Cronin Tiling

Overview

You may think "how can technical be associated with tiling?".  There are alot of factors to be looked at before you can even consider tiling as your next step to improving your home/work. These might include, how long is the concrete floor down or the plaster on the walls?  Is the surface to be tiled even and sound enough to take the weight of tiles?  Wallpaper or wallpaper paste?  Paint?  For some strange reason, most tilers do not know the details that I am going to share with you in this section.

Concrete Floors: Allow 1 day drying for every 1 millimetre of concrete. This only applies to new floors. Floors that are very uneven with humps and hollows would need a levelling compound used before tiling (flexi for underfloor heating). Rapid set adhesive is perfect for these floors, except externally or where there is an underfloor heating system in use (flexi adhesive would have to be used).                            Timber Floors: -Plywood floors should be screwed down at 200mm centres to limit movement (Flexi adhesive is needed).    -Tongue and groove floors should be screwed down as much as possible to the joists(movement in these floors is more pronounced). There is a special latex based adhesive for this floor called "Tile on Timber". Most tilers will tell you that you can't tile on these floors, but I have with no problems.            Plasterboard: Perfect to tile to, be sure surface is smooth and clean. Max weight onto plasterboard is 32kg/sq mtr.               Gypsum Plaster:  These surfaces must be primed before tiling.  Surface needs to be free from humps and hollows. Max weight onto plaster is 40kg/sq mtr.                                                 Existing Tiles: It is ok to tile onto tile. Check for soundness of the surface first. No need to prime. Max weight onto tiles is 40kg/sq mtr depending on the substrate under the existing tiles.                                                                                Sand and Cement: Excellent surface to tile onto in terms of strength. Again needs to be free from humps and hollows. No primer needed. Max weight onto sand & cement is 80kg/sq mtr.                                                                                 Painted Surfaces: There is no problem tiling onto painted surfaces provided the paint is secure(not flaking off). Running a scraper on the wall will tell alot.

Do's & Don'ts                    

Do's:

• Make sure surface is ready for tiles.
• There are no humps or hollows.
• Question the builder " How many mm's of concrete/plaster used.
• Check surface is sound.
• Use flexi adhesive for underfloor/undertile heating systems.
  

• Check substrate can take the weight.
• Prime skimcoat and gypsum plasters.
  

  Don'ts:

• Tile onto wallpaper.
• Tile onto wallpaper paste.
• Tile onto flaking paint.
• Tile onto a surface that has too much movement.
• Prime surfaces that have existing tiles.
• Do not trust that the surface is perfect without checking it first.
• Use non flexi adhesive on external or timber floors.