Terracotta tiles:
properties Ceramic tile "terra cotta" is widely used for finishing walls of buildings and floors. Also it is used for facing of heat-resistant bases( tiles for baths, stoves, fireplaces).All this became possible due to the fact that this material is manufactured at t +1000 degrees Celsius and withstands the highest temperatures. Tiles are made of colored clay of porous structure, which gives it certain properties.
- Firstly, it is environmentally friendly material , completely harmless to the environment and human. It does not contain any chemicals.
- Secondly, like the gypsum tile, has a natural shade of , which is obtained when firing. The color palette contains both dark brown and orange shades. There are no pigments in the composition.
- Thirdly, has a high level of durability .Can be used for at least 50 years. A bending strength is 16 MPa.
- Fourthly, it is frost-resistant tile , which is used even in the most severe climatic conditions. Withstands about 100 cycles( freeze-thawing).Fifth, has a relatively low price for .And if we also take into account its high quality, then the investments become very profitable.
General recommendations for the tiling with terracotta tiles
Before carrying out the laying of the material, it is important to perform a number of preparatory measures. First of all, they include cleaning the surface of the old coating( paint, tiles), dust and dirt. Also on the basis there should be no bituminous and fatty traces, which usually remain during repair. The coating must be completely dry and even. For leveling use special plaster mixes or primer compositions.
It is recommended to open several boxes of material before application. This is due to the fact that the natural shade of the tile may differ slightly in different batches. And for the uniformity of color distribution on the surface of the floor, it is important to take the tiles from the boxes one at a time( first from the first, then from the second, then from the third), thus, the "unity of colors" will be created.
If the areas subject to heating are to be lined( near the chimneys, the stove walls), the base must completely dry after the previous masonry. Better if the fireplace has passed active heating( for at least 6 hours).Tiles are also applied to these areas with special heat-resistant adhesives and mastics( you can use mastic, Terracotta , for example).It is highly discouraged to use cement-containing mixtures.
Warning. Work must be carried out only at positive air temperature!
Technology of laying tiles
Before the application of "terracotta" tiles, a number of tools and materials have to be prepared. They include: a trowel for applying mastic or glue, a mounting gun for filling joints and seams, a notched trowel, a tape measure, a level, a "scraper", a drill, a brush. In general, all work on laying can take about two to three days( for example, in the kitchen).
All space to be divided into equal parts( each should have about 5 rows of tiles plus add 1 cm to each seam).Glue begin to apply, too, only on a small area( about 0.5 m2).In this case, use a notched trowel, which is bred in a semicircular motion. Next, glue the tile from the top down( in order to then easily be removed from the front of the glue).
After the laying is complete, start filling the seams with a gun. In this case, a mixture consisting of 1 part of sand, 1 part of cement and water is used( add it until the viscous state is reached).Further, the seams are filled and expanded using a special formulation. With a capron brush, remove excess material from the surface of the tile( clean it).