It’s very important to adhere to the British Standard when fixing large size thin porcelain tiles and panels as they are fragile and easy to damage during handling and they can crack if they are not laid correctly.
The Standard recommends the use of both back buttering the tile and a layer of adhesive spread across the floor, spreading only enough adhesive for one tile at a time to avoid a skin forming on the adhesive as this could prevent proper adhesion.
Kerakoll says its H40 gel-adhesives are suitable for this sort of installation, as they are said to thoroughly wet the back of the tile, do not shrink and hold their shape, meaning the tile is fully supported. What is more, H40 Gel has an open time of up to 60 mins at 23°C, the manufacturer says, making “skinning” before the tile is laid extremely unlikely.
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. Under no circumstances should the tiles be butt-jointed. Kerakoll also 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).
Movement joints can be filled with Silicone Color which is available in the same colour range as Fugabella Color.
The same principles apply for thin wall tiles. It’s imperative that the substrate is totally solid and not flexible. It’s advisable to use a flexible adhesive, and the Setaflex range is “perfect” for this application, says Kerakoll. H40 gel-adhesives can also be used to fix the tiles.
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