We have recently completed a 600mm x 600mm matt finish porcelain floor in an open plan kitchen/diner for a private customer. For any enquiries regarding tiles of this type or similar please do not hesitate in contacting us at Galaxy Tiling Contactors. We offer many products at competitive prices.
Porcelain tiles are a very popular choice of material and are produced in a variety of colours, sizes & finishes. Porcelain Tiles are very hard wearing and are considered more durable and better suited for heavy usage than ceramic tile making them a very popular choice for all kinds of floor tiling.
Preparation
This kitchen/diner project required minimal preparation. The previous existing flooring was removed and the screed base was swept and hoovered to remove as much dust as possible prior to the flooring preparation.
Two thirds of the kitchen floor were a screed base which has some remaining bitumen glue on the surface which would have been used to install the previous floor covering. Many tile adhesives do not react well when installed directly onto the bitumen glue and can cause a failure of adhesion.
The final third of the kitchen was a chipboard base which is another material that should not be tiled onto directly.
A Priming agent is applied to the entire floor and allowed to dry. Once the primer is dry we began to prepare the chipboard floor which would involve an un-coupling membrane to be installed onto the chipboard using a rapid setting flexible adhesive. For the bitumen covered screed we used a self-levelling compound to cover the area, this product is suitable for covering the glue and also helps to flatten out the floor which provides a better base to work from using the large format porcelain tiles supplied.
All of the products listed above and used on this project are supplied by us at Galaxy Tiling Contractors.
Tiling
Once all of the self-leveller is dry we can apply another coat of priming agent to the surface of the latex and allow an hour to dry. Setting-out is the next step and is crucial to ensure that the tiling is square with the room and minimises the amount of small cuts around the room.
When using a 600mm x 600mm porcelain tile it is vital that the levels are checked throughout the installation of the tiling. If unchecked then problems can arise such as hitting a high point of the floor which could result in lips on the tile joints or large bumps in the floor. When working with a large format tile, the tiler should be thinking ahead throughout the installation to avoid any problems and to ensure a sound flat finish.
Grouting
The final stage in a tiling installation is the grouting. The joints between can have adhesive showing and should be cut out to prevent any from showing through once the grout is applied. After the joints have been cut the floor is swept and each joint hoovered to remove and dust or bits of adhesive which could mix with the grout on application. We also scrub the floor with a sponge or brillo pad and allow to dry.
The grout is applied and given time to cure within the joints (but not too long) if the grout is left unwashed for too long then it could harden onto the porcelain tile and be very difficult to remove. Once the grout has hardened in the joints it is ready to wash using a sponge and wash-boy until all of the grout has been removed. A final wash is usually required to ensure all of the grout residue and dust is removed from the floor.
Once the grout has dried its colour will usually lighten and dry to its true colour.
All of the products listed in this blog are supplied by us at Galaxy Tiling Contractors.
If you have any enquiries regarding tiles, tiling tools, tiling materials or any projects you wish to acquire a quote for, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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