Method of laying ceramic granite on the floor

To answer the question: how to make the installation of ceramic granite on the floor with your own hands, you need to understand the technology.

In fact, this work is not the simplest, but it is quite feasible.

This material is considered to be demanding for the preparation of the substrate.

How to lay ceramic granite on the floor, made using different technologies( concrete, old or wooden floor), we will consider in detail.

Preparing for the installation of porcelain tiles

Materials other than the porcelain tile itself:

• crosses;
• sealant;
• grouting;
• special glue;
• primer.

Tools for the job:

• level;
• measuring tape;
• rubber trowel;
• simple and notched trowel;
• marker;
• container for glue;
• the Bulgarian( tile cutters).

Correctly laid tiles, has high strength and durability, but the granite itself is a very fragile material.

Therefore, during transportation, it is treated with technical wax or paraffin to protect against brittleness. Therefore, first remove the protective layer.

Wax is removed with water using detergent and cleaning agents. Paraffin with tiles can be removed with a spatula.

Methods of laying porcelain tiles

At present, there are the following ways of laying porcelain tiles:

1. On a pre-prepared raised floor with the use of special constructions for fixing the plates. Such work is difficult to do by one's own hands, because for this it is necessary to build a load-bearing structure of the connected racks on which the flooring is laid;
2. Laying on the adhesive. This method is more simple and familiar, allows you to do the work yourself. For this, it is necessary to get acquainted with the technology and some peculiarities of the installation of porcelain stoneware.

Options for laying porcelain stoneware

Styling options can be different, but the classics are:

• checkers;
• deck( brickwork);
• labyrinth;
• cells;
• network.

You can combine several options.

When choosing one of the styling options, it should be borne in mind that small tiles are able to visually enlarge the room and vice versa, the large size of the ceramic granite reduces the room.

Also things are with the color: light colors will expand the space, but for these purposes, do not choose a wide pattern.

Substrate preparation

The main condition for laying porcelain stoneware is a flat base, which must be dry and clean.

Why you can not use an uneven floor:

1. Ceramic granite has a fairly large weight. Because of this, with excess glue, there can be differences between the tiles, this will happen even more if the difference in the heights of the base is significant.
2. The standard size of the tile is 40x40 cm, the adhesive under it must be evenly distributed. It's easier to do this on a flat surface. In the formation of even small voids under the tile, after drying under the load of an object to this place, a crack may occur.

So, the bottom should be flat. If there are large differences in height, a concrete screed is made. If you tile the tiles with your own hands, it's easier to use a self-leveling mixture.

For better adhesion of the adhesive and floor covering, the base is primed. A prerequisite for performance is to wait until the prepared surface dries.

The installation of ceramic granite on the old wooden floor is possible if all the rotten boards have been previously removed, the new ones are fastened with self-tapping screws( no nails!).

The floor is laid special substrate, or gypsum board, and already on it is applied glue and the installation of tiles.

Hyposcarton is also treated with a primer.

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If the installation is carried out on a warm floor system, then it must be turned on so that the moisture evaporates as soon as possible. Then the floor is turned off and the time is left for the surface to cool down.

It can be switched on only after the tiles have been laid, the glue will completely harden, grouting will be done. Then you will have a warm and beautiful floor.

Separate attention requires laying the floor covering over the old ceramic tiles. Just need to say that you can do it.

But it is only done if the old coating is durable. If the cement-glue mixture under the tile crumbles, the tile is shaken, then they resort to dismantling the entire floor covering.

After that, we have to again align everything and apply our efforts in accordance with the general technology.

Each tile must be tested for strength by tapping it with a hammer.

If any of them staggers, it is dismantled, and the uneven floor is leveled with cement mortar to the required level.

When there is confidence that the foundation is reliable, then, first of all, it is necessary to polish the old tile with a glossy finish or to make serifs for better coupling.

You also need to degrease the coating with caustic soda. Lay the ceramic granite in such a way that the seams of the previous tile do not coincide with the new ones.

Please note that this option increases the floor level. When laying in the bathroom or in the toilet, the flooring level should be below the threshold.

This is necessary to prevent the possibility of flooding the entire room.

We choose glue

For qualitative work on laying porcelain stoneware you need to choose the right glue.

The low water absorption coefficient of ceramic granite determines the choice of glue, which must have high ability to adhere the surface to the material.

The determining factor is the instruction on the package.

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However, there are some rules for obtaining the best binding material:

• The mixture must be poured into the water, and not vice versa;
• The proportions indicated on the package must be observed. Excludes the addition of various additives and impurities;
• The glue will be ready when the consistency resembles a kind of liquid plasticine, that is not very liquid and not too thick, and also without lumps and bubbles;
• The use of glue is limited in time( only a few hours, different types of glue are designed for different times), so do not immediately mix a large amount.

The technology of laying on the adhesive composition

The technology of laying begins with the selection of the right tools, a list of which can be seen above. Depending on the size of the ceramic granite tile, a spatula is selected.

The larger the tile size, the larger the teeth.

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There are various options for laying tiles, in any case, first the middle of the floor is marked. For convenience, the cord is pulled.

The work on the installation of ceramic granite by one's own hands starts from the middle of the room in such a way that the middle of the tile or its seam should pass along the cord.

This is done for symmetry: at the edges of the room, even truncated pieces will be of the same width.

On the prepared substrate, apply a thin layer of glue, no more than 5 mm. This is done for each tile separately, not on the entire surface at once.

Adhesive is also applied to the back of the ceramic tiles.

The tile is stacked neatly, placed on the edge, aligned( the layout of the plane can be made in advance or use the laser level) and pressed.

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The gap between the tiles is controlled by crosses to ensure evenness of the seams. You can move the laid floor covering within the first 10 minutes.

If the work breaks, then after it align the tiles on the previously laid, it is not necessary to avoid the differences, because it has already sunk, and the "fresh" is just this.

The adhesive dries within 24 hours, the complete coupling takes place after three days.

After the glue has grasped the floor covering, grouting is carried out. There are different ways of doing this work.

It is possible to make the coating more neutral by grouting the joints in a tone. To emphasize the patterns, to emphasize the contrast, it is better to use a grout of a different color.

Joints should be clean when grouting. From the seams, grout is applied diagonally.

The resulting cracks between the wall and the tile are filled with a silicone sealant. After the end of the work, you can do a wet cleaning, but do not fill everything with water, and remove dirt with a wet rag or sponge.

You can start washing floors in the usual way after two weeks.

When connecting ceramic granite with other materials, for example, laminate or parquet, use the door sill. This is necessary to avoid the appearance of cracks.

The wooden floor has the ability to expand or contract under the influence of temperature. If the joint is straight, then you can use aluminum pegs.

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For curvilinear joint, use plastic bending pushers.

On the video you can see the procedure for laying ceramic granite by yourself.