FITTING

Many myths exist in the tile industry about stone flooring and wall tiles. People who are considering using stone should not be put off by stories, which usually result from mistakes made during fitting.

The main considerations people should be aware of are, surface preparation, choice of adhesive, sealing of natural stone, selection of grout colour and type, as well as ongoing maintenance.

The following is a stone tiling guide, which has been put together to guide people though their own specific tiling situation.

SURFACE PREPARATION
FLOORS

Situation 1	Sub floor is not level. This could be the existing floor covering, or an old screed which is damaged etc
Directions:	Use a primer and a self-leveling compound to prepare a flat tiling surface. This will make tiling much easier, allow for a tighter grout line, as well as improve the overall finished appearance of the floor.
Products:	Mira X Plan: Rapid setting and flexible self-levelling compound.
Tips:	Don’t forget to buy the primer, gives a better and smoother finish without air bubbles. You can tile onto it after just 4-5 hours.

Situation 2	Under-floor heating mats have been fitted to a leveled floor of concrete, tiling boards, or plywood.
Directions:	Use a flexible self-levelling compound to cover wires.
Products:	Mira X Plan: Rapid setting and flexible self-levelling compound.
Tips:	Do not cover wires using adhesive. If tiles have to come up later, the wires will be ripped up as well. Many heating companies specify Mira X Plan so your guarantee may be invalid if you don’t use it.

Situation 3	Substrate is floorboards, or any timber still with some bounce in the floor.
Directions:	Board out the floor with re enforcing tiling boards, preferably cement based.
Products:	6mm Hardie Backer Boards For Floors.
Tips:	Buy the carbide tip knife made by Hardie Backer to make cutting the boards a lot easier. Also use countersunk and zinc plated screws to fix the boards to make sure they never rust.

Situation 4	Floor is boarded with either plywood or specialist tiling boards.
Directions:	Bond all areas to be tiled using a specialist tilers primer and bonding agent
Products:	Palace SBR Tilers Primer.
Tips:	Don’t just use PVA. If moisture reaches the primer it will return to a liquid.

Situation 5	Sub floor is already flat or under floor heating is already set in screed.
Directions:	Bond all areas to be tiled using a specialist tillers primer and bonding agent.
Products:	Palace SBR Tilers Primer
Tips:	Don’t just use PVA. If moisture reaches the primer it will return to a liquid.

SURFACE PREPARATION
Walls

Situation 1	Tiling onto plasterboard, plaster, plywood or tiling board.
Directions:	Bond all areas to be tiled using a specialist tillers primer and bonding agent.
Products:	Palace SBR Tilers Primer.
Tips:	Don’t just use PVA. If moisture reaches the primer it will return to a liquid.

Important:	Whilst we do not recommend tiling directly onto plaster, newly plastered walls and skimmed plasterboard are often fine for use with tiles up to 10mm thick. We recommend seeking a professional opinion from your tiler or builder when using heavier and thicker tiles.

TILING
The following is a list of rules for certain types of stone, or tiling situations

NOTE: We do not recommend anything other than powder adhesives in this section, because we consider ready mixed adhesives to be poorer in quality and unsuitable for use with heavier natural stone tiles. They also take longer to go off, which increases the chance of movement.

Situation 1	Tiling Onto Backer Boards or Timber (Floors & Walls)
Directions:	Always use a flexible adhesive and ensure 100% coverage. The latex additives will allow for minor movement in the surface being tiled. Non flexible adhesives will crack and cause tiles to pop up, or crack themselves.
Products:	StoneFix White Flexible Adhesive 20kg StoneFix Grey Flexible Adhesive 20kg Mira 3130 15Kg Mira 3230 15Kg (rapid setting)
Tips:	If there are still signs of reasonable bounce or movement in a floor before tiling, the floor should be further stiffened. When tiling with pale tiles, use a white adhesive. When tiling with porous tiles, use a rapid setting adhesive.

Situation 2	Tiling in a Wet Area (Floors & Walls)
Directions:	Use a waterproof adhesive and ensure 100% coverage.
Products:	StoneFix White Flexible Adhesive 20kg StoneFix Grey Flexible Adhesive 20kg Mira 3130 15Kg Mira 3230 15Kg (rapid setting)
Tips:	Waterproof adhesives do not block water passing through them. They are only designed to retain adhesion when wet. To waterproof a shower area or wet room, tanking systems should be fitted before tiling. We have found that most flexible adhesives have better waterproofing properties. (also see Tips: Situation 1).

Situation 3	Tiling onto a Heated Floor
Directions:	Always use a flexible adhesive and ensure 100% coverage. The latex additives will allow for expansion and contraction. Nonflexible adhesives will crack and cause tiles to pop up, or crack themselves.
Products:	StoneFix White Flexible Adhesive 20kg StoneFix Grey Flexible Adhesive 20kg Mira 3130 15Kg Mira 3230 15Kg (rapid setting)
Tips:	If the heating is a wet system, makes sure the adhesive is also waterproof. Most flexible adhesives are waterproof. (Also see Tips from Situations 1 & 2)

Situation 4	Tiling Onto Concrete or Screed (not heated)
Directions:	Use a good quality powder adhesive and ensure 100% coverage. Many professional tilers now use flexible and waterproof adhesives all the time because the quality is usually superior
Products:	StoneFix White Flexible Adhesive 20kg StoneFix Grey Flexible Adhesive 20kg Mira 3130 15Kg Mira 3230 15Kg (rapid setting)
Tips:	See Situations 1-3

SEALING STONE FLOORS & WALLS

All natural stones are porous to different degrees. To protect tiles from being marked, stained, and weathered, they should be sealed. The amount of sealing which is required depends upon a few factors. The stone type, where the stone is being fitted, and the finish of the stone can also dictate how, as well as how much, the stone should be sealed. High porosity floors like limestone and travertine should be sealed with impregnating sealers to build up the level of resistance. Natural stone sealer should be applied to the tiles prior to grouting. Unprotected tiles can be stained by cement in grout. This leaves unsightly shadows and markings, which are difficult, or impossible to remove. More porous tiles require sealing more than once prior to grouting. All tiles should be sealed again after grouting. Apart from the necessity of sealing to protect stone tiles, sealers can be used to create different finishes. These are summarized below.

Matt Finish:	A matt stone sealer will protect tiles without significantly altering the natural appearance of the stone. Most sealers will act as mild colour enhancers. A matt stone sealer will leave stone looking as natural as possible.
Product:	LTP Matt Stone

Colour Enhanced Finish:	Sometimes called colour intensifiers, a colour enhancing sealer will not only protect against staining but will also draw out the colour and character of the stone. Colour enhancing sealers will often also leave an eggshell or satin finish on the surface of the stone tiles.
Product:	LTP Colour Intensifier

Wax Finishes:	Wax is traditionally the method of sealing terracotta, but can also be used to seal stone as well. On low porosity floors waxes can be applied directly, but on more porous stones, it should be used in conjunction with an impregnating sealer. The two most common types of waxed finish are clear and antique.
Products:	LTP Cleartone, LTP Old Tone, LTP Beeswax

Gloss and Satin Finishes:	Gloss and Satin generally apply to finishes created by surface sealers as opposed to impregnators. A gloss finish will show marginally more veining and character in the stone than the satin finish. More porous stones will require a primer before the surface sealer can be added. The primer is a pre-sealer and impregnator.
Products:	LTP Iron Wax Primer, LTP Iron Wax, LTP Iron Wax Satin

It is important that sealers are maintained over time. The preservation of the sealer with the correct cleaning products will not only keep a floor looking its best, but also increase the length of time before sealer needs to be re applied.

GROUT
Using the correct grout for stone tiles is just as important as using the correct adhesive and sealer. Buying a good quality grout can not only enhance the finish but also dramatically reduce the amount of time required to maintain the stone. Travertine, limestone, marble, granite will often benefit from being finished with a fine grained grout. The finer the grain the smoother the finish achieved. After the grout has set, a good quality fine grained grout will be as easy to keep clean as the surface of the stone itself. Waterproof grouts are essential for use in wet areas. They are also more resistant to staining so wet recommend using waterproof grouts wherever possible. Flexible grouts should be used when tiling onto timber, underfloor heating, as well as tiling boards. Mira Supercolour grout is excellent for all of the above. Not only is it fine grained, but also flexible and waterproof. Mira Supercolour grout is available in a full range of colours to match any natural stone tile. Originally design for use in commercial kitchen and wet rooms; we believe this product is best applied in most situations. An exception would include when a courser grain grout is preferred, usually when tiling with sandstone. THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED AS A GUIDE ONLY. SPECIFIC ADVICE SHOULD BE SOUGHT ON INDIVIDUAL STONE REQUIREMENTS, AS WELL AS THE SUITABILITY OF THE PRODUCTS RECOMMENDED.

A general guidelines for preparation of sub floors and UK manufacturers adhesive products. (To be read in conjunction with the installation instructions supplied)

Manufacturer

Surface

Primer

Tile Adhesive

Grout

Ardex

Concrete

No primer required

Ardu-Flex 500

Arduflex-FL

Timber

Ardion 82 primer

Ardurit S16 +

Ardion 90 admix

Bal

New Concrete

No primer required on a sound surface.Use a slurry bonding coat if unsound

Bal-Rapidset Flexible

Bal Flexgrout

Existing concrete Timber

Slurry bonding coat 2 parts portland cement 1 part Bal-Bond SBR Bal Bond SBR.

Bal-Rapidset Flexible rapid Bal-Rapidset Flexible

Bal Flexgrout Bal Flexgrout

Howtex

Concrete & Timber

Howtex universal primer

Howtex single part Flexible rapid

Howtex-ceramic widejoint flexigrout

Mapei

Timber

Mapeprim SP primer

Ultraplan-self levelling compound over cable, then Kerabond with Asolastic flexible additive/Granirapid.

Mapei Ultracolor Polmer modified grout

Mira

Concrete

Mira 7110 base cleaner

Mira X-Plan self

Mira mastic

Levelling acrylic and Fibre reinforced

Mira mastic

Mira 4800 antifire fluid primer. Use Mira 4120 and 4440 multicoat for wet areas.

levelling compound. Mira 3250 superplan Fix acrylic reinforced cement based quick curing tile adhesive mira 3600 multicrete

Timber

Mira 4800 antifire fluid primer

highly elastic two part adhesive.

Nicobond

Timber Concrete

1 pt Nicobond primer to 4 pt water or 1 pt Nicobond primer to 1 pt water if porous. 1pt Nicobond primer to 1 pt water

Nicobond fast floor and wall adhesive Nicobond fast floor and wall adhesive + Nicobond 2002.

Nicobond tilers grout + Nicobond enhancer 2002 Nicobond tilers Grout + Nicobond enhancer 2002

PCI

Concrete

No primer required.

Fliebspachtel 15 self levelling compound, then any flexible cement based adhesive

Any flexible grout. Groutflast. Sontex grey grout and Grout Admix.

Timber

No primer required

Timberflex or Sontex Woodflex with

Sontex RS2.

RMC Biscem

Concrete & Timber

No primer required.

Biscem fast set adhesive with Flexibond additive

Bisgrout Floor Grouting

Sovereign

Concrete

If unsound use 50:50 SBR bonding agent and warter.

Sovereign Quick Fix tile adhesive

Sovereign water resistant tile grout.

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