HOW TO TILE WALLS AND FLOORS

ESSENTIAL DO'S AND DONT'S FOR TILING WALLS AND FLOORS

There are two main popular types of tile, Ceramic and Porcelain

If fixing porcelain tiles to a wall it is important to know the weight of the tile plus adhesive per kg/m2 , as a general rule porcelain tiles weigh about 28 kg/m2 , they are very dense and very heavy, the weight that a freshly plastered wall can take is about 24 – 26 kg/m2 this means that for a majority of applications porcelain tiles are too heavy for fixing to walls , unless the walls are made from or covered with a tile backer board or cement board which is specifically designed for heavy tiles and can hold up to about 100 kg/m2 which is plenty for any application, cement board is also waterproof so essential for making or building shower cubicles or wet rooms.

When fixing porcelain tiles to any substrate it is essential to prime the surface with an SBR bonding primer, it is also important to only use a powered adhesive mixed correctly with clean water.

Ceramic tilesare lighter than porcelain therefore more suited to fixing to walls and can be fixed with a ready mixed adhesive from a tub, but again it is good practice to prime the surface prior to tiling.

When tiling floors, generally porcelain is the preferred tile as it is very hard wearing, an essential thing to remember is to make sure the sub base if concrete is perfectly level and dust free and also primed with an SBR bonding primer, and again use only a powered flexible adhesive even if fixing ceramic tiles to the floor.

If fixing to any type of wooden floor it is essential to overboard first with a fibre cement board which is fixed with tile adhesive and screws, then prime surface in the same way and tile.

When tiling floors it is also important to always back butter the tile, so this involves spreading the adhesive on the floor generally with a 10mm notched trowel ensuring a constant spread all in the same direction without gaps, when this is done turn the tile upside-down and spread adhesive on the back as if spreading butter, this will ensure that when laid you have a wet on wet adhesive bond, and when pushed down firmly ensures no voids are underneath.

A big error some people make is to dot and dab the tiles in place , this is when just four or five dabs of adhesive are placed in the corners and middle of each tile and then laid , this will cause short or long term failure as the tile will most likely crack or come loose from the adhesive . There should never be any voids under the tiles, this is a system used for fixing patio slabs in a garden where they are much thicker and stronger

How to grout

When grouting always follow the manufacturers instruction and mix grout with clean water to a creamy consistency, you should use a rubber grout float like Marshall-town or Rubi.

Take a small amount each time onto the float and push into the grout lines with a squeegee type action then take a grout sponge ( a proper grout sponge as they are denser ) and wet from a bucket , squeeze out excess water and wipe over the surface being careful not to rub too hard or over wet it, this should be done over the whole surface and then you need to let it dry for a few minutes until going over again with a well squeezed sponge to clean more excess grout off you then need to leave it a bit longer for the grout in the gaps to dry more and then using a microfibre cloth slightly damp go over gently to give a final wash.

When the grout looks drier or when it starts to look lighter you can then go over again with a dry towel.

The important thing to remember when grouting is to not over wet when using the sponge as this can cause efflorescence in the grout, where the calcium and salt in the water come to the surface when drying and cause stains.

I hope this will be helpful to you.

GLENN REED TILING SERVICES

GLENN REED TILING SERVICES is a Sussex based company specialising in tiling services.