Ensuring the perfect ‘wood-look’ tile installation
 Preview | Start the layout of the installation from the centre point | 3.82 MB | Download |
 Preview | Many wood-look tiles are the length of wooden planks and are known as large format tiles | 6.5 MB | Download |
 Preview | The joint width between glazed ceramic floor tiles should be a minimum of 5 mm wide and a minimum of 3 mm wide | 4.73 MB | Download |
 Preview | To achieve a brick or running bond pattern, a maximum offset of 30 percent is recommended. | 4.98 MB | Download |
Ceramic and porcelain wood-look tiles can be installed in areas of the home such as bathrooms, kitchens, outdoor patios and pool decks – where humidity and dampness would make wooden flooring impractical. Many wood-look tiles are the length of wooden planks and are known as ‘large format tiles’, where the length of at least one edge is equal to or greater than 600 mm, or where the facial area is greater than 3 500 cm2.
There are permissible manufacturing tolerances for ceramic and porcelain tiles, and large format tiles may have permissible surface flatness irregularities. For example, the tile surface may be ‘curved’ or ‘bowed’. If this is not taken into consideration when planning the installation, there is a risk of tile ‘lipping’ – whereby the elevation of the edges and corners of the tiles are inconsistent.
To minimise the risk of lipping, TAL marketing manager Gela Ohl states that it is important to ensure that the floor is level before starting the installation. “TAL SCREEDMASTER, a self-smoothing underlayment, may be installed to achieve the required surface finish. Laying of tiles in a brick or running bond pattern should also be carefully considered because of potential lipping caused by the curvature of large format tiles. A maximum offset of 30 percent is recommended.”
Installing the tiles
Wood-look tiles with different shades per tile or box should be laid randomly, not according to the colours. Start the layout of the installation from the centre point in the room, ensuring that the follow-on rows are offset by a maximum of 30% in a running brick pattern. To ensure full contact of the large format tile with the prepared surface, it is advisable to fill in the voids on the back of the tile with a thin coat of adhesive.
This process is known as ‘back buttering’. This, in addition to applying the adhesive to the substrate using a suitable notched floor trowel, will ensure a solid bed of adhesive behind each tile. The correct adhesive must be used when fixing the tiles to the prepared surface. TAL offers a range of cement-based tile adhesives from rapid or quick to standard setting, in a grey or white colour.
The spacer size must be correct for the type of tile selected. “The joint width between glazed ceramic floor tiles should be a minimum of 5 mm wide, and a minimum of 3 mm wide between porcelain tiles, including rectified porcelain tiles. To achieve the natural look, opt for grout colour that is darker than the tile itself,” Ohl explains.
Movement joints
Allowance for building, thermal and moisture movement must be made in all tile installations. Perimeter joints must be installed around the perimeter of all floors and around any fixtures protruding through the tile installation, such as walls, columns and stairs. Intermediate tile panel movement joints should also be installed at maximum 5 m centres in both directions for interior surface bed applications, and maximum 3 m centres for suspended slabs and exterior applications.
These joints must be a minimum of 5 mm wide, must extend through the tile and tile adhesive layers to the substrate, and must be filled with a good quality resilient joint sealant and suitable backing cord. When using large format tiles, there will be a smaller number of grout joints, compared with the same area of normal format tiling. As a result, less movement or ‘stress’ can be accommodated at the tile joints.
TAL is ISO 9001:2008 quality management system certified and its products are designed, manufactured and tested according to its high-quality standards. As a result, the company is able to provide a comprehensive range of solutions for all types of wood-look tile installations, ranging from dark-finish, whitewash or lime-wash effect, as well as large planks or smaller parquet blocks. For more useful tips on wood-look tile installations, contact the TAL Technical Advisory Service on 0860 000 TAL (825), email taltech [at] norcrossa [dot] com, or visit www.tal.co.za
Ends
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Notes to the Editor
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About TAL
TAL is a leader in tile and construction adhesives with a track record of more than 40 years. TAL specialises in tiling installation materials, tiling tools, building solutions and is renowned for the quality of its products. It’s the brand of choice for tiling contractors, architects and specifiers as well as DIY tile installers. TAL products are manufactured in South Africa to suit local climatic conditions. The expertise of TAL’s technical advisory staff is only a phone call away thanks to its national technical advice line. Whether you require product solutions for a fast-tracked tiling installation, have a concrete repair problem on-site or are simply installing tiles at home, TAL has the tiling and building solution that will suit your needs and get the job done correctly.
TAL Contact Details
Gela Ohl
TAL Marketing Manager
Tel: (011) 206 9700
Web: www.tal.co.za
Media Contact
Jonathan Ducie
NGAGE Public Relations
Phone: (011) 867 7763
Fax: 086 512 3352
Cell: 084 709 0167
Email: jonathan [at] ngage [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.ngage.co.za
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