Installations

PRIOR TO INSTALLATION

The surface where the product is going to be installed must be clean and level. We strongly recommend dry laying prior to installation. Blending of the ceramic tile glaze is key to insuring a pleasing overall look to your room. This will resolve any color or size issues prior to installation and will serve as a review of tile placement. We recommend all our tiles to be installed using the prevailing guidelines as set forth in the TCNA (Tile Council of North America) Handbook and the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) specifications. Installation should be carried out by experienced personnel. 

MAINTENANCE

Walls, Counters and Floors: clean glazed ceramic tile regularly with a non-abrasive/non-acidic, mild and PH neutral cleaner- Stonetech Stone & Tile Cleaner

Use products which are suitable to eliminate the remains of mortar, cement, etc. Never use an acidic cleaning agent on newly installed flooring because the acid reacts with the unset cement and can damage the seals, or insoluble compounds can be deposited on the surface of the paving.

Do not use metal scrapers or abrasive pads.

Daily cleaning, after use, will be made particularly easy as it only requires clean water and a very well-wrung cloth. In areas where the tile could be especially messy (kitchens), a detergent with bleach or ammonia can be added to water, although in this case we always recommend giving a final rinse with clear water. Do not use waxes, oils or similar products. In some cases, we can find ourselves in the situation of having to clean very dry and specific stains, which cannot be removed with a damp cloth, but that will disappear if we apply concentrated bleach (the one for floors, not the one used for clothes) and leave it to dry. For especially resistant stains it may be necessary to repeat the process.

Sealer: Reapply to grout joints and crackle glazes periodically as needed. When water no longer beads on the surface of the joints, resealing is required. 

Precautions for Granite:

Do not use rust removers on a polished granite surface; these products may contain hydrofluoric acid which can etch or dull the surface.

Precautions for Marble and Limestone:

Do not use scouring powders or creams; these products contain abrasives that may scratch the surface.

Do not use cleaning products that contain lemon, vinegar or other acids.

Use coasters under all glasses, particularly those containing alcohol or citrus juices. Many common foods and drinks contain acids that may etch or dull the stone surface.

Do not place hot items directly on the stone surface. Use trivets or mats under hot dishes and placemats under china, ceramics, silver or other objects that can scratch the surface.

INSTALLATION GUIDLINES

• Please consult a professional installer and thin set manufacturer for additional installation and maintenance guideline. Below guidelines are informational only and we don’t assume any liability as a result of these guidelines.
• Please work with professional Marble installer only. If you work with other flooring professionals, we recommend that you consult a high quality setting material supplier such as Laticrete for any installation material.
• You should only use thin set from above mentioned brand.
• You should always use white thin set.
• You should always waterproof your subfloor.
• You should always use a minimal grout joint. We don’t recommend zero grout joint.
• You should always use a grout release or sealer before grouting for easy cleaning.
• All white marbles and limestone must be installed with moisture controlled thin set.
• We recommend material allowance up to 10-30% extra. Diagonal installations, waterjet designs may require up to 30% extra material.
• We recommend dry laying all the tiles prior to installation in order to allow desired color selection and blend.
• Veins, open or closed, natural voids and cracks are normal in natural stone. All these natural cavities are filled with a filler to match the color of the tile. These are considered part of natural stones beauty and character.
• We recommend sealing all natural stone products prior to grouting and after installation. A professional grout manufacturer such as Laticrete is recommended.

SETTING MATERIALS

For Porcelain Tiles, install with any high-quality adhesive recommended for porcelain tiles. This must also be suitable for the environment they will have to withstand. Fitting with traditional mortars does not ensure good adhesion.

For Glass tiles, install with any high quality adhesives recommended for glass floor tiles. This must also be suitable for the environment they will have to withstand. Fitting with traditional mortars does not ensure good adhesion.

For Mud Installations, all setting materials and installation methods should be performed using the prevailing guidelines set by the Tile Council of America and the ANSI Specifications.

GROUT

Unsanded grout is typically used for grout joints 1/8” or smaller.

Sanded grout is recommended for grout joints larger than 1/8”, as long as the excess material is removed with a damp sponge. Using notched trowels or grout floats may scratch the tile. Special care should be exercised with high sheen surfaces.
We do not recommend contrasting color grouts on our crackled glazed tiles.

The color of the grout should be as close as possible to the color of your tile.

The subtle size and shape variations impact the final grout joint appearance and enhance the natural visual of the product. To achieve optimal results, tile should be selected from multiple cartons and shading arrangement planned prior to installation.

Water, grease, oil, etc. create slippery conditions. Floor applications with exposure to these conditions require extra caution in product selection.

Grout joint recommendations: 1/16”on average

Follow the appropriate standard ceramic procedures provided by the TCNA (Tile Council of North America) Handbook and the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) specifications.

The surfaces of raised/dimensional decorative accents, borders or liners can be taped off during grouting to facilitate cleanup.

To help keep border, liner and molding grout joints tight, offset the joints between field tile, trim and accent rows.

SEALING

Sealing is not required for Solid Glazes. Sealing is mandatory for Crackle Glazes. We recommend sealing our crackled glaze tiles with a solvent based penetrating sealer before and after grouting.

1. The sealer penetrates the fine, hairline fissures in the glaze and prevents dirt and dusk darkening the crackle over a period of time.
2. Sealing the crackled glaze makes it easier to maintain and clean.
3. Proper application of the sealer (wipe off any excess from glazed surface) will not harm or change the appearance of the tile.
4. Reapply to grout joints and crackle glazes periodically as needed. When water no longer beads on the surface of the joints, resealing is required.
5. We do not recommend the use of contrasting grouts with this type of glaze.

We recommend the following procedures:

Once the tile is mounted on the wall and before grouting, the tile surface must be clean and free of dirt and dust. Use a solvent based sealer. Apply an even coat with a paintbrush or lambswool applicator pad. Wait 24 Hours to allow the product to cure. Apply grout with a sponge evenly distributing grout over joints. Do not use a grout float.

Once the grouting is completed and allowed to dry, the surface of the tiles must be cleaned using a neutral cleaner observing the following guidelines: Dilute to 1:30. Clean the surface with a cloth and scrubbing brush. Remove any residue and rinse thoroughly.

After the thorough cleaning of the surface and grout residue, the tile will need to be resealed using a penetrating sealer observing the following guidelines: Apply an even coat of with a paintbrush or lambswool applicator pad. Wipe off product excess after 15 minutes, making sure to rub the product and help its complete penetration into the material. Wait 24 Hours to allow the product to cure.

NOTE: Future Sealing of the product should be done if you see any discoloration/ darkening in the body of the tile. This will vary by end usage, care and maintenance products and tools used.

If you use any other sealer, please check with the manufacturer for the proper instructions and products to use for sealing crackled glaze ceramic tile.

Porcelain Tiles

GROUT

For Porcelain tiles, we recommend using a minimum of 5/64-inch (0.08” or 2 mm) spacers for a perfect alignment of the tiles. It will also be necessary to make small adjustments by hand to compensate for the natural dimensional variations of the tiles. The joints should be filled in with appropriate materials according to the specifications given by the joint filling material manufacturer. We do not recommend the installation of porcelain tiles without joints.

METHOD

Follow the appropriate standard ceramic, porcelain and glass tile installation procedures provided by the TCNA (Tile Council of North America) Handbook and the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) specifications.

We recommend the following procedures:

Once the tile is mounted on the wall and before grouting, the tile surface must be clean and free of dirt and dust. Use a penetrating sealer which is a solvent based sealer. Apply an even coat with a paintbrush or lambs wool applicator pad. Wait 24 Hours to allow the product to cure. Apply grout with a sponge evenly distributing grout over joints. Do not use a grout float.

NOTE: Although not recommended, if you choose to use Contrasting Color Grouts, it is imperative that the tiles are thoroughly sealed to avoid the discoloration from the grout pigment

Once the grouting is completed and allowed to dry, the surface of the tiles must be cleaned using a neutral cleaner. Dilute to 1:30. Clean the surface with a cloth and scrubbing brush. Remove any residue and rinse thoroughly.

After the thorough cleaning of the surface and grout residue, the tile will need to be resealed using a penetrating sealer observing the following guidelines: Apply an even coat with a paintbrush or lambs wool applicator pad. Wipe off product excess after 15 minutes, making sure to rub the product and help its complete penetration into the material. Wait 24 Hours to allow the product to cure.

NOTE: Future Sealing of the product should be done if you see any discoloration/darkening in the body of the tile. This will vary by end usage, care  and maintenance products and tools used.

If you use any other sealer, please check with the manufacturer for the proper instructions and products to use for sealing crackled glaze ceramic tile.

Sealer: Reapply to grout joints and crackle glazes periodically as needed. When water no longer beads on the surface of the joints, resealing is required.

Mosaics

–You must prepare the support on which you are going to lay the mosaic. To ensure good adhesion of the mosaic to the walls or floors, the support must be completely clean, without dirt or traces of plaster or enamel… You must also ensure that the support is not damp and is free of cracks so that it is perfectly smooth and uniform. In addition, it must be white. A different color can damage the aesthetics of the final result. Once the surface is in perfect condition, proceed to the installation of the glass mosaic.

Here are the steps:

1. Gluing- Using a trowel, spread uniformly a layer of white adhesive cement type C2. Then with the notched side of the trowel (2 to 3 mm) comb the adhesive cement. It is important that there is no excessive adhesive so that it does not stick out and stain the front side during the later installation.
2. Laying- Start by laying the mosaic on a corner of the floor or wall, this way we reduce to the maximum the mismatches in the number of meshes and the possibilities of cutting the tesserae. Very important! Keep the correct distance between all the meshes so that the joints have the same distance as there is between the tesserae. We advise to lock the sheets when placing them. Then, press the meshes on the surface with a rubber trowel. This way, the adhesive penetrates between the tesserae for a total adhesion. In addition, it is necessary to bear in mind that all the meshes must be leveled.
3. Remove excess support If any excess support appears during the tile laying process, clean the surface with a wet cellulose sponge. Allow the adhesive cement to dry for a maximum of 24 hours.
4. Grouting- Once the mosaic mesh is in perfect condition, use a rubber trowel and a RG type grouting paste according to EN 13888 to start grouting
5. Remove excess joint- Once the surface is ready, remove the excess material by passing the trowel in a diagonal direction so that all the joints are levelled with the tesserae.
6. Clean with an abrasive sponge- Clean the surface with an abrasive sponge previously damped with water.
7. Clean with cellulose sponge- For a good finish it is very important to clean the meshes with a cellulose sponge damped with clean water in each pass.
8. Finishing- We recommend to clean the surface after 20 minutes and finally use the Epoxy Cleaner to remove the product residues 

PLEASE NOTE

Due to the nature of our tile, a certain amount of variation in color, shading, surface and texture are to be expected. Use of the tile constitutes acceptance. We assume no responsibility for installation. The installation information provided is to be used as a guideline only and should be discussed with a professional and accredited tile installer. For floor surfaces, water, grease, oil, etc. create slippery conditions. Floor applications with exposure to these conditions require extra caution in product selection and maintenance.