It’s very important to adhere to the British Standard when fixing large format porcelain tiles and panels especially if they are thin as they are fragile and easy to damage during handling and they can crack if they are not laid correctly, leading to failure of the installation.
Care should be taken when fixing to ensure that there are no air cavities under the tiles and that the back of the tile is entirely covered by adhesive. H40 gel-adhesives are perfect for this sort of installation, as they thoroughly wet the back of the tile, do not shrink and hold their shape meaning that the tile is fully supported. What’s more, Kerakoll says, H40 Gel has an open time of up to 60 mins at 23°C so the tiler can spread the adhesive over a larger area.
Grout joints should be at least 5mm for 3m long tiles to allow adequate room for potential movement and avoid damaging fragile edges and corners. Movement joints should also be built in to allow for shrinkage of, or movement in the substrate. Kerakoll recommends the use of Fugabella Color grout which can be used on joints from 2–12mm, and is said to be extremely durable, waterproof and colourfast with low Volatile Organic Compounds (GEV-Emicode 1). All joints should be clear of adhesive as far as possible to avoid cracking of the grout where there is not adequate depth of coverage.
Movement joints should be filled with Silicone Color which is available in the same colour range as Fugabella Color, the company says.
The same principles apply for large format wall tiles. It is advisable to use a flexible adhesive which is high-grab to avoid any vertical slippage – any of the H40 gel-adhesives are suitable, or the Setaflex range can be used to fix the tiles. Fugabella Color and Silicone Color can be used for grout and movement joints in the same way as for floor tiles.
01772 456831
info@kerakoll.co.uk
www.kerakoll.com
