Today the construction market is overflowing with various materials. It is worth saying that each of them requires a special approach to work.
This also applies to ceramic tiles, which many experts have already noted as a “picky material.” Therefore, in order to figure out how to properly glue this type, you need to familiarize yourself with some nuances.
Glue selection
Ceramic tiles are one of the leading types of finishing materials, as they have excellent performance properties. If you need such a purchase, the site pro-gres.ru will help you with this.
Quite often there are cases when masonry is susceptible to damage and destruction, and for what reason is unknown. This can be influenced by several factors, namely:
- formation of voids after installation;
- violation in installation technology;
- poor adhesion performance;
- the presence of height differences on the surface.
All these reasons can affect the peeling of the material. In this case, it is necessary to begin eliminating defects.
First, you need to purchase a suitable adhesive that will securely fix the tiles to the wall or floor. The most commonly used compounds are those whose main components are plastic and rubber.
Cement-based adhesive will also provide good adhesion to the surface.
In the store you can find a lot of options for different types of purposes. You can choose a composition that is suitable specifically for ceramic tiles.
If you want to purchase universal glue for installation, it is better not to do this. The fact is that experts note the low effectiveness of this product, although it is intended for various species.
Often, new tiles are attached to old material, but for this you need to carefully treat the surface. In this situation, a solution whose main component is cement is suitable.
If there is high humidity in the room, you can use silicone sealant. Working with such a tool is much faster and easier.
Fastening tiles
If the tiles in the room start to peel off, then don’t panic. This problem is quite easy to solve.
First you need to prepare the surface for further installation. Dismantling of old material must be done carefully.
After processing and careful preparation, you can begin fixing the ceramic tiles. Apply a small layer of glue to the material and then fix it to the surface.
To ensure the tile is firmly fixed, you can tap it with a small object. Then, excess glue must be removed and the seams can be processed.
In order to rub the distances, the cladding must dry completely.
This video will help you choose the right composition for fixing ceramic tiles:
Preparing a bathroom where ceramic tiles are to be laid on the walls begins with an inspection of the room. The walls are checked for unevenness and lack of verticality. Piping in the bathroom must be installed before. If the surfaces are uneven or deviated from the vertical, then these defects must be eliminated by plastering with sand-based cement mortar. The bathroom walls are measured to calculate the area and the number of tiles. The necessary materials and tools are purchased:
- sand;
- cement;
- tile adhesive;
- grouting into seams;
- plastic crosses for laying tiles;
- a bucket for mixing glue;
- drill with mixing attachment;
- building level;
- notched spatula;
- simple spatula;
- white rubber spatula;
- rubber sponge;
- sanding block;
- moisture-resistant primer;
- tile;
- metal profile or rail for laying the first row;
- diamond bit for cutting holes;
- plastic wedges;
- roulette;
- tile breaking tongs.
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Surface preparation and marking
Old coatings are removed from the surface. Then the dust is carefully removed and the walls are leveled with cement-sand mortar. For this purpose, plaster beacons are used. If the wall material has poor adhesion, then a reinforcing mesh is used for plastering. When plastering work is completed, you should take a break for two weeks to allow the surface to dry completely.
Before purchasing tiles, you need to determine the installation method. The easiest way is direct installation. The tiles are attached to the wall from bottom to top. It is better to purchase tiles with a margin of 10-15% for breakage during transportation and during work. If the height of the bathroom is small, then it is recommended to use rectangular tiles laid vertically.
Laying the tiles begins by drawing a strictly horizontal marking line for the second row from the bottom. The line is marked at a height equal to the size of the tile, reduced by at least 20 mm. Height is measured from the lowest point of the floor. The size of 20 mm is taken based on the fact that cutting a smaller strip of tile is extremely inconvenient. The first row is left to align with the floor plane by cutting the tiles. You can start from the first row if the floor is strictly horizontal, which is rare. Using screws and dowels, a plank is installed on the marked line on which the second row of tiles will rest. After installing the second row, this profile is removed and the bottom row, consisting of trimmed tiles, is installed.
Plastic wedges are used to glue the tiles next to the bathtub.
After drawing the horizontal line, vertical guidelines are drawn on the wall. The vertical starting line is marked in such a way that after filling the horizontal row there is no gap of less than 25 mm. In addition to the fact that such a strip is difficult to cut, a vertical row of such narrow tiles will immediately look like a disadvantage. If, during preliminary layout, the tile squares do not fit into a whole number, then the first vertical line should be drawn in the middle of the wall and laying should begin from this line. To decorate the corners, a plastic corner specially designed for this purpose is used. Another method of laying in corners is to grind the joining face surfaces at an angle of 45° with a grinder. After trimming, the irregularities are sanded with a whetstone. You can level the walls with moisture-resistant plasterboard, but with this method the volume of the room is slightly reduced, but the work is completed faster.
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Gluing tiles
Bathroom tiles are laid using dry cement adhesive with a composition intended for walls. The glue is prepared by mixing the structural components with water. In this case, the mixture is poured into water, and not vice versa. Bathroom walls must be treated with a moisture-resistant primer. It will provide the necessary waterproofing and reliable adhesion of the tiles to the wall. During the gluing process, you need to be careful and constantly monitor the evenness of the surface, verticality and coincidence of edge lines. You need to attach the tiles in small sections, marking squares with a side of four tiles.
Plastic crosses help maintain the distance between tiles. A day after gluing, the crosses are removed. The glue is spread on the wall with a notched trowel. This tool is used to cover the tiles with glue. The tile is pressed with slight movements parallel to the wall. Some craftsmen advise moistening the tiles, but this is not necessary - the supporting surface of the tile absorbs the necessary moisture from the adhesive solution. Laying should be done slowly, so that after gluing each tile, the adhesive sets. In a hurry, you can inadvertently move a tile that has not set firmly enough and thereby weaken the reliability of its future fastening. When pressing the tiles against the wall, you do not need excessive force - this way you can squeeze out almost all the glue from under the tiles. Part of the composition squeezed out is removed with a wooden or plastic spatula to avoid scratches on the surface.
If it is necessary to bypass obstacles in the form of pipes, ventilation holes or doorways, the necessary cutouts are made in the tiles. Some tricky areas can be bypassed at the time installation is planned to make cuts easier and in fewer quantities. If possible, it is best to use a tile jigsaw. Such a tool is equipped with a wire or rod on which an abrasive composition is sprayed. With this method, obstacle avoidance is ideal. If you don’t have a jigsaw, use a grinder. In this case, the cutouts are obtained with corners that should be covered with some details that do not disturb the harmony of the tiled covering. If there is a need to drill holes in the wall to place any interior items, it is better to postpone this work until the walls are completely dry after cladding.
After finishing tiling the wall, all that remains is to fill the gaps with grout. This is done using a white rubber spatula by moving the tile diagonally. An option for direct installation would be checkerboard installation. It uses tiles of different colors, laid in the form of a checkerboard. There can be as many ways of laying tiles as the master’s imagination allows. One of the most common is diagonal. To mark the wall you need to draw two perpendicular diagonals. They should be located at an angle of 45° to the upper edge of the future full cladding. Laying tiles begins from the middle of the surface, first all intact tiles are attached. There is no need to lay the entire diagonal at once, but glue it in sections, as with direct laying. It is better to place the last triangles along the edges of the cladding at the end of the work.
Bathroom renovations are rarely complete without replacing the tiles, especially if they have already served for 10-20 years. But, as usual, the question arises: to hire a master or do everything yourself. If you have a proven, tried-and-true tiler in mind and a certain amount of money (usually they ask for the same amount of work as the materials cost), you can hire him. Otherwise, try laying the tiles yourself. If the walls are at least relatively smooth, everything should work out without any particular difficulties. But just before laying tiles on the wall, carefully study the technology.
It starts, as usual, with choosing a tile. Just pay attention not only to her external data. You will definitely need to check its geometry, otherwise it will be difficult to work with it. If you are laying tiles for the first time, any curvature will greatly complicate the task. So, let's check:
From experience, it is worth saying that ideal parameters are extremely difficult to find. If you like it externally, there are no cobwebs of cracks or glaze defects on the surface, the edges are even, the dimensions are the same, you can take it despite some non-linearity (first point). Otherwise, you will be tired of running around the shops. What you shouldn’t do is buy tiles “to order”. How can you control its quality if you already pay for it? Take only what you hold in your hands.
What are the tiles placed on?
Previously, tiles were laid on a cement-sand mixture, to which PVA glue or Bustilat was added. You can, of course, do it this way, but it will be more difficult. For more comfortable work, use ready-made compounds; they are also called “tile adhesive” because they contain adhesive components, which is why they sometimes say that tiles are “glued” to walls. Compositions come in two types:
- in buckets - mastics, ready for use;
- in bags - dry mixtures that require dilution with water.
Professionals mainly use dry mixtures. If necessary, they can be used to correct an imperfect wall, making the layer a little thicker or thinner. Another plus: they retain their plasticity longer, which allows adjustments to be made some time later. They work with mastic on an ideal wall and there can be no deviations here: the layer is too thin.
When choosing a tile adhesive, you can choose it for specific tasks. So there are compositions that contain additives that increase the water-repellent properties of a wall or floor. This is important in the kitchen and bathroom. There are frost-resistant ones, which will be useful if you place them in an unheated room or outside. You can find glue that has bactericidal properties: it will prevent fungi and mold from developing, which is in demand in damp rooms.
Preparatory work
Before laying tiles on the wall, a number of preparatory measures are carried out. This is a long and unpleasant process, but it is extremely undesirable to skip it: not every master, let alone beginners, can lay tiles properly on uneven, unprepared walls.
Leveling the surface
First of all, the old coating and anything that may fall off is removed from the walls. If there are greasy stains, remove them, or simply cut off part of the plaster along with the absorbed oil. The walls are tapped with a wooden hammer, determining by the sound whether there are voids. They occur if the plaster has peeled off, but has not yet been blown out. If you stick a tile on such an area, everything will collapse under its weight. That’s why you do all these places yourself.
A flat plank is applied to the cleaned base and an assessment is made of how smooth or crooked the walls are. If the wall surface is very convex or curved, it is better to correct everything with plaster to a level. Then laying tiles on the wall will be very simple. If the walls are relatively flat, only indentations that are too large are leveled: irregularities (protrusions or holes) that are more than 5 mm. The protrusions need to be cut off, the holes should be filled with plaster mixture, the cracks should be widened, moistened and also covered with plaster.
We prime
It is advisable to treat the prepared wall with a primer. “Betonokontakt” or another composition with similar characteristics is best suited for these purposes. It penetrates to a fairly large thickness deep into the wall, connecting all the particles. After drying, the surface becomes rough, and tile adhesive “sticks” to it very well.
How to start
There are several possible starting points. To put it quite simply, you can lay out the first row right from the corner, following the floor line. But the first row will become level and without problems only if the floor is perfectly level, without any deviations. Otherwise, you will be trimming the tiles to somehow get vertical joints. As a result of these prunings, the second and all subsequent rows can “walk”. The work will be very hard and unpleasant. Therefore, it is better to spend time and mark the wall, finding the “start” points.
Wall marking
If you don't really care about the small pieces of tile that have to be placed in the corners and at the top, under the ceiling, you can skip this step. But if you want all the tiles to lie symmetrically, before laying the tiles on the wall, you will have to do the layout:
If it turns out that only narrow strips remain at both ends, it is advisable to redo the layout. If the middle was located in the center of the wall, try laying it out from the seam, and vice versa. It should come out better.
When placing tiles in height, the situation is slightly different. In some cases, the seam is made at a certain level. In the bathroom this is often the edge of the installed bathtub. If there are no such requirements, you can do the same: find the center, arrange (draw on the wall) the position of the tiles relative to it. This way you will find how to trim the tiles of the top and bottom rows.
There is another way to arrange it vertically: mark the first tile from the ceiling, and so on to the bottom. In this case, only the bottom row will have to be trimmed. This is not entirely correct, but the consumption of tiles is slightly less.
In any case, when calculating how to lay tiles on the wall, mark the level where the first row ends. This usually serves as a starting point. This is where the laying of tiles begins.
Start line
Based on the layout results, you have a line where the first row ends. It is at this height that a flat bar is nailed. Resting the tile on it, place the starting row, and all subsequent rows on it. The last row to be installed is the first row, into which the tiles will have to be cut.
Profiles for working with drywall are usually used as a support strip, but a flat dry block can also be used. At a given height, it is attached to the wall with self-tapping screws or dowels (depending on the wall material). To lay tiles on the wall with your own hands without problems, you need to fasten them often enough so that there is no sagging. Be sure to check that it is installed horizontally. There shouldn't be even the slightest deviation.
How to lay tiles on a wall
The technology for laying tiles on the wall is simple. It consists of several simple steps:
A few nuances about the complete process. First, the outer whole tiles (those that do not need to be trimmed) are glued to the marked places on the installed plank. When laying out, you noted their position. It is very important to set them correctly. To do this, each is checked with a level in the vertical and horizontal planes. If the geometry of the tile is ideal, you can also check the verticality/horizontalness along the edges. Then they take a long level or an even bar with a shorter level and check how evenly one beacon bar is set relative to the other. They must be in the same plane. Then, using this bar, they check whether each subsequent tile is positioned correctly.
Description is one thing, but seeing everything with your own eyes is another. The video demonstrates the technology; after watching, you will understand exactly how to lay tiles on the wall.
Wall adhesive thickness
For those who are laying tiles on a wall for the first time, they may have questions about how thick the adhesive layer is needed. This value depends on how smooth the walls are. If they are ideal, you can apply the minimum layer allowed in the instructions for the composition. If the walls are only relatively flat, the “starting” layer can be 3-4 mm. Then, as necessary, it can slightly decrease or increase, correcting the unevenness of the wall.
There are several techniques for laying ceramic tiles. It is not always the case that glue is applied to both the tile and the wall. Some craftsmen apply the composition only to the wall, others - only to the tiles, some recommend dipping it in water before applying the glue, others do not do this. Choose the option that seems more correct to you. But it is more convenient for novice tilers when the mortar is on both the wall and the tile: it is easier to move and level it.
Manufacturers of tile adhesive advise applying it to the wall, removing excess with a notched trowel, but this means a perfectly flat base. Based on these recommendations, the cost of laying one square is calculated.
With other techniques, consumption increases by 50% or even 100%, since the wall has to be adjusted. But you should definitely listen to the prescribed sizes of the spatula teeth.
How to cut tiles
There are several ways. For small volumes and not very thick tiles, a manual tile cutter is suitable. This is a device consisting of a platform on which tiles are placed. Fusing pads are attached to the platform along which the cutter moves. The cutter moves with the help of a handle, ripping through the durable coating. A stop is usually installed on the same handle, with which the tiles are broken along the line drawn by the cutter.
Another way is with a grinder, but it is very noisy and dusty. Besides, you won’t be able to make a perfectly even cut, but it will work in case of an emergency.
If necessary, round holes are cut using a crown of a suitable diameter, which is put on a drill. During drilling, to ensure that there is as little dust as possible, the work area is constantly watered with water. The result is a perfect hole and everything looks decent.
If you need to cut a strip that is too thin, you won’t be able to do it with a tile cutter: it simply won’t break off. Then, after drawing a line with a cutting disk or rod (for some companies, the cutting element is made in the form of a rod), the thin edge is broken off. In general, there are special tongs for this, but it works well with pliers.
If the edge turns out to be very uneven, it can be smoothed out a little with a file or sandpaper attached to a block.
Decoration of corners
If the tiles are laid evenly, the internal corners do not raise any questions. Difficulties may arise only with the installation of crosses. Just turn them so that they are not in the way or break off the protruding parts. In general, they join neatly in the corners, and the final seam is formed using grout.
There are also profiles for internal corners. They are matched to the tone of the grout, installed in the corner, leveled, and then attached to self-tapping screws or dowels. When laying tiles in a corner, the tiles rest on them. This results in a finished fillet seam.
External corners are more difficult. If you simply join the tiles, overlapping the edges, it turns out ugly. To properly shape the outer corner, you have to cut the edge at 45°.
This can be done using a professional tile cutter. But not everyone has such equipment. Then you will have to work with a grinder. The first cut, at approximately the desired angle, is made with a smooth diamond disc. There should be no slits or holes in it, and the spraying should also be even.
It turns out not very smooth, and the outer edge is quite thick. But this is only preliminary processing. We bring the cut to the required parameters using a grinding attachment with the same disc. See the video for more details.
If you don’t want to bother with such trimming, there is another option - to decorate the corner with a special plastic corner.
Another video about how you can design junctions and seams when laying tiles.
To make laying wall tiles with your own hands completely clear, watch another video tutorial.
When finishing a kitchen apron with ceramic tiles, the technology is practically no different from that described above. There is simply no need to calculate the number of vertical rows. The “start” location is determined by the height of the tabletop: it should start 5-10 cm above the edge of the tile. Attach the bar at the required level, align it exactly with the horizon, and you are ready to begin.
An apron in the kitchen is usually made on the work wall. If it is not one wall, but two or three, you can start from one of the corners.
If it is laid out from small-sized tiles, the undercuts may not be very noticeable. If you want to do everything symmetrically, repeat the layout and start from the center, as described above.
One of the popular types of finishing work is the cladding of various surfaces with ceramic tiles, which perform protective, decorative and sanitary functions.
The industry produces various types of tiles, among which the use of glazed ceramic tiles has become very widespread, the range of which has increased significantly in recent years. There are tiles coated with multi-color glaze or just one tone glaze.
Ceramic tiles for wall cladding can be rectangular or square, as well as curly and angular. The most common sizes of ceramic tiles: 150x150 mm, 150x200 mm, 200x250 mm, 200x300 mm.
When determining the number of tiles required to cover a particular surface, it is necessary to measure the surface area to be covered. The method of laying the slabs and the shape of the wall surface are also taken into account. The more kinks and bends the surface being tiled has, the more tiles can go to waste.
Preparing the wall surface.
Before starting facing work, it is necessary to carry out a number of measures to prepare the wall surface. Stone, brick and concrete walls must be thoroughly cleaned from traces of plaster, mortar, as well as lime, dirt, and grease. Grease stains are washed off with water with the addition of alkalis (soda or potash) in the amount of 50-100 g per bucket of water.
Please note that a rough surface improves the adhesion of the tiles. To give the wall surface the necessary roughness, scratches are applied to it or notches are made using a chisel, and the distance between notches or scratches should not exceed 50 mm.
If there are uneven surfaces of the wall itself, it is leveled by applying a leveling layer of mortar.
Laying ceramic tiles on the wall.
Laying tiles can be done in the following ways:
- in a straight row without offset (“seam to seam”);
- in a straight row, but with a row offset relative to the adjacent one by half a tile (staggered);
- diagonally - similar to the first method, but provided that the tiles are laid at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the floor.
Before you start laying the tiles, to ensure the accuracy of the cladding horizontally and vertically, mark the wall and install beacons from the tiles (two in each corner). One beacon tile is installed at the top of the cladding, the other at the bottom - one or two rows above the floor level.
You must first plan the placement of the tiles on the wall. It is very likely that the length of the wall may not accommodate the entire number of tiles, and in this case you will have to cut off the outermost tiles.
Cutting ceramic tiles.
To cut tiles, it is best to use a special device - a ceramic tile cutter, which is used by professionals, which in turn will allow you to get a more accurate edge when cutting and at the same time speed up your work. If using a cutter is not possible, you can use a regular glass cutter and square to cut the tiles. Having made a straight cut along the front side of the tile with a glass cutter, place it (face up) on a nail or some straight rod of small diameter, so that it is strictly under the cut, and press the tile on both edges - the tile will break along the cut line two parts.
Holes in the tile can be made by drilling it with a drill using a special carborundum nozzle.
To obtain shaped cutouts, you can use tile nippers. This work is slow and painstaking. By carefully breaking off the tiles in very small pieces, you will little by little get the desired shape.
All sharp and jagged edges of the tiles resulting from cutting can be dulled using sandpaper or a file.
To attach tiles to walls, you can use either a cement mortar with a composition from 1:4 to 1:6, or a special adhesive for ceramic tiles.
The cement mortar is applied to the back side of the tile and, using a plaster spatula, it is laid in the form of a pyramid, then the tile with the mortar is brought in a horizontal position to the wall and quickly transferred to a vertical position, placing it in place and pushing the handle of the plaster spatula down with light blows to the general level of the cladding . It is necessary to apply enough mortar so that when the tiles are laid down, a small amount of it protrudes from the side and top of the tiles, without leaving any voids underneath. After installing the tiles, the thickness of the mortar layer between the wall and the tiles should be 7-15mm. All excess mortar squeezed out from under the tiles is carefully removed with a plaster spatula and returned to the bucket with the mortar.
First of all, they lay the tiles of one or two lower rows, focusing on the previously installed beacon tiles, checking the correct installation (both horizontally and vertically) using a cord stretched tightly between the beacons or along the applied rail. The first row of tiles is laid with the bottom edge on a specially placed board. After the first rows are laid out, the lower beacons are removed, and the finished cladding of the lower rows is used instead.
The uniform thickness of the seams between the tiles can be ensured by inserting wooden wedges or special spacer crosses into the seams - two at each joint and one at the crosshair.
During cladding, the surface is periodically checked with a lath or rule, making sure that there are no gaps between the lined surface and the lath. All tiles must lie in the same plane. Every two or three rows, use a level to check the vertical.
Fastening tiles with glue.
The coating, lined with tiles using cement mortar, may be subject to peeling during operation. Often, peeling from the cement layer occurs due to deformations that occur under the influence of sharp fluctuations in ambient temperature, shaking of insufficiently strengthened structures, their settlement, etc.
To prevent such undesirable consequences, in such cases it is recommended to fix the tiles using mastics and special adhesives for ceramic tiles, as a result of which the adhesion strength of the tiles to the base is significantly increased, as well as the sanitary and hygienic properties of the cladding are improved.
It is also worth noting that the labor intensity of the facing work itself when using adhesives and mastics can be reduced by 30-40 percent compared to the use of cement mortars.
Tile adhesives are sold dry, and the method of their use is described in detail by the manufacturer in the instructions included with the adhesive.
The glue is applied to the prepared wall surface and distributed evenly using a notched trowel. The thickness of the adhesive layer mainly depends on the size of the tile and the type of adhesive itself. For small tiles the thickness of the adhesive layer will be approximately 1 mm, and for large tiles it will be correspondingly greater (up to 5 mm). Adding some fillers (cement, chalk) to the adhesive allows you to increase the thickness of the adhesive layer, which in turn helps ensure a tighter fit of the tile to the base.
For wet rooms, as well as for rooms subject to dampness or freezing, it is best to use a combined method of applying glue. In this case, the glue should be applied both to the wall and to the back surface of the tile (in an even layer 1-1.5 mm thick).
To ensure greater adhesive strength, as well as to facilitate alignment of the tiles on the wall, the tiles are dipped in water for a few seconds before being placed on the adhesive.
Due to the fact that the “viability” of the glue applied to the surface is short-lived, and usually amounts to no more than half an hour (depending on the type of base, temperature and air humidity), it is necessary to use the glue in small portions. As a rule, when working, glue is applied to a surface area of no more than one square meter. If the glue applied to the surface has managed to dry out and lose its adhesive ability, then it must be removed and applied with a new, fresh layer.
During installation, the front surface of the tiles must be promptly cleaned of any glue that may have accidentally fallen in, otherwise, after completion of the work, the dried glue will be much more difficult to remove. Cleaning of glue can be done using a sponge moistened with water.
In general, the principle and procedure for facing walls with tiles using adhesives are similar to facing walls using cement mortars.
Note to the home handyman
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Yuri Umeltsev
Leshchinskaya L.V., Khramtsov F.F.
Finishing work. Handyman's Handbook. Samoilovich V.V.
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Despite the widespread use of electric and pneumatic tools, traditional hand tools in some cases remain indispensable and paramount for certain types of work. The section provides a brief overview of hand tools used when carrying out certain construction and repair work... |
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Mosyakin V.N. Exclusive housing - beautiful, comfortable, meeting the taste and requirements of the owner - is everyone's dream. And making this dream come true is real! How to paste wallpaper, paint walls, install “warm” floors, make multi-level ceilings, install doors and windows, and perform other interior work - this book will tell you - an indispensable assistant for the home craftsman. |
Levadny V.S.
The book is devoted to the peculiarities of apartment renovation using modern tools and materials, the use of new technologies in the redevelopment of interior space, finishing and restoration of coatings and walls, ceilings, floors, repair of stairs, electrical and plumbing equipment, and ventilation equipment. |
Wall cladding with ceramic tiles, measures to prepare the wall surface, cutting tiles and methods of fixing them
A fairly new facing material, in terms of performance indicators it belongs to one of the types. The tiles are made from cement with the addition of various fillers to change the appearance and improve physical performance; there are options made from gypsum. On sale there is a huge selection of facade tiles with imitation brick or natural stone, clinker or with an original surface texture. The elements are fixed using already installed metal clamps; along the perimeter, the tiles are held together with a tongue-and-groove connection.
Like every material, new facade tiles have not only pros, but also cons. We will try to give an objective description from the point of view of builders and consumers.
Advantages of facade tiles with metal fasteners
Durability, environmental friendliness, weather resistance, relatively light weight, ease of installation - all types of facade tiles have these qualities. The real advantage of the described material over others is that installation is carried out without the use of cement-sand mixtures directly on a wooden load-bearing sheathing. Due to the fact that lathing can be installed on walls made of all materials, the scope of use is expanding. The absence of “wet” technologies makes it possible to carry out work at any time of the year. Of course, if there is no precipitation. The wide choice in appearance almost does not limit the possibilities of designers and architects in choosing the style of facade walls. Another advantage is that installation is simplified and work is completed faster. There is no need to carefully level the load-bearing surfaces, grind seams, etc.
Flaws
Unfortunately, they exist, and they are quite significant. The first is that cut pieces of facade tiles significantly lose the reliability of their fastening. The fact is that the tiles are fixed in only one or two places with self-tapping screws to the clamps, and along the rest of the perimeter there is a tongue-and-groove connection. When adjusting the tile to size, you have to cut it on the sides (one, two or three). The tenons and grooves are cut off; in these planes, the fixation of the tiles to each other is completely absent. We will tell you how to minimize these consequences in the installation instructions, but we immediately note that they cannot be called ideal.
The second is that the strength of upholstery with metal fastenings on a wooden sheathing is much lower than on glue. The glue is located over the entire surface of the tile and connects the facade walls with it into a single structure. Physical forces from the tiles are transferred to strong facade walls, which increases the mechanical strength of the cladding. Facade tiles with metal fasteners “sag” over the walls. As a result, only the tiles bear the load, and this significantly reduces the resistance of the finish to mechanical damage.
For finishing the facade of a frame house, using facade tiles with fasteners is just a godsend
The third drawback is that the tiles are fixed to wooden slats. Even thorough impregnation with modern antiseptics cannot protect them for a very long period of time. Lumber loses its original properties, fixation becomes unreliable, facade tiles begin to wobble. And this is the first sign of a violation of the integrity of the skin, which in the future can have dire consequences.
What to look for when choosing
The quality of finishing facades with tiles depends on two components: the professionalism of the builders and the integrity of the manufacturers. Facade tiles with metal fastening must fully comply with existing government regulations; technological processes cannot be disrupted.
As for the appearance, everything is simpler - choose those options that will create the desired design style. But what technical nuances should you pay close attention to?
- Linearity of surfaces. Place several tiles with their flat backs facing each other. If there are gaps or wobbles, you have low-quality material in your hands, do not buy it.
- Connect two tiles into a castle. The tenon should fit into the groove with a little effort; it’s not bad if a click is heard at the moment of a tight fit. If there is a gap between the tenon and the groove or they fit very tightly, these are signs of poor quality workmanship.
- pay attention to strength of fixation of metal clamp with tiles, what sheet steel it is made of. The thickness of the steel must be at least 0.4 mm, the zinc coating must be uniform and without gaps. There should be no cracks in the areas where the metal is poured into the tile material. If the gluer is paper-like in thickness and there are cracks along the edges of its joint, then such products were produced by unscrupulous companies.
Important! The price of tiles with metal fastening starts from 900 rubles/m2, which is significantly more expensive than ordinary cement analogues. For that kind of money, demand only high-quality materials. Along with flat elements, you should buy vertical and horizontal corners; the latter are used for finishing window and door openings. You should purchase a starting profile and screws.
Currently, many companies produce facade tiles with metal fastenings; each region of the country has its own leaders. We will provide a short list of trusted manufacturers; this data will help you make the right decision.
Table. The best manufacturers of tiles with metal fasteners.
| Company name | Description |
|---|---|
| GC "Global Group" | Present on the building materials market since 2011, it has modern production equipment. Technological facilities are located in Yekaterinburg, supplies are carried out to all regions of the country. |
| "PROFIST" | Located in Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk region, it has six branches in various regions, including the central one. |
| "Kiriss façade" | The company specializes only in the production of tiles, its production base is in the Moscow region, and has a branch in Tver. |
| "Wall Materials Factory" | The main office is in Yekaterinburg, the production of tiles is carried out using modern technologies, and step-by-step quality control of goods has been introduced. |
| "Fastrot" | It has been producing products since 2004, has a wide range of tiles for various purposes, from paving to facing of the highest quality. |
This, of course, is not a complete list of enterprises that have earned the respect of consumers. The manufacturing technology for this type of tile is quite simple, which allows many companies to produce high-quality products without large investments.
Facade tiles with metal fasteners “Balkan stone”
Facade tiles “Canyon”
Technology for laying facade tiles with metal fasteners
The tiles can be laid both with simultaneous insulation of facade walls (recommended option) and during major renovations of buildings. We will consider the first installation method; they are the ones used most often. Current energy prices force homeowners to pay great attention to heat saving indicators. In addition, recent laws at the federal level require adherence to state standards for minimizing heat loss.
Important! You need to start work by planning your actions, and the technology of laying tiles using clamps requires a special approach.
The distances between the tile clamps may not coincide with the dimensions of the insulation. This is an unpleasant situation. Before purchasing insulation materials, pay attention to their width. The fact is that you will have to attach a counter-lattice for the tiles to the lathing for the insulation. The width of the insulation starts from 60 cm; not all tiles have the same distances between the clamps, and this complicates the process of making lathing for fixing. If you cannot find suitable materials, then there are three options.
- The insulation boards will have to be cut in such a way that it is possible to fix the sheathing to the size of the tiles on the wooden planks between them. This is not a very successful method; the quality of insulation may decrease due to the appearance of cracks between the insulation and the slats. The fact is that making a perfectly even cut at home is very difficult. In addition, installation time increases and the amount of waste of expensive insulation increases.
- Lay the insulation not vertically, but horizontally, and make the sheathing for it in the same position. In this case, the slats for fixing the tiles are placed vertically. This solution is considered quite acceptable.
- The insulation slats are vertical, and the sheathing under the tiles is horizontal. And this solution to the problem does not cause any comments from professionals.
What to do in each specific case depends on many factors; make a decision yourself or seek advice from experienced builders.
Practical advice. If you are afraid of making a mistake with the marking of the sheathing for the tiles, then we recommend using boards approximately 10 cm wide and 2 cm thick instead of narrow slats. By the way, they also compensate for the inaccuracies of the tile itself. Different batches may have size deviations, and narrow slats do not allow them to be compensated; the position of the clamp may not coincide with the position of the slats.
Once these problems are resolved, measurements can be taken and the quantities of materials can be determined. Material calculations are made in the usual way with a quantity margin of 5-8%. Accurately calculate linear meters of vertical and horizontal angles. These architectural elements need to be sealed only with special factory-made additional elements; it is difficult to make them yourself. You will have to cut the tiles by hand, the joint angle will be open, and there is a high probability of gaps forming in these places during minor vibrations of the structure.
The material cannot be considered new on the domestic construction market; it can be purchased from both domestic and foreign manufacturers. Clinker tiles for facades have the highest physical properties among all types of building materials. Read more in .
To work, you will need a grinder with a diamond blade, a drill, a screwdriver, a tape measure, and a hydraulic or laser level. It is better to make marks on the tiles with a felt-tip pen; on an uneven front surface, pencil lines are hardly noticeable. In addition, during sawing, dust from the disk makes them completely hidden - there is a high probability of getting a crooked cut. For example, let’s take the option of cladding a house with insulation. The insulation is made of pressed mineral wool and has water protection. All we have to do is install the vertical counter-lattice and mount the façade tiles with metal fasteners.
Step 1. Mark the position of the frame slats. We have already mentioned that it is better to use boards instead of slats - the increase in costs is small, and you can work calmly. If the markings for facade panels do not require such precision (the holes for fastening are located along the entire length), then in the case of tiles, very high demands are placed on accuracy.
Step 2. Start installing slats from the corners. It is better to attach a corner element and determine at what distance the first rail should be attached. Check its position not by plumb line - take measurements along the entire height. The walls of the house may have a slight slope and the distance from the corner will increase. And this will cause big problems during the installation of the tiles. Fix the counter batten slats to the sheathing slats with self-tapping screws or nails. Self-tapping screws are better; nails have an unpleasant feature: during a slight expansion/shrinkage of the wood, they are pulled out, which weakens the fastening force.
Step 3. Stretch a rope between the outer slats and fasten all the remaining slats along it in the marked places. Install additional slats near window and door openings. In these places, problems will certainly arise during plating, the solution to which we will discuss below.
Step 4. Mark the bottom horizontal line and try on the starting profile along it. The protruding parts of the vertical sheathing should be trimmed. Using self-tapping screws along the line, secure the starting profile. If there are no holes in it, then pre-drill them. The starting profile can be aluminum or galvanized sheet iron coated with durable powder paints to match the tiles. Make sure that the ends of the profile do not rest against the corner elements of the cladding and do not interfere with its precise installation. Check the horizontal position of the profile again.
Step 5. Take the first corner piece and place it in the corner. Pay attention to what position it is in - it’s not too late to correct the inaccuracies. Using a self-tapping screw approximately 1.5 cm long, secure the element through the clamp hole to the rail.
Step 6. Next, smooth flat tile elements are installed. Insert them into the tongue-and-groove joint until it stops; there should be no gaps between individual tiles (except in cases where they are made specifically for decorative purposes). Each tile is fixed with a clamp on the next strip.
Continue installing the cladding in the same way until there is room for two elements along the length of the opposite corner of the building.
Step 7 Install the second corner element and secure it.
Step 8 Now you need to do the most difficult work - accurately take the dimensions of the free area and cut off part of the tile according to them. We have already mentioned above that during cutting, the tongue-and-groove connection is removed, and the remaining parts of the tile are not securely fixed. Take dimensions with maximum accuracy; when cutting, you need to use a diamond disc for concrete (it has special slots for removing dust).
Diamond blade for concrete Baumesser Turbo Universal 230×22.2
Practical advice for cutting tiles.
- When cutting, it is much more expedient to make a small margin in size, and then accurately adjust it with constant fitting. We advise those who do not have solid experience in performing this type of work to do this.
- When marking, the lines will have to be applied from the front side, and the tile, depending on the type, may have a very uneven surface. To minimize the likelihood of errors, make at least three equally spaced marker points along the length of the tile, and then connect them with one line. If they do not lie at the same distance from the edges, then check where there are irregularities.
- Do not cut the tiles yourself; have an assistant hold them. Take special care in the corners - this is where chips most often appear.
- The disk is round, due to its configuration it is difficult to adjoin the lines of a right angle when cutting. Work carefully, do not go beyond the permissible length in these places, otherwise a noticeable gap will remain. It’s better to carefully break off the remaining few millimeters of the tile, and then carefully clean the right angle with the edge of the disk. In the same way, the dimensions of length and width are adjusted by the edge of the disk. This takes a lot of time, but with the advent of practical experience, the process will noticeably speed up.
Step 9 In most cases, the cut area has only one fixation unit - a spike on the upper plane. This is not enough for complete reliability. We recommend additionally fixing the tiles to wooden slats directly from the front surface. It is better to make holes in the seams, if there are none due to the design features of the material, then anywhere. The main thing is that it fits into the wooden slats. Screw a long self-tapping screw into the hole made; it is advisable to use rubber or plastic washers of the appropriate diameter. Then the hole is sealed with sealant matching the color of the tile and becomes almost invisible.
Practical advice. There is a way to make the hole completely invisible. To do this, you need to collect some of the small crumbs remaining after cutting the tiles and carefully press them into the upper surface of the sealant. In this case, the sealant must be fresh. Then use a small brush to carefully level the surface of the tile. This method can only be used if the tiles are the same color throughout their entire thickness. If only its surface is painted, then you will have to select the color of a purchased sealant or customize it yourself using mineral dyes.
Make the final decision on additional fixation yourself on site, taking into account all the features of the cladding. If you are sure that the cut tiles will sit firmly in place, then there is no need to drill anything. After installing the top row, check the reliability with your hands, press, shake, etc.
Step 9 In window and door openings, the upper part of the tile is cut to size, taking into account the slope of the drain. Next, proceed to finishing the slopes, you need to use special ready-made corners, they are sold complete with tiles. This is the most difficult section of the facades. Each corner must be adjusted to the width of the slopes. Do the work very carefully, the ends of all corners should lie on the same line and rest against the frame of the window or door. Minor gaps will then be sealed with sealant. In the upper part, these corners are fixed using clamps, and for the side corners you will have to drill holes for separate screws. The holes, of course, are subsequently sealed.
Practical advice. If you have a whole number of tiles laid across the width of the opening, great, the architectural element can be left without additional finishing. And if the tiles had to be cut, then it is better to attach platbands to the window openings in the future. There are a huge variety of the latter on sale; choose the ones that suit you based on type, weight, and method of attachment.
The result of building cladding - before and after
Practitioners recommend finishing the basement parts of façade walls using the same algorithm. Reputable manufacturers produce a full set of tiles for various purposes, including basement tiles. If the blind area of the house is located horizontally, then the algorithm for finishing the base is no different from that described above. If there is a slope, then the first row of tiles along the entire length of the house must be cut at an angle, which makes the work much more complicated.
Video - Installation of tiles with metal fasteners
