiling should be followed.
• BS 5385-3: Code of Practice for the design and installation of ceramic floor tiles and mosaics. • BS 5385-4: Code of Practice for tiling and mosaics in specific conditions.
General Handling and storage
The surface to be tiled must be completely free of dust, loose areas,
Ston-Ker tile ranges are rectified tiles. They therefore require careful
significant cracks or any other substance that could detrimentally
handling and storage on site, to avoid nipped edges, chipping etc.
affect proper tile adhesion.
Tools
If falls are required in the finish these should be incorporated in the
Choosing the correct tools to carry out proper installation of the tiles
substrate and not in the bedding system.
is essential – a notched trowel, a rubber mallet for tapping pieces into place and a rubber trowel for grouting.
Substrate drying times Before beginning tiling, it is important to ensure that the background
Substrates
or base has been allowed to cure properly. This effectively means drying out by exposure to air for a minimum period (a summarised list
The substrate (wall or floor) to be tiled must be perfectly level, with
is given below).
no defects in planarity. BS 5385 recommends that “local variations in level for a nominally flat floor should be such that, when checked with
Substrate
Minimum curing period
a 2 m straightedge, any gap under the straightedge between points of
Concrete walls
6 weeks
contact does not exceed 3 mm.” Porcelanosa recommends that damp areas be waterproofed beforehand.
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Brick/blockwork walls
6 weeks
Rendered walls
2 weeks
Rapid drying rendered walls
4 weeks
Gypsum plaster walls
4 weeks
Concrete base floors
6 weeks
Screeded (non-modified) floors
3 weeks
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Floors General preparation
Wood overlaid tongue and groove floorboards
Before commencing any work ensure that the background/base is:
• Existing floorboards must be dry, securely screw fixed and acceptably
• Sufficiently flat • Suitable for the intended service conditions • Sufficiently strong and rigid to support the tile finish • Free from any contamination • Clean • Dry Cement: sand screeds • For new screeds: Allow a minimum 3 weeks drying time. • For exiting screeds: Cut out all loose or hollow portions and make good with a 1:3 cement: sand mortar applied over a slurry bonding coat* • Remove any unsound adhesive residues without damaging the base. * Slurry bonding coat:2:1 Portland cement: Butech universal agent by weight.
Asphalt bases • The mastic asphalt should be sound, with a natural float finish and laid on a firm rigid base. • The asphalt should be of flooring grade. • The surface should be sufficiently regular to suit bedding depths of adhesive, • Remove any surface contaminants. Ceramic/Quarry tile/Terrazzo/Natural stone bases • Existing finish should be securely bonded to their base and must be in sound, clean condition. • Any loose tiles should be removed and made good with a 1:3 cement: sand mortar applied over a slurry bonding coat*. * Slurry bonding coat 2:1 Portland cement: butech UNIVERSAL BONDING AGENT by weight
Vinyl tile/sheet bases • Existing vinyl tiles/sheets should be securely bonded to their base
level. • Prior to fixing, seal the reverse side and edges of the plywood (WBP or marine grade at minimum 15mm thick) with Butech universal bonding agent. • Lay sheets with cross joints staggered at a 0.5-1mm gap between boards. • Screw down sheets at 300mm centres ensuring screw heads flush with surface.Walls Tongue & Groove floorboards • The boards must be dry, securely fixed and rigid without protruding fixings. • Boards must be screwed down to the supporting joists at 300mm centres. • Seal board surface with two coats of Butech UNIVERSAL BONDING AGENT. • Allow each coat to dry. Tiling onto heated screeds • Allow a minimum 3 weeks drying time for Portland cement. • The screed should be heated at a maximum 50°C per day to 250°C and maintained for 3 days before cooling down to room temperature. • The heating system should be turned off 24 hours before tiling, or turned down to below 150°C in cold weather. • The floor can be grouted 8 days after tiling and after a further 6 days can be heated up to the operating temperature at a maximum 50°C per day. Tiling to under tile heating system onto cement: sand screeds • The base must be sufficiently strong and rigid to support the tile finish and free from contamination. • Allow a minimum 6 weeks drying time for new concrete and 3 weeks for new cement:sand screeds.
and must be in sound, clean condition. • Prime highly absorbent cement: sand screeds with 2 coats of Butech • Any loose tiles should be removed and made good with a levelling
universal bonding diluted with1:1 water.
compound. • Level floors where necessary. Concrete bases • Allow a minimum 6 weeks drying time
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Cement:sand screeds Butech 2-12 colorstuk
Wood overlaid tongue and groove floorboards Butech 2-12 colorstuk
Butech tixocem Butech tile to wood Cement:sand screed
Concrete base Slurry bonding coat
Tongue and groove floorboards
Asphalt bases Butech 2-12 colorstuk
Butech 2-12 colorstuk Butech universal bonding agent
Butech Super-one
Butech tile to wood
Ceramic/quarry tile/terrazzo/natural stone bases Butech 2-12 colorstuk
Butech Super-one
Tiling onto heated screeds Butech 2-12 colorstuk
Butech one-flex
Cement:sand screed
Vinyl tile/sheet bases Butech 2-12 colorstuk
Tiling to under tile heating system onto cement: sand screeds Butech 2-12 colorstuk Butech one-flex
Butech Super-one
Matting Floor leveller
Cement:sand screed Butech universal
Concrete base
Concrete bases Butech 2-12 colorstuk
Butech tixocem
Concrete base
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Walls General preparation
Painted walls
Before commencing any work ensure that the background/base is:
• Ensure that the paint is in a sound condition.
• Sufficiently flat
• Check by applying some carpet tape to the painted surface. Leave for
• Suitable for the intended service conditions • Sufficiently strong and rigid to support the tile finish
10 minutes before tearing off. If paint is removed with the tape, remove all areas of unsound paint by mechanical means. • Do not use paint strippers.
• Free from any contamination • Clean • Dry Gypsum plaster
Gypsum plaster
Gypsum plasterboard
• Allow a minimum 4 week drying time for new plaster. Butech 0-4 colorstuk
• The finish coat must be free from contaminants. • Any defective areas should be made good. • Plaster with a polished surface should be brushed with a stiff bristle
Butech 0-4 colorstuk Butech BT-1000 Butech tixocem Rigid framework Plaster
brush and primed with a mixture of 1:4 Butech universal bonding agent: water. • The weight of the tiling should not exceed 20kg/m2. Gypsum plasterboard • Boards must be dry, securely fixed and rigid with no protruding fixings. • The weight of tiling should not exceed 32kg/m2.
Cement:sand rendering
Cement: sand rendering
Butech 0-4 colorstuk
• Allow a minimum 2 week drying time for new rendering
Butech one-flex
(3 weeks for swimming pools) Glazed tiles/bricks
Cement:sand rendering
Glazed tiles/bricks
Butech 0-4 colorstuk Butech BT-3000
Slurry bonding coat
• Existing tiles/bricks should be securely bonded to their bed and must be in sound, clean condition. • Any loose tiles should be removed and made good with 1:3 cement: sand mortar, applied over a slurry bonding coat (2:1 cement: Butech universal bonding agent) Plywood • Sheets must be dry, securely fixed and rigid-screwed to a seasoned
Plywood
Painted walls
timber framework at 300mm centres. Butech 0-4 colorstuk
• Use moisture resistant or exterior grade boards.
Butech 0-4 colorstuk Butech BT-3000
• Seal the reverse side, edges and the surfaces to be tiled, with Butech universal bonding agent
Butech BT-1000 Rigid framework
Plywood
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Backgrounds and bases
Proprietary intermediate substrates – tilebacker boards and matting
A cement-sand render or screed substrate is generally recommended
The use of intermediate substrates between backgrounds/bases and
for backgrounds and bases in which deviations from a true flat surface
tiles is widespread in continental Europe and North America. In recent
are to be expected and which may be too much to accommodate within
years products have been introduced in the UK, some of which have
the thickness of the bedding material. The more accurate surfaces that
British Board of Agrement (BBA) certification. Two basic types of
can be provided by such substrates permit the use of adhesive bedding,
product are available, tilebacker boards and mattings.
which has many advantages over traditional mortar bedding. Mosaics generally require flatness but not a high degree of dimensional accuracy; tiling requires both. The visual success of tiling depends on constant tile and joint sizes. .
plasterboard surfaces, cement: sand rendering provides a stronger background and is preferred. For advice on mix proportions and thickness of rendering see BS 5385-1 clause 3.3, BS 5385-2 clause BS 8204-1 and NBS Sections M10 and M13.
or less frequently, cementitious material) and are faced with mortar/adhesive tolerant material reinforced with glass fibre mesh. All types of board provide a durable, flat and stable backing for tiling
Although internal wall tiling can be successfully applied to plaster or
19 and NBS Section M20. For screeds see BS 5385-3 Appendix C,
Tilebacker boards have rigid cores (usually extruded polystyrene,
and are suitable for fixing boards to walls and floors. Matting made from polyethylene with an underside bonding fleece provides a layer that accommodates background/base movement without affecting tiles and bedding. Installed with sealed joints it can provide a waterproof layer for applications not exposed to constant water pressure. Matting can prepare new concrete or screed bases for tiling once they can accept foot traffic. However, adhesives suitable for bonding matting to green concrete and screed are very limited, with most negating the time saving aspects of the product by requiring curing and drying of the base in accordance with BS 8204-1. Once installed air channels on the underside of the matting allow the base to continue drying. Matting can also be used on timber boarded suspended floors. It is essential to consult the matting and adhesive manufacturers to determine the correct base preparation, adhesive and jointing specification.
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Butech Pro-dilata movement joints
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Movement joints BS 5385-3 clauses 19 and 23.6 give advice on the location and design
Intermediate expansion (stress relieving) joints
of movement joints in floors. In brief, joints will normally be positioned
Large areas to be tiled should be subdivided during tile installation into
in the following locations:
smaller areas delimited by intermediate expansion joints.
• Over structural movement joints.
The maximum recommended surface area to be tiled without
• Around the perimeter of floors and where floor tiling abuts fixed machinery and structural fixtures such as columns, steps etc.
intermediate expansion joints is 50 m2 to 70 m2 in interior applications (half this surface area for exterior applications), or else a maximum interval of 30 metres.
• Where tiling abuts other materials.
The number of joints should be greater on those surfaces expected to
• Where tiling is continuous across junctions of different base
experience significant temperature variations or vibrations. On
materials.
suspended floors additional joints should be provided over supporting walls and beams.
• At 30 m intervals in large floors with stress relieving joints at 10 m intervals or 6 m intervals externally.
For floors subject to heavy foot traffic or hard-wheeled traffic, the position of joints should try to avoid where this traffic crosses, if
• Over supporting walls and beams.
possible; if this is not possible, profile sections with edges protected by
Over structural movement joints
metal should be specified. These partitions or joints should cut through
Where the base substrate incorporates its own movement joints,
the ceramic covering, the adhesive and the mortar bedding, and their
structural joints should also be included between tiles, that coincide
width should be a minimum of 5 mm.
with the structural joints in the substrate. These joints should extend through the tile thickness, bed and screed (if there is one) through to
Installation joints
the substrate. Minimum width should be at least that of the structural
This is the gap between all contiguous tiles, either for functional
joints of the substrate (and at least 6 mm).
or aesthetic reasons.
Structural joints are usually finished by filling them with materials that
They are necessary for the following reasons:
have long-lasting elasticity (plastic or metal corner beads or profile 1. They can absorb any deformation produced by the substrate.
sections, mastics, exterior fish plates, etc.).
2. They compensate for slight dimensional deviations in tile
Perimeter joints and abutments to walls Perimeter joints should be incorporated at the edges of the horizontal surface to be tiled where it meets with walls, columns, fixed machinery,
manufacture. Note: Joints less than 1.5 mm are not recommended.
steps and curbs that may be left untiled. This is to prevent floor tiles and adhesives from coming into contact with these other elements, reducing the possibility of stress from building up. Perimeter joints are also necessary in areas where the ceramic covering is applied to two different adjoining substrates, changes in plane and where tiling abuts other materials. Lack of, or inadequate provision for, perimeter joints is one of the most
When tile installation is carried out using spacers (crosspieces) between tiles, enough time should be allowed for the adhesive to set before tiles can be walked on in order to be able to remove these spacers. The next step after this is to grout all joints.
Selection of bedding, adhesive and grouting materials
frequent causes of failure of tiled floor surfaces.
Choice of bedding system will depend on the following factors:
Perimeter joints should be continuous and their width should not be
1. Location e.g. interior or exterior; wall or floor.
less than 6 mm. They can be rendered with a compressible material
2. The proposed use of the finished area, e.g. wet or dry; domestic,
such as cellular polystyrene or grouted with silicone. They can be
commercial or industrial.
hidden by skirting. These joints should reach down to the substrate,
3. The type of background or base e.g. rendered, plasterboarded,
except if this is covered with a stable, well-hardened material, such
screeded.
as plaster or gypsum.
4. The type of tile selected, e.g. high or low water absorption. Porcelanosa recommends: Butech
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Tiling walls – setting out
Starting tiling
As a general rule, tiling should be set out from the centre of the wall.
To spread the adhesive, hold your trowel at a 45° angle. Apply the
This means there are two options: 1. either the centre of the tile in the centre of the wall, or
adhesive to form straight ribs. Apply an area of adhesive to cover several tiles but no more than you will be able to tile within 20 minutes. Press the tiles firmly and evenly into the adhesive using a twisting/
2. the centre joint between the two tiles positioned either side of the
sliding action ensuring that the adhesive forms a strong bond to the
centre line.
back of the tile.
A measuring gauge will help you plan the position of your tiles.
Place a spacer between each tile, this allows an even gap for the grout
To make the measuring gauge, take a length of timber and mark the width of your tiles including the spacers along it. Check each option to see which gives the most advantageous cuts to the ends at each side of the wall, the window and the border design. Fixing battens will help you to keep the tiling straight. Find the lowest point you are tiling to, e.g. a skirting board, position the nearest full tile at this point, mark above the tile and, using a spirit
to be applied later. Work sideways and upwards to complete fixing all the whole tiles. Whilst tiling, check with a spirit level that the tile surface is flat. Clean off any surplus adhesive which has formed on the surface of the tile with a damp sponge and remove any surplus from the grout joints. If the adhesive forms a skin before you have managed to place a tile, take off the adhesive and replace with new.
level, draw a level line.
Remove any guide battens and spacers carefully after 12 hours.
Nail a batten to the wall below the line to work to. Ensure that the
Use a tile trim to give a neat finish at tile edges and corners. Tile trim
batten is level because your first row of tiles will rest on it.
is available in various thicknesses and is bedded into the tile adhesive.
Draw your centre line as a start point with the help of a spirit level to
Cutting tiles
check the vertical line is straight. Either fix a vertical batten as a guide or use your pencil line to tile up to. Start your tiling where the two vertical and horizontal lines meet, in the centre point chosen on your wall.
You are now ready to tile the areas requiring cut tiles. To cut a tile, mark the front of the tile and score the glazed side of the tile to break the glaze, using a tile scriber and a rule or use a thin rail cutter. Tile nippers, and saws can be used to cut corners or curves out of tiles.
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Floor tiling
Grouting
BS 5385-3 deals with the laying of ceramic tiles and mosaics, bedded
Before grouting, ensure that the joints (between tile and tile) are empty
on concrete, cement: sand screeds, timber, asphalt and existing floor
and free of bonding materials and traces of dirt and grime. Joints should
finishes. Table 3 of the standard gives a summary of recommended
be grouted once tiles are fully bonded to the substrate, after the time
bedding techniques for different base and traffic conditions. Please
necessary for this to happen has elapsed (before grouting, the adhesive
check with Porcelanosa before final selection of bedding material.
used for installing tiles should already be dry, to avoid efflorescence forming, which will have a negative
Also refer to BS 5385-4 for floor tiling in specific conditions
effect on the appearance of joints).
(e.g. wet, sterile, chemical attack). Installation The installation of ceramic tiles using the traditional thick-bed method with mortars remains popular throughout Europe, mainly down to traditional customs and habits. However, this system does not always offer the necessary quality guarantees. The recent use of special adhesives has stimulated a gradual shift to the thin-bed installation method, which offers clear advantages over the thick-bed method, particularly where adherence and durability are concerned. Adherence – the strength of the bond between the ceramic piece and the substrate – plays an extremely important role in the quality of tiled
The grouting material should be applied with a rubber trowel.
walls and floors. Proper adherence should ensure that pieces are firmly
Grouting materials may be coloured using the proper pigments,
attached to the substrate.
so as to achieve a uniformity in colour of the tiled surface.
Durability entails the maintenance of proper adherence over time.
Removing excess grouting material should be performed using a sponge dampened in water. This operation should be done in timely
The thin-bed installation method must be used, with a flexible adhesive. The use of cement glue will prevent the many problems that may arise using thick-bed installation with traditional mortar. When porcelain tiles are being installed, bonding materials specifically designed for use with this material should be used. The use of proper wedges and spacers will ensure proper piece alignment.
fashion, since if the grouting material is left on the glazed surface of tiles for too long, this could cause removal isses. The use of cleaning agents that contain hydrofluoric acid (HF) should be avoided. It is absolutely necessary that finished ceramic tile installations be protected with the proper means so as to prevent possible damages until the building project is complete, given the high likelihood that abrasive materials will be present and tools will constantly be moved back and forth, and the subsequent risk that this implies.
Surface treatments BS 5385 recommends in general that surface treatment should be avoided. BS 5385 recognises that proprietary temporary sealers facilitate cleaning off ceramic tiles after laying and grouting. These sealers can be readily removed, but must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The application of any sealant, is likely to reduce slip resistance.
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[email protected] Colours shown in this brochure are as accurate as allowed for by the printing process. Actual samples are available on request. Porcelanosa has a policy of continually improving and developing product ranges, and reserves the right to change product specifications, without notice.
