Area measurement and requirement calculation

In order to calculate the amount of floor and wall tiles you need, first measure the width and length of the place and multiply them. Approximately 10% of this figure is added to the found size, as this tolerance is needed to allow for wastage at the cutting points. This quantity determines the amount of product to be laid for the floor surface. For the calculation of the tiles to be laid on the wall, the perimeter of the place is multiplied by the ceiling height, and the areas of the window and door gap are subtracted from the resulting measurement. The percentage of wastage to be added when calculating the wall quantity should be calculated as 15% if there are too many column-beam recesses and protrusions in the place.


Selection of tiles

When selecting tiles, it is necessary to make a very good description of the place to the specialist you are going to buy from. Because it is necessary to specify what the pedestrian traffic density of the area will be, whether it has a wet and slippery floor such as a bathroom-kitchen pool; whether it will be laid in an open area such as a terrace, balcony or garden. Each product has different abrasion value, pedestrian traffic value, anti-slip value and glaze resistance properties. It is important to remember that if the product with the right specification is not selected for the relevant place, unwanted situations may arise after the flooring is installed and put into use.


Wall or floor to be tiled

It is essential that the wall or floor surfaces to be tiled are leveled with a gauge. Bumps or pits on the surface prevent the tiles from being laid to the required standard.

If the vertical and horizontal surface substructures within the reinforced concrete structure are concrete, brick or derivative, they are expected to be covered with a smooth screed or plaster. Tiles should never be laid on plaster and screed with incomplete drying time. While applications made on wet screed and plaster may disrupt the adhesion process of the tiles to the surface, water penetration into the tile structure, especially wall tiles and floor tiles with high water absorption rate during drying, may cause staining. The same situation applies to the use of liquid insulation materials applied to wet volumes.

On surfaces such as wood, metal or plasterboard, the material must be very well fixed and not flexible. Any cracking, breaking or spilling of tile applications made on flexing surfaces, either while laying or after the adhesive has dried, is completely within the scope of laying application error.

All surfaces must be free of dust, dirt or rust.


What to do before laying

There should be enough light source to ensure that the work can be done properly in the area to be tiled.

There should be no frost risk or excessive evaporation in the area to be laid. The optimum ambient temperatures for laying are between +5 and +35 degrees.

If laying is to be done outdoors, there should be no wind and rainfall.

Before starting laying, the information and warnings on the boxes of the purchased products should be read.

When the information on the box is read, if there are boxes with different tone and caliber numbers, they should never be laid together.

When the same product is produced at different times, it is natural to have a difference in tone and caliber. Therefore, each production is numbered in relation to these topics.

The tiles should be unboxed and arranged in a mixed manner and checked for in-box tone, caliber, cracks or fractures. If a problem is detected, laying must not be carried out and the situation detected must be reported to the authorities by declaring the production information, pictures and video footage on the products.

If the laying is done without checking or despite all the findings and the situation is reported, it falls within the scope of malpractice.

The caliber difference in non-rectified products comes from the nature of production. The standard deviation for these products is +- 1.2 mm.

For rectified products, this deviation standard is +- 0.4 mm. In addition, since these products are edge sensitive, they should be protected against impact after unboxing. It should not be placed at the corners while leaning it against the floor by the person laying the floor. This movement can lead to glazing in the corners.


Important issues, materials and equipment to be used while laying

Adhesive mortar and grouting material should be selected in accordance with the characteristics of the surface and tile to be laid. Whether the environment to be coated is indoors or outdoors, laying on horizontal or vertical planes, whether the tile to be coated is porcelain or ceramic, its size and thickness, as well as its color determine the properties of the adhesive to be selected. In addition, whether the environment to be coated is indoor or outdoor, the size of the grout gap and the color of the tile also determine the characteristics of the grouting material to be selected. The preparation and use instructions of the selected construction chemicals must be strictly followed. If the water rate, application, mixing and even cleaning instructions in the manual are not complied with, the resulting negative effect on the laid tile will be considered an application error.

When applying the mortar, it should be spread evenly over the entire surface of the tile, leaving no gaps. The balance and alignment of the tile attached to the surface with mortar should be done with the help of a rubber mallet. Rubber mallets with black heads should not be used on light colored products.

In order to prevent deformations caused by any kind of expansion and building movement, the flooring should be made with a minimum of 2 mm grout increase.

Laying should be done by taking into account the arrow directions under the tile.

When products need to be cut to wall or floor size or drilled to suit the installation system, it is important to know that the diamond bit for each type of tile is different. Porcelain tiles are harder products due to their production technology. They should be cut more slowly and carefully. For products with special applications or large-sized products, water cutting should be done when necessary.



Things to do after the laying is finished

Grouting should be done 24 hours after the laying process is completed. At the beginning of the process, hard and crushing tools and machines that will damage the tile surface should not be used for cleaning the grout residue and excess mortar.

Cement based grouting material should be applied to all gaps with a special trowel used for this purpose. After half an hour, the excess should be removed with a clean sponge and water, leaving no residue or residue on the surfaces. If necessary, the procedure should be repeated several times. For this, the cleaning water should be changed frequently. In particular, it is important not to exceed the specified time for grouting cleaning of products with granules, lappato and relief applications or products containing special anti-slip glazes. It should be known that surfaces that have not been cleaned finely and precisely and on which material residue remains will carry the risk of very difficult cleaning or permanent staining due to the solidification of the cement-based material.

As a recommendation, in wall tiles with high water absorption rate, dark grouting should be avoided for very light colored products.

In open areas, in rainy and very sunny hot weather, grouting should be avoided.

A special gun should be used for epoxy based groutings and the cleaning rules in the instructions for use should be followed.

Within 24 hours, no other operation, assembly, etc. should be performed on the grouted surfaces and they should not be walked on.

After cleaning, the surfaces should be protected with a clean, thick cardboard for assembly, transportation, etc.

When installing any material on the wall or floor coverings with the method of drilling with a drill, cracking or breaking of the tile is considered as an application error in operations performed with bits or equipment that are not suitable for the type of tile.


Maintenance recommendations during use

If grouting or mortar waste has not been sufficiently removed after installation, a suitable cleaning product that dissolves cement-based materials can be applied to the tiles. Cutting metal tools should never be used during application. A clean soft cloth, brush or sponge should be used.

For daily maintenance, standard ceramic surface cleaners can be used.

Oil stains can be cleaned with degreasing liquid detergents. Rust and lime stains can be treated with rust and lime solvents.