Ceramic and Stone Tiling E-Book

John Ripley

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 265

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Some tiling books adopt a hypothetical stance to the subject. This book rejects this approach and demonstrates how a do-it-yourself enthusiast can carry out a tiling job to a high standard in situations that exist in the real world. Covers all the basic processes from designing the job through to the final grouting and cleaning down. Procedures, that are of vital importance, such as setting-out, are covered in considerable detail. The reader is told what can go wrong and given advice to rectify problems. Attention is also paid to tiling with terracotta, marble, slate and granite, that involve slightly different techniques compared to ceramic tiling. Presents highlighted, useful tips throughout the text. Well-illustrated with detailed, step-by-step colour photographs and diagrams.

Leseprobe

CERAMIC AND STONE TILING

A Complete Guide

JOHN RIPLEY

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2005 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2015.

© John Ripley 2005

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 84797 968 1

The author and the publisher do not accept any responsibility in any manner whatsoever for any error, or omission, nor any loss, damage, injury, adverse outcome, or liability of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any of the information contained in this book, or reliance upon it.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the following companies and individuals for providing assistance with and/or material for this book.

A. Andrews and Sons (Marbles and Tiles) Ltd

For permission to take many of the photographs, both in their showroom and on site.

In particular Ian Taylor, David Clough, Colin Pogson & Colin Wood and his staff.

Schlüter-Systems Ltd

For kindly providing photographs from their trim and accessory catalogue and price list.

R.H. (Dick) Fletcher

For checking the text for technical slip-ups and for his suggestions.

K.D. Denton

For making sure that the natural stone section was technically accurate.

Last but certainly not least, David Fretwell and Olwyn Raper for putting up with having their photographs taken whilst trying to get on with the job.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

1 Materials and Equipment

2 Cutting

3 Wall Tiling

4 Making the Decisions

5 Wall Tiling: Setting Out

6 Fixing

7 Wall Tiling Variations

8 Floor Tiling

9 Floor Tiling: Setting Out

10 Floor Tiling – Variations

11 Natural Stones

12 Tiling with Natural Stones

13 Cleaning and Maintenance

Useful Addresses

Index

Tiling can be complicated! Second-century Roman mosaic. Villa del Casali, Sicily.

Preface

As is the case with most technical subjects, tiling is a much bigger field than is generally appreciated. It is more than just the tiles in modern kitchens and the large utilitarian ceramic tiles on the floors of shopping centres. It covers a huge range of materials and techniques. The pictorial mosaic work of the Roman and Byzantine empires and the incredibly complicated geometric designs of the Islamic world are all examples of the tiler’s skill.

Today, as with most skilled trades, fixing systems are changing due to commercial pressure. Techniques and skills that were once commonplace are now rare and in some cases are in danger of being lost altogether.

For nearly fifty years I have been privileged to work with some of the best tilers in the business, many of them now dead. Although this book doesn’t attempt to cover more than the rudiments of the trade, it couldn’t have been written without the knowledge acquired from the many fine tradesmen it has been my privilege to work with over the years.

Even if it is not your taste, a traditional style always looks good.

A more traditional look tends to date less quickly than the latest trend.

Introduction

The object of this book is to provide information that will enable a beginner to carry out tiling work to a satisfactory standard and to present the more competent do-it-yourself enthusiast with more detailed instructions than he or she might normally encounter. This book is definitely not intended to be a manual for the professional tiler. That would involve going into a depth of detail which is unnecessary for domestic work and which would probably bore anyone not directly involved in the trade.

There are many excellent books available that will provide enough information to enable you to carry out a competent tiling job for most domestic situations. Unfortunately, they rarely deal with the problems which we find ourselves facing in real life. This book contains plenty of information which will help you to avoid or overcome the difficulties that are most likely to crop up when doing actual tiling projects. Knowing how to do something is one thing. But knowing why it is done in that particular way enables you to understand the procedures involved in tiling and, hopefully, to foresee the problems that can arise.

Whilst it is not possible to give detailed instructions on how to overcome every difficulty, this book aims to give an insight into the processes involved and, in particular, what situations should be avoided. This, it is hoped, will provide sufficient information to assist you in making informed decisions on what needs to be done in most of the circumstances that are likely to arise in the average do-it-yourself project.

FUNCTION AND PURPOSE OF TILING

Why tile a surface in the first place? It is usually more expensive than paint or wallpaper, takes longer, is more difficult to do and the range of colours and patterns is little different from those available in other materials.

The reason is that tiles are very durable. They can resist knocks, abrasion and water, and can be used in situations where most other materials would quickly deteriorate. Ceramics are some of the most durable materials known to man and ceramic tiles can be counted on to last indefinitely without loosing the freshness of their appearance.

In both bathrooms and kitchens hygiene is important. Surfaces need to be cleaned regularly and thoroughly, often with abrasive chemical cleaners, without developing surface faults that could harbour bacteria. They also need to be hard and strong enough to withstand the day to day knocks which all such surfaces receive in commercial situations. Tiling can be the easiest way of providing a durable, easily cleaned surface, and commercially is often used just for these properties.

Tiles are most often used when a combination of durability and decoration is needed. Tile manufacturing techniques have evolved in a way that makes an enormous range of designs, textures and finishes available. Some of the technologies, such as stencilling and silk-screen printing, have been ‘borrowed’ from other trades. Others, like encaustic decoration and mosaic work, are unique to tiling and have evolved into high art forms in their own right. The range of tiles available today is huge and covers just about any imaginable situation from the point of view of beauty or practicality.

Lastly, but certainly not least, is the desirability factor. The expensive decorative forms of tiling have always presented an image of both prestige and opulence. It is only in the last fifty years or so that decorative tiles of any type have been affordable to most people. A century ago even the most basic form of tiling would have been beyond the means of the majority of the population. Modern computerized manufacturing methods, combined with new fixatives and fixing techniques, now make it possible for everyone to have the finishes that were once only available to the wealthiest in society.

BEFORE YOU START

Readers conversant with the building trade will probably notice that the technical terms used in this book do not necessarily coincide with the ones that they are used to. These do vary up and down the country and I have tried to use terms that are as descriptive of the situation as possible. Failing this, I have used the ones I was brought up with.

This book tries to tell the do-it-yourself tradesman not just how to tile, but the situations he or she should avoid. Readers are advised to read the whole book before starting work, because tiling is one of those trades where the processes constantly reflect back on earlier stages. You can create problems for yourself that you will not notice until a week later. Getting an idea of the whole process first will help to avoid those situations which every tiler gets into when first learning the trade.

Some of the processes described here are not strictly ‘to the book’. This is deliberate as it reflects what actually happens on sites, rather than the hypothetical position that can sometimes be impractical.

With floor tiling there is no certain division between paving and tiling as the terms cover fields that overlap. Likewise, there is no strict dividing line between semi-structural faience cladding and ordinary wall tiling. For the purposes of this book a tile will be considered as a hard, inflexible, mineral-based facing which has to be bonded to a base or backing to give it the structural strength it needs.

The right safety equipment is important.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

There is a great emphasis today on the safety aspects of building operations. The days have gone when the risks were usually mechanical and were restricted mainly to such things as hitting your thumb with a hammer or getting something in your eye. Materials today are more complex and potentially more dangerous: cement is faster reacting; adhesives and grouts are complex mixtures containing obscure resins; cutting equipment is often powered by electricity; and commercial power tools, originally intended for fully skilled tradesmen, can be hired by the general public. Safety should be the DIYer’s top priority. There is little point in starting a job if you are not going to keep yourself in a condition to finish it.

There are a few dangers which are specific to the trade. The glaze on the surface of glazed tiles is really a layer of glass and is just as sharp. Raw edges and splinters are produced when tiles are being cut; these should always be handled carefully and waste disposed of safely. Porcelain and other vitrified tiles have this property through the whole of their thickness. Always take care when handling cut tiles and avoid touching freshly cut edges on tiles if you can. Always wear gloves when clearing debris away.

Some of the products used in tiling can occasionally result in an allergic reaction if you are exposed to them for too long. Some people go all their working lives with no problems. Do not count on being one of the lucky ones. If the instructions for the product say you should wear protective clothing, then do so.

The most common accidents in the building trade are those involving falls. Always make sure that you have a secure footing, particularly when working in awkward corners or at a height. You will usually be using both hands for the job in hand, and will have none to spare for an emergency.

All power tools have the potential to be dangerous. In the building trade power tools are 110V. Those intended for domestic or DIY use are usually 240V, which places you potentially at more risk than the professional. Use circuit breakers and always keep it in mind that water and electricity do not mix.

Whilst tiling is not the most hazardous activity in the building industry, accidents are always waiting to happen and you can never relax your guard. It is not possible, in a book of this length, to cover every conceivable safety issue in detail. However, here are a few useful tips:

Always expect that an accident will happen.

Because if you don’t, it will. Accidents are only prevented by constantly taking precautions against them.

Always read the instructions.

They are not there just to decorate the bag or the box. When you have read them,

do as they say

.

Work tidily.

If it isn’t needed for the job in hand, get it out of the way. There isn’t a tiler alive who hasn’t knelt on a nail in a piece of lathe he has left lying about.

Concentrate on the job in hand.

Most accidents happen when you try to do two things at once, like thinking about tomorrow night’s date while using a bench saw that is powerful enough to throw you through a wall.

If the job calls for protective clothing, use it.

The gloves are

not

for keeping your hands warm and whilst goggles might not improve your eyesight, they might help you to keep it.

Make sure that you have the right gear.

If you are working 3m up a wall, a step stool with a few tile boxes on top is

not the right gear

.

Keep some variety in the work, don’t do too much of anything at one time.

This may not seem like a health and safety tip, but doing too much of the same thing makes you careless of safety. Apart from that, spending all day doing nothing but cutting with tile nippers will give you an insight into that most fashionable of disorders – Repetitive Strain Injury.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Tiling is different from other forms of decoration. It is much more permanent, and if you get it wrong you are usually going to have to live with it for a long time. Form, texture and colour are always going to be down to personal taste. However, within any trade there are situations which are known to cause problems. If you know what the problem is, then you can either avoid it or work around it. The following few notes may help you to understand the potential pitfalls.

Permanence vs Fashion

Tiling is much more expensive and permanent than other forms of decoration. The more up to date and influenced by immediate fashion your choice is, the sooner it will look dated. If you are the kind of person who doesn’t mind such things, or retiling every few years, that is fine, but if you consider tiling to be a ‘once in a lifetime’ event, a more classical design might be more appropriate than the latest trend.

Size

The size of the tiles has a considerable effect on the final appearance of the tiling. However, whether or not a tile looks too big or too small for an area will depend upon more than just the tile size. A contrasting grout colour, coloured edges or borders, or a design feature on the tile all tend to make the size of the tile more noticeable and the scheme fussier. With low contrast colour schemes, such as plain white or cream tiles with white joints, tile size is not usually an issue. In such cases the consideration of size is usually purely practical.

Tip

Take the time and trouble to finalize your design in detail before you start, then stick to it. Changing your mind can prove expensive.

A small amount of decorative feature can give a lift to an otherwise basic tile.

Form

Shaped tiles make the setting out more critical and can be time-consuming to cut. This is particularly so for wall tiling, where there are usually more corners to be negotiated. If the tile is both small and has a complicated shape, true vertical and horizontal corners and a near perfect setting out are essential.

Tip

If you are using random decorative insert tiles, mark their approximate positions on the wall before you start tiling. You will then know that you are happy with their positions and can put the insert tiles in as you get to them. You will also know exactly how many insert tiles you need to buy.

Tile Colour

All the usual rules of interior decoration apply to tiles. Dark colours pull walls in and make rooms look smaller. Light colours have the opposite effect. Tile surfaces can be matt and rustic, or shiny and slick, decorative panels can be used to create features, inset strips and border tiles to create emphasis. All these points have to be considered and adjusted to your taste. The only thing to bear in mind is that tiling is permanent and not easy to alter, so take the time and trouble to get it right.

Grout Colour

Grout colour can have a considerable effect on the appearance of tiling, but coloured grouts can, occasionally, be difficult to handle or give problems. Some points to note are:

White on walls and grey on floors are the most usual grout colours.

They are the most tried and tested and the least subject to the vagaries of fashion.

Grey is, usually, the best colour for grouting floor tiles.

With a few special exceptions, the joints will be slightly recessed and are going to go grey anyway as they collect traces of dirt. To watch them do so on a floor with white joints can be quite depressing. If you decide you must have white or a coloured grout on a floor, use one that will not discolour, such as an epoxy, and be prepared to scrub the joints clean on a regular basis.

Stick with proprietary coloured grouts.

You can mix your own colours, but a good colour match can be difficult to get right on a repeated basis.

Tiles can sometimes be stained by coloured grouts.

By the time you are grouting you have done most of the work. To have it spoiled at that stage is something you can do without. If in doubt, check with your supplier or do a test first.

Be careful if using high-contrast grout colours (for example, black tiles with white grout or vice versa)

. You will be surprised how little variation in joint width is needed to show up in such cases. The quality of tiling has to be really high for it to look good. In extreme cases you won’t know if the tiling was good enough until you have grouted it.

Accurate joints are essential if using a contrasting grout.

CHAPTER 1

Materials and Equipment

CHOOSING AND BUYING TILES

Tiles have to be capable of being fixed to a good standard on your particular job and of looking good in the long term, so it pays to be practical about choice. Once tiles are fixed, remedial work tends to be both messy and expensive. A few simple rules can help.

Can you handle the material and situation?

The cutting and fixing of certain materials can frighten people with a lifetime in the trade. If you have all the time and money in the world, that is fine, you will get over the problems eventually. If not, it pays to be honest with yourself and choose a tile you know you can handle.

Check that the tiles are suitable for the usage they are going to get.

The supplier does not want an unhappy customer. Tell them what you are using the tiles for and ask his opinion. Is the tile surface or glaze tough enough? Is the tile body strong enough? Are they easy to clean? There are plenty of questions to ask. Do not assume that any tile is suitable for any situation. Some wall tiles can be incredibly tough and some floor tiles are only suitable for the lightest traffic.

Be aware of the properties of the tile.

For example: some can be difficult to cut. You will need access to a diamond core drill if a neat hole in a porcelain tile is required. Large tiles will usually involve more waste than small ones. Smaller tiles are not always the easiest to cut. You are going to need an electric saw for most jobs involving natural stones.

Tiles are unmatched for putting a bit of drama into a bathroom or cloakroom.

Some tiles are more difficult to cut than others. Size, material and thickness all play a part.

Such considerations may seem obvious, but it is surprising how easy it is to get carried away by a television programme that gives the impression that 20 square metres of marble tiles can be fixed in a couple of hours.

Is the material practical for the situation?

A job lot of 20mm thick marble tiles for the bathroom walls may be a bargain, but they will be heavy enough to pull the plaster off the wall and you will need a mortgage to pay for the equipment to cut them.

Is the size practical for the situation?

If all you have to tile is a small toilet floor with a lot of pipes through it, a large tile is not the best choice. Apart from the wastage you are likely to have, trying to cut a single, large tile neatly around three or four pipes of assorted sizes, plus part of a toilet base, is not easy, particularly in a tight corner.

Is the colour practical for the situation?

If you live on a working farm and have six dogs, you are unlikely to be happy with white floor tiles. The floor will, of course, look good on day one.

Make sure that you buy enough tiles for the job.

Tiles can vary in colour from batch to batch. You cannot blame the supplier if you need five or six tiles to finish a job and find that he cannot match the colour six months later. Ask if the problem could arise and, if it could, see if you can negotiate a ‘sale or return’ deal. At the very least, make sure that you have a note of all the tile details, including the batch and shade numbers. You should always try to have a few tiles left over to do the future repairs that will certainly arise if you don’t have the tiles to do them.

MATERIALS

Tiles

Tiles today come in a huge range of forms and materials and the selection available is such that choice can be difficult and sometimes confusing. From the tiler’s point of view the consideration is practical. The tile has to be suitable for the job, both with regard to carrying out the work and the performance of the tiling afterwards. For example, there is little point in choosing tiles that you haven’t the equipment to cut, or using a tile for flooring which is not strong enough to stand up to the particular situation.

Tiles come in a huge range of types and sizes.

Ceramic Tiles

Ceramic tiles come in two forms, glazed and unglazed. The glaze is a layer of glass fired onto the surface of the tile body. This gives the tile its colour and texture. An unglazed tile does not have a layer of glaze, the body of the tile providing the finished surface. The body of the tile can vary in hardness according to its constituents and the temperature at which it is fired. This can vary from being soft enough to carve with a penknife, to being harder and denser than glass.

As a general rule, any tile can be used on a wall, as all tiles will be strong enough for such a situation; the only other consideration is the ease of cleaning. However, for flooring work the tile has to be strong enough to take the loads and the wear and tear involved. Tiles should therefore be selected with the usage in mind. Today, there are many glazed tiles available for flooring, but it should always be borne in mind that the wearing surface is only as thick as the glaze, and if this wears through the body of the tile will show. Glazed floor tiles are usually classified according to their hardness and suitability for a particular situation. For very heavy or commercial use an unglazed tile should always be considered.

Frost resistance is essential for tiling out of doors. Water absorbed into the body of the tile can freeze and expand, causing the tile to break down. You must use tiles that are suitable for outside work and should never simply assume that a tile is suitable for external use. Tiles are classified for this purpose and the manufacturer’s guidance should always be followed. If you are buying tiles for outside use always make this known to your supplier.

Natural Stone Tiles

Natural stone tiles are usually limestone, marble, slate or granite. In natural materials there is a huge range of variability from the point of view of hardness, density, the tendency to stain and mark, and just about every other property you can think of. Limestone is amorphous and can be very soft and porous. Marble has a crystalline structure, is harder and is usually sold highly polished. Slate is dense, has quite a strong laminar structure, does not take a natural polish and can be difficult to maintain. Granite can be very hard and strong and takes a high polish. However, within these general categories there are huge variations. Some slates can mark very easily and all marbles can be damaged by quite mild acids. Some stones need to be sealed before fixing and some do not. All of these natural materials are difficult to cut compared to ceramic tiles and you will need an electric saw to do it effectively.

Natural stones differ in more than just colour. The ones shown here vary greatly in hardness and ease of working.

These materials are unmatched in their beauty and character, and these are the properties that have made them so desirable for the whole of history. The richness and colour that can be obtained cannot be matched by other finishes. But it can be a minefield. There are some 2,000 different marbles available commercially and new ones are appearing all the time. With all natural stones the goalposts are constantly being moved. As a quarry is worked the nature and quality of a stone can change for better or worse. It is a huge subject that is changing constantly and you should always ask the supplier’s advice.

Stacking tiles on edge on a flat surface will show up any size variation.

Tile edge details.

SHAPE AND FORM

Sizes

The shapes and sizes that are available in tiles are greater now than they have ever been. New technology has enabled the manufacturers to produce tiles of a size that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Tiles, like all ceramic products, tend to distort a little when fired and it is only relatively recently that it has been possible to produce large sizes while still keeping the tiles flat and square. Sizes can vary from 1cm square mosaic tiles up to panels that are too big to be considered as tiles and have to be mechanically fixed. Generally, the size of tile that you will be willing to handle will be dictated by the type of job you are doing and the equipment, particularly the cutting tools, that you have available.

Tolerances and Distortion

Tiles today usually have to meet strict standards and are usually quite accurate in size, but with handmade tiles it is still possible to have considerable size variation and distortion. This is not necessarily a problem, but it is important that you know about it before you start work. Tiles with large amounts of size variation or that are distorted in any way, will need to be fixed with wider joints to achieve a satisfactory end result.

To check tiles for size all that is necessary is to take a random sample of about ten or so tiles and hold these vertically, like a pack of cards on edge, on a flat smooth surface. Any size variation will immediately become apparent on the top edges. Holding two tiles face to face or placing tiles face down on a flat surface will usually show up any undue distortion.

Why the shape of the tile edge is important.

For the last fifty years or so practically all ceramic tiles have been produced with ‘cushion edges’. This is a slight roll or curve to the front edges of the tile. The reason for this is that it can be very difficult to get tiles that have very square edges to look good under all light conditions, particularly if they are not flat. By tending to throw any shadows into the joint, instead of onto the face of the next tile, a ‘cushion edge’ helps to hide any lipping of the tiles. If square-edged tiles are used, particularly with narrow joints, it is vital that the fixing is to a very high standard and that the tiles are as flat and free from distortion as possible.

The equivalent to this on a natural stone tile is the ‘arrised’ or bevelled edge. This is simply a slight angle (usually of about 45 degrees) ground onto the front edges of the tile during manufacture.

FIXATIVES

Adhesives are a subject where it pays to find out what the trade is using. The trade is always price conscious and cannot afford for things to go wrong. It doesn’t matter how good the tiles are, if they drop off the wall you are not going to be happy. Adhesives fall into three categories, which are: Type C (Cementitious); Type D (Dispersion); Type R (Reaction resin).

All come in various types that have their own characteristic uses. These are:

Cement-Based Adhesives (Type C)

These are dry powders that need to be mixed with water and that set by hydration. They can be used for walls and floors in situations where traditionally sand and cement was used, and can be obtained in grey or white and in varieties for special situations (timber floors, rapid hardening, flexibility and so on). They are the best materials for wet situations as they are usually unaffected by water once they have set. Some can be mixed with additives to give additional properties, such as a degree of flexibility, higher bond strength and so on.

Combined Adhesive and Grout (Type D)

These adhesives are suitable for the smallest of jobs only, as they tend to be a compromise. The properties that you want in a grout are not necessarily those that you want in an adhesive and vice versa.

There is an adhesive available for just about any purpose you can think of.

Acrylic or PVA-Based General Purpose Adhesives (Type D)

This is a premixed material and is by far the most commonly used type of wall tiling adhesive. It sets by water loss as it dries out. It is easy to use (and to remove if it gets where it shouldn’t), and is good for practically all wall tiling situations except where there is water or heat. The acrylic ones tend to have better antislip properties.

Water-Resistant Acrylic or PVA-Based Adhesive General Purpose Adhesives (Type D)

Pretty much the same as above, but intended for situations where some water is present, for example domestic bathrooms and showers and so on. Please note that ‘water resistant’ is not the same as ‘waterproof’. To get the meanings of these terms confused can invite disaster.

Two-Part Resin Adhesives (Type R)

These are two-part pre-measured materials, usually epoxy or polyester based. They are composed of the resin plus a hardener which have to be mixed on site. Two-part resin adhesives are usually materials for special or difficult situations. They are also usually much more expensive and generally more difficult to handle.

Sand and Cement

Not often used nowadays except for commercial flooring, a sand and cement mix is harder work, slower and more skill-demanding than adhesive fixing, but is still a good method of fixing tiles. For some specialist forms of tiling it is still the best method for high-quality work.

GROUTS

Grout is the material used to fill the joint between tiles. It is normally white or grey, but can be obtained in a variety of colours.

Premixed

Premixed grout comes in tubs ready to use, which has the advantage that there is less waste involved. However, it is expensive and is not generally used in the trade.

Grouts come in all sorts of types and colours.

Cement-Based Powder

This is mixed with water and is the traditional grouting material that still accounts for the vast majority of grout used. It is available in various types, some with special properties (rapid setting, flexibility, for wider joints and so on). A good range of colours is available.

Two-Part Resin