Porcelain tiles Outdoor frost: selection, installation tips

Porcelain tiles - a stone and porcelain tile, which has high performance and is very popular in construction. Stoneware for frost preview used for cladding facades, manufacturing steps and other purposes. The selection and installation of the material requires knowledge of its species and their differences from one another, the nuances of working with them.

types of granite

This material appeared on the market relatively recently, but has already gained great popularity among customers. The use of cold-resistant granite Italian and Spanish production is considered a sign of good taste and well-being. The material itself has emerged as an alternative to natural stone, but the current models of tiles can mimic different variants of surfaces. There are the following main types of granite:

• Technical - durable and reliable, but is not particularly attractive appearance. Technical tiles is relatively inexpensive and is used for the lining of industrial premises and technical areas;

• matt - characterized by unglazed surface. Using porcelain for matt preview the advantage that this kind of material has a high level of durability, but for such tile needs regular maintenance, since its surface is easy to remain traces;
• polished - it possesses the characteristic gloss, often used for facades and other vertical surfaces. It is not recommended to use polished tiles for floors or levels, as over time the coating is cleared, and the tile becomes dull;
• glazed - the surface of this variety of granite covered with a special coating that gives it a unique shine. This stoneware tile for street can be styled a variety of materials, have a different color and pattern. Use it better for the walls and other surfaces that will be subjected to high loads;
• satin - granite, the surface of which is deposited a layer of mineral salts. After such firing tiles boasts velvety surface structure. Used with decorative purposes;
• structured - another ornamental species that may look like natural stone, wood, leather and other materials.

Each type of tile has its own advantages and disadvantages, and should choose depending on your needs and specific applications of the material.

Useful advice!One of the main criteria for the choice of granite stone streets is the maximum load on the material. Therefore, we must first start from this parameter, and then have to take into account other characteristics.

Features and advantages of granite

One of the main advantages of porcelain stoneware tiles before the other facing materials - is its increased density and strength. It significantly exceeds the performance characteristics of conventional ceramic tiles and has the following features:

• frost - the ability to easily carry low temperature is one of the major advantages of outdoor frost-proof porcelain. Buy such material can be for use at temperatures up to - 50 ° C, so it is advantageous to use for use in the open space. Furthermore, the material endures temperature differences;

• resistance to wear - a tile is highly resistant to scratching, chipping and other mechanical damage, allowing the same use it effectively for finishing steps of the porch, the floor in the house, and other surfaces that are often subject to large mechanical stress. The service life of the anti-slip porcelain stoneware frost street is approximately 7 years or more;
• Low moisture absorption rate - tiles of granite not absorb moisture, so it can be safely used under any humidity indicators;
• shock resistance - on the surface, lined with ceramic granite tiles, you can drop a heavy object without fear that the coating will be damaged. In this case, the thicker the tile, the greater its impact resistance, so the figures for granite thickness of the porch on the street should be high enough.

All these advantages make granite an excellent option for use as a cladding material for a variety of surfaces. He is not afraid of cold and heat, tolerates heavy loads and can serve you for many years without losing the appeal of appearance.

How to choose granite

In choosing the material necessary to pay attention to several important points. One of the primary - a manufacturer of tiles. It depends on the manufacturer's quality, so should give preference to Italian models. They are more expensive than granite domestic production, but also have higher performance.

The second largest tile setting - is the presence of non-slip surface. Purchase anti-slip porcelain stoneware for street will provide you security, as when using a slippery surface can be easily injured. Quality tiles must be rough to lower the risk of injury, even when wet. In addition, too smooth tiles have often sprinkled with sand and other materials, antislip, which can lead to rapid loss of the attractiveness of its appearance.

Using antislip frost granite outdoor antislip more advantageous than the use of grooved surfaces. Last not glide as smooth, but much more difficult to be cleaned of dirt and quickly erased, acquire an unattractive appearance. There are several types of porcelain slip frost durability parameter:

• PEI I, II - a low abrasion resistance, it is recommended to use for facing vertical surfaces or floor on which a large load is not expected;
• PEI III - the average level of durability, it is best to use in a residential area with the movement of low intensity;
• PEI IV - good wear resistance, can be used in public buildings;
• PEI V - the maximum level of stability.

Choosing appearance frost-slip porcelain stoneware for the street, as well as the tile size depends entirely on your taste. Price per m2 porcelain facade or stages depending on the manufacturer and may vary over a very wide range. For example, for domestic producers it may be 700-800 rubles. per sq. m, and for foreign - 1000-1500 rubles.

In addition, the choice must take into account a number of additional parameters of the material. These include, for example, caliber - the difference between the size stated on the package with the material and its real dimensions. This difference may be up to 0.5 mm and has a great significance in the floor wall or walls.

Check tile level of quality can be quite simple. To do this, you need to estimate its weight. For example, for granite tiles frost preview 30x30 cm thickness of 8-9 mm should weigh about 2 kg. If the weight of the material is less, it means that the manufacturer saved on such as tiles and quickly fail.

Features granite selection under a rock

Stoneware tiles with stylized natural stone is the most popular, so it is very important to know how to choose exactly this kind of material. There are variations, stylized granite, marble, onyx, sandstone, jasper, basalt and many other types of stone. They are widely used for the manufacture of stair treads of granite, facade and other purposes.

The most common are two options for simulating natural stone. This is an exact imitation of art and decoration. The first embodiment is exactly the same pattern and texture of a natural mineral, and the second is characterized by decorative additives. These include the gold veins, stylized rock painting and so on. In the catalog Kerama Marazzi porcelain tiles, for example, you can find a lot of similar options.

Benefits under the granite marble and travertine under

Natural marble and travertine are one of the most popular materials for simulation. Imitation of the latter is very difficult to distinguish from the original even for a specialist as well as tiles repeats the color and texture of the material. With artificial marble everything is more complicated, it is very similar to the natural, but does not have the depth of black color, which is characterized by natural stone. When this large size tile looks better, for example, stacking marble steps of granite outdoor tile using 1200x600 mm will look better than 600x600.

Subtleties laying material

Laying porcelain tiles on the technology is different from the usual installation of ceramic tiles. When laying porcelain tiles on the street do not use mortar cement-based, and it is better to use a special glue. When it comes to exterior decoration, packing method can be two:

1. Laying on a special adhesive.
2. Mounting with brackets or screws.

Selection method of fastening material depends on many factors. These include climatic conditions, type of construction, and other parameters. Each of these methods has its own nuances.

Choosing cold-resistant adhesive for ceramic granite for outdoor work, use nuances

As already mentioned, when granite surface finishes can not use conventional mixes based on cement. Especially for mounting of this material, there are many kinds of specialized adhesives. When selecting an adhesive for laying porcelain tiles outdoors or indoors, you need to pay attention to following his characteristics:

1. Clay must create a solid layer between sheets of material and the surface. In addition, it must withstand heavy loads.
2. In adhesive mixtures should have a high level of resistance to moisture, or the coating can be deformed by humidity and temperature changes.
3. If you plan on laying a material such as granite, in the street, this adhesive must be different good resistance to high temperatures.
4. Frost resistance of the adhesive must also be at a high level, when it comes to laying in a domestic environment.
5. Flexibility is another important property of adhesive for porcelain tiles.

Useful advice! As a general rule, for each of the types of premises, as well as for interior and exterior need different brand construction adhesive. Of course, there are generic versions, but they will cost you significantly more.

All types of adhesives for ceramic granite can be divided into three categories:

• one component;
• two-component;
• mixture using a plasticizer.

The peculiarity of single-component cold-resistant adhesive for porcelain tiles is that you can work with it immediately after purchase. It is characterized by a high level of elasticity, as well as the long time of solidification. Due to the last quality you can just glue a large number of tiles, without fear that the adhesive hardens.

Two-component mixtures are so named due to the fact that when you buy you get the two components of the adhesive mixture. Immediately before application to the surface of the components must be mixed with a special mixer. Two-component adhesive hardens faster, but also is more strength and elasticity.

Plasticizers in the adhesive mixture contribute to improving its elasticity and prolong its service life. If you need a high-quality adhesive for facades granite, cement mixture with plasticizers - this is your option.

Facing granite with glue: Recommendations

Various adhesive mixture suitable for use in different conditions. For example, for walls and floors in rooms with high humidity level best to choose moisture resistant formulation, and for areas with heavy traffic - the composition of the high strength characteristics. This will prevent shrinkage and prolong the life of the coating.

But when using the technology of stacking porcelain street is better to use cold-resistant and heat-resistant mixture that tolerate exposure to moisture and direct sunlight. If you do not want to step, track or façade of granite coating cracked after a few months of operation, it is better to use adhesive with high strength and elasticity.

Note also that the larger the tile, the greater the amount of adhesive to be used for its fastening. Based on the size of the tile is calculated as the thickness of the adhesive layer. By the way, the intended layer thickness and parameters depend spatula that is used for applying the adhesive. The thicker the layer the more spatula.

The façade frost-resistant granite

Facing slabs of granite facade of the building gives you a number of advantages:

• attractive appearance - there are many options for the appearance of the porcelain stoneware slabs, so when you finish, you can use your design imagination at full capacity. And, for example, when you create a hinged facade of granite for the office buildings you get a respectable appearance of the building, which will tell visitors about the solidity of your company;
• Protection against moisture - to create ventilated facades of granite get natural ventilation. Because of this in the walls of the building does not accumulate mold or bacteria, and in the cold time of the year they do not freeze. All this contributes to a significant prolongation of the service life of the structure;
• insulation - ventilated facade reduces heat loss from the building. This means that they will not overheat, and in the cold air layer will reduce heat loss and, consequently, the cost of space heating in the warmer months;
• durability - if you are planning to buy a frost granite outdoor production in Russia, should be aware that this material characterized by durability, strength, resistance to temperature changes, and also does not require special care during operation. Price frost granite outdoor 600x600 cm is higher than that of other decorative materials of similar size, but this is offset by high performance;

• a high level of noise isolation - in conjunction with an air gap porcelain plates perfectly protect the room from outside noise;
• fire resistance - non-combustible material is granite. In addition, the class includes other elements of a ventilated facade;
• Easy installation - the material is easy to installation, and perform it at any time of the year regardless of weather conditions. At the same time laying granite slabs produced quickly enough;
• the opportunity to disguise the irregularities of the walls without the need for additional plastering.

Components of ventilated facades of granite and its installation

At a relatively high price of ventilated facades of granite per m2 you get a large number of benefits that can not give the finishing other building materials. Any facade consists of the following elements:

• bearing wall - it serves as a support for the structure;
• substructure wall - serves as an intermediate structure between the support wall insulating layer and the surfacing material plates. It consists of brackets that are attached to the wall by means of anchors and anchor carrying profiles and special fastener elements;

• heat- and sound-insulating layer - protects the wall from temperature differences, possible thermal deformation as well as the external noise from the premises;
• vapor barrier - a special film which does not settle on the walls of the condensate and facilitates its evaporation;
• air gap - the gap between the insulation and the cladding material plates. It serves to remove moisture;
• porcelain plate - protects all previous layers from the adverse effects of natural and perform a decorative function.

Useful advice! There are several options for mounting frame system to the retaining wall. Choose from them should be the one that is best suited to your specific conditions.

The most popular way to mount porcelain framing system is combined. This means that the frame is mounted at the same time of the horizontal and vertical guides. In this case, you can first install either horizontal or vertical. The first method allows you to distribute the load evenly, but is rather expensive, and therefore not used very often.

A method in which first mounted vertical guides, is effective when using thick granite slabs and allows not only to reduce the load on the structure, but also a way to hide mounting.

May vary as the type joints between slabs fabric. A visible seam is the easiest one involves fixing plates and with screws, screws or rivets through special seals. Laying without seams involves the use of hidden fastening. There are several variants:

1. Mechanical - in such a method from the back side of the plate hole drilled dowel. Typically, plate material used for mechanical fastening with ready holes.
2. With glue - the material is adhered to a vertical profile. This method makes it possible to reduce the installation time, but to dismantle the already adhered (for example, for replacement) plate is impossible.
3. Combined fixture - in the same way as mechanical, but only at two points, and using an adhesive. With this method the larger the plate, the greater the installation costs.
4. With pins - mounting holes are drilled in the horizontal ends, which are inserted into the special pins. The pins are attached to a special adjustable brackets, which are attached to the supporting wall. Such an embodiment eliminates the use of horizontal or vertical guides.

The use of any of the above methods of attachment takes relatively little time, and also allows you to create high-quality and beautiful façade that does not require additional care.

Porcelain tiles Outdoor frost: the installation of granite steps

For the manufacture of granite steps need to understand that the entire structure must possess a number of qualities. Firstly, it should be safe. To this end, the optimal step height should be about 15-20 cm, and width - 25-30 cm. Secondly, in the manufacture of steps to the porch of granite must be considered that the material will often be exposed to moisture, therefore, should not slip. Third, the appearance and design stages should be in harmony with the appearance of the building.

By type of packing material are following variants of steps:

1. Monolithic - whole plates, each of which is a step. Traditional size such stages of granite - 1200h300 mm. Monolithic stage are characterized by high strength and attractive appearance, although are expensive.
2. National - made from several plates of medium size. Installation of such steps may be seamless or suture means. For grouting stoneware used outside regular spatula, and a seam can perform a decorative function.

In addition, as a method for treating several types of granite steps. You can buy the following options:

• polished stages - a high level of specular surface that is 80%;
• nedopolirovannye - reflectivity is 25%, are commonly used in the street;
• ground - good that the matte surface due to not slide against moisture, characterized by a high friction coefficient;
• glazed - combine a high level of specular and non-slip surface. Equally effectively used indoors and outdoors.

Useful advice! Glazed plates are better suited for use in areas with low levels of permeability. For stairs and other places where the projected traffic and large loads, it is better to use a matt or polished version.

Facing the granite steps

When laying stages of granite 1200h300 Kapinos with other steps or embodiments performed at about the same procedure:

1. The surface is covered by the main steps acrylic primer that improves adhesion between the lining material and the ladder itself. steps irregularities are leveled with the help of putty.
2. If necessary, plates are cut fabric. To carry out cutting granite in the home, you can use the various tools.
3. Is prepared and then applied to the adhesive solution stage. Application is carried out with a notched trowel.
4. Stacked plate material. It is better to start with laying of the upper stages. First stacked horizontal, then vertical elements.
5. Angles steps are processed with a plastic or metal brackets.
6. The joints between the tiles are filled with a solution and the trowels are stripped.

Price porcelain stoneware steps for stairs depends on the type, size and other characteristics of the material. For example, granite Estima price may vary from about 300 to 800 rubles. per sq. m.

Features Waterjet cutting granite and other processing methods

Often when installing porcelain material has to be cut. This can be done in various ways. For example, you can use special machines for cutting granite. It may be electrical or manual and can accurately cut into the solid material. The machine uses special wheels for cutting granite with diamond coating.

It is understood that by using the machine is conveniently cut into slabs for large parts, but to cut the curly products, you will need a laser or water jet cutting. The first method is carried out by means of special industrial lasers, and the second is a water jet with abrasive materials. Waterjet cutting is cheaper than laser, but at the same time allows you to get a good result.

To use waterjet cutting you will also need a special machine, but with it you can get a fine ornaments and exquisite patterns of granite slabs.

Porcelain tiles without reason is one of the most popular finishing materials on the market today. It boasts high performance, a variety of design options and ease of installation. Choosing a granite finish, you choose quality, reliability and attractive appearance.