LOWLAND TRADING. installation reference

Transcription

1 installation reference protection from weather It is essential to provide for all extremes of climate during the whole fixing operation and for as long as possible after grouting has been completed. Frost may delay or even prevent the development of adhesion, rain can cause serious damage before or immediately after grouting, and very hot, dry exposure may impair the setting of fresh adhesive or grout. substrates concrete: The concrete floors should be completed at least 28 days before any surface coating is applied. The smooth steel trowelled concrete surface should be sand blasted or scabbled to roughen the surface to improve adhesion of the tile adhesive. Ensure that all surfaces are clean, dry and free from grease, wax, oil and all forms of contamination including concrete compounds, debris from other trades, etc. If the floor is to have a sand/cement screed, it can be tiled over after 16 hours when using Off White Abaflex - a two component highly flexible adhesive (or your local equivalent) other substrates: When laying tiles over substrates other than concrete a flexible adhesive and grout system must be used. Deflection of the substrate should be a maximum of 1/360th of the span for walls or floors. Wet areas require special attention and must involve appropriate substrates. Examples are; concrete, compressed fibre cement sheet, and pressure treated plywood. Reconstituted wood fibre products are not recommended. A water proof membrane must be laid over the substrate and allowed to cure before any adhesive is applied. In the case of floors a fall to the drainage point of not less than 1:60 must be incorporated waterproof membranes These prevent the leakage of water through to sub floor framing and or habitable spaces below. Particular attention must be paid to carrying the membrane up the wall, outside shower boxes, installation of bond breakers and sealing around penetrations. It is strongly recommended that membrane systems are used in all wet areas, including exterior suspended decking. Some systems involve the use of a primer. 1

2 adhesive system The manufactures literature will explain if a product is suitable for interiors, exteriors and / or walls and floors. Australian purchasers of Stone Age products should use Abaflex or Super Tileset as manufactured by Norcros Building Products, or similar. Purchasers in other locations should seek a local equivalent. note: As Stone Age products require extensive use of grout we recommend using flexible adhesives and a 15mm flexible grout. Adhesive and grout must be stored under cover and out of direct sunlight. mixing The mixing ratio is approximately 5 litres of water to 20 kg Abaflex/Super Tileset. Check manufactures specification on other products. Mix small proportions at a time by pouring the powder into the water and continuously stirring the mix with a mechanical stirrer using low speed, or by hand, until it becomes a wet, smooth paste free from lumps. fixing Apply the adhesive on the clean concrete surface or other substrate using a 12 x 12 mm notched trowel. Spread the adhesive about 1 sq m at a time ensuring that it does not skin prior to the bedding of the sheeted pebbles. Tiles must be laid in wet adhesive and the entire back of the sheet must be in good contact with it. Push the sheet of pebbles into the adhesive, forcing it up through the mesh and around the pebbles, leaving enough depth for grouting. Note It is important when fixing pebble or mosaic tiles to but tiles tightly against one another to not show a distinctive gap between tiles. pregrout sealer It is recommended to pre seal Stone Age products before grouting. Check with suppliers recommendations. grouting Use Abacolor Wide Joint, mixed with ABA Grout Booster (or similar) and clean water at a ratio of 1:1 mixing grout: Always use clean tools, clean mixing container. Mix 5 kg of powder with approximately one litre of grout booster and water with a low speed stirrer or by hand to achieve a lump-free, firm paste. The mix is now ready to be applied around the pebbles. application of grout: Grouting should not begin until the adhesive has set. It is important to wait only the interval recommended by the adhesive and grout manufacturer before grouting to minimise dirt ingress between the pebbles or mosaics and avoid opportunity for other trades to dislodge them. Spread the wet grout mixture around the pebbles using a trowel and compact the grout firmly. note: It is important to finish the grout level at the height of the pebbles maximum girth. 2

3 Deviation from this rule will result in a disappointing final outcome. Remove surplus grout from the surface of the pebbles with a damp (not wet) sponge or soft cloth. It is very important to use a minimal amount of water during cleaning. On large areas of grade 4 & 5 pebbles an acid wash may be used to assist cleaning. This will also help in smoothing the grout surface. Check with suppliers recommendations. control joints The location of movement joints must be decided at the design stage. Provide movement joints over existing expansion joints. At junctions between different materials. At perimeter of floor and in doorways. At maximum 5 metre intervals in a grid pattern. At fixtures interrupting the tile surface, e.g. columns, benches, cupboards. Movement joints shall not be less than 6 mm wide. Joints other than those protected by metal or plastic edging subject to traffic heavier than light pedestrian, should not be wider than 10mm. Seal all movement joints with a high quality flexible sealant. curved surfaces Stone Age pebble and mosaic tiles can be easily fitted around curved columns. And with the interlock designs a seamless lay will be achieved. solid surfaces When adjoining other solid surfaces ensure there is no less than 10mm of grout between the end of pebble or mosaic tile to the next hard surface. When adjoining a surface with movement i.e. timber, carpet, rubber, a 2mm thick aluminium or brass angle of the appropriate height and fixing must be used, allowing no less than 10mm of grout from end of tile to angle. these guidelines are intended as preliminary reading only. Stone Age recommends selecting membranes, adhesives, grouts and sealers from the same manufacturer, we refer you to the excellent technical literature available from, among others; Winstone Wallboards, James Hardie Building Products who discuss their substrates in detail and to publications on Good Tiling Practice driveways Grade 3 & 4 pebble is suitable for driveway application in a normal residential situation with inflated rubber wheels running over surface. A border should be formed when laying concrete to reinforce sides, entry and exit. Refer to drawings over. high rise tiling For situations that require, by local authority or body corporate law, sound - proofing, a 3

4 system has been developed by the world s largest manufacturer of tile installation products Mapei, Their product is Mapefonic and it is well accepted in international markets. Mapefonic is recommended for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. It has been tested in laboratories in France and Italy and exceeds the ISO and standards that were established in sealers Stone Age pebble and mosaic tiles are manufactured from a variety of natural stoneswith differing compositions. It is important to check with your supplier which sealer is recommended for your choice of tile. See Guide lines below. sandstone - In some cases sandstone may not require treatment or maintenance at all. Examples might be when used on decorative walls or facades, around swimming pools or on general walkways where no introduced staining problems arise, It is only when the stone is exposed to soiling or staining issues that sealing becomes necessary. Sandstone should be sealed with a penetrating seal, so that it s natural characteristics remain visible yet it can be maintained without major maintenance. When used internally clear coatings provide a surface that can be washed and maintained. Stone Age recommends sealing of sandstone random mosaic tiles before fix to avoid adhesive staining. limestone. This stone will vary from porous to very dense. Reference here is to the low honed or saw cut porous type. If the stone is treated correctly it will provide years of pleasure without presenting ongoing problems. We believe limestone should be presealed prior to exposure to water, The reasons for this are much the same as with porous terracotta, We have found that most limestone will absorb enough water from the laying process to stain. Water and bedding alone will often turn light crème limestone into yellow or other colours depending what s fallen on the stone when it was wet.this marking can be very difficult to remove and often clients prefer the original colour. By pre-sealing before the stone has been exposed to water, the colour will remain stable. Limestone is a calcite-based stone that reacts with any acidic product. This means no acid clean up to remove excess grout smear. Cured grout smears on porous limestone can be very difficult to remove without damaging the stone. Pre-sealing limestone enables the tiler to remove excess grout easily during the process and provides a release agent for final cleaning. As the stone stays dry during the cleaning process, the final seals can be applied then and there. 4

5 slate and quartzites - These represent a no-trouble floor that lasts for years as-long as coatings are freshened up every two years or so. Slate is a sedimentary product that shows laminated colour bands. In some slate, areas may shear off through wear and tear, Clear coatings reinforce the stone so that the coating takes the wear instead of the stone, Coatings also enhance the colour throughout the stone. By using coatings, the floor can be maintained with mopping. As with most situations when the stone is used externally, we recommend a good penetrating seal. Even though slate can have good non-slip properties, when a coating is applied the slip factor can go up in conditions of wet weather. marble - Marble has proven itself over the centuries as a durable product for a large range of applications, and is proving a popular choice in Stone Age s mosaic range. Marble should be sealed with penetrating seals and can be maintained with natural waxes. By maintaining the wax through regular service, the floor will remain bright for years. Coatings can be applied to commercial floors where traffic is high. While the look of marble is somewhat softer, the coatings are easier to maintain than the stone surface. As with limestone, only neutral cleaners should be used on polished marble. All marbles are sensitive to harsh chemicals and the effort of restoring a polish can be destroyed with an acidic product within seconds. lsland Stone uses tumbled unpolished marble. granite - Granite poses few problems from wear, as the stone is very hard and durable. Many floors provide years of use without having to be re polished. Granite tends to be more porous than marble and the lighter colour granites can be very porous. With that in mind we suggest sealing granite with a penetrating seal to eliminate the porosity problem. The floor can then be polished with natural wax to enhance the shine and provide ease of cleaning. In commercial applications coatings can be applied sandstones and quartzites vary in porosity and hardness refer below- sandstone Terracotta & Yellow Sio2 80%, porosity up to 5%, medium hardness. quartzitic sandstone Autumn, Wood, Grey, Mint & Beige Sio2 over 90%, porosity up to 3%, very hard. Forest Sio2 86%, A1203 6%, Porosity 6%, medium hardness. quartzitic slates Silver grey (very hard), Copper (soft) Sio2 75%-85%, Mica/Clay, porosity less than 1%. 5

6 quartzite Hamarchal white, Himarchal black, Himarchal green, porosity less than 1%, extremely hard. evaluation of NBP adhesives systems for fixing pebble tiles systems tested adhesives: Abflex and super Tileset grout: Abcolour wide joint procedure Tiles were cut into sections of 100x100mm, then they were fixed to concrete block using the above adhesives and a l2xl2mm knotched trowel. The test panel was allowed to dry for 24hrs, before grouting, then allowed to dry for a further seven days. Tensile tests were carried out with the following results, grey pebbles - grade 4&5, tensile strength (Mpa), abflex 0.38, supertileset 0.36 white pebbles - grade 2&3, tensile strength (Mpa), abflex 0.55, supertileset 0.43 tensile results achieved exceed those required by australian standards. absorption 3% slip resistance wet/dry- pass AS/NZS 3661 note: check with other adhesive and grout suppliers that their systems have similar qualities. notes With Lowland trading tile products, nature dictates the colour, While we make every endeavour to maintain colour consistency, there may be variations from batch to batch. Stone Age pebble products are also subject to natural influences. In the Ratu range some pebbles contain iron and isolated rusting may occur. Pink pebble is a sedimentary pebble. Isolated shearing can occur in wet areas. We strongly recommend the use of clear coatings to reinforce the stone. 6

7 Across the full range some pebbles may be softer than others. In isolated cases, under extreme pressure from hard objects (e.g. steel wheels), de-laminating may occur. When using Stone Age products in areas where there are extreme temperature changes - we strongly recommend the use of flexible adhesives and grouts. 7