Laying porcelain stoneware on the floor itself

For a long time, tile tiles made of porcelain stoneware has been considered a good help to tile. It firmly and confidently occupied its niche in the construction market, thanks to its strength, durability and wide choice of colors.

By choosing this material for finishing the room, you can transform the internal space of any room, the main thing is to understand the technique of its installation.

Laying porcelain stoneware on the floor with his own hands can be done in two ways, the choice of which, above all, determines the type of surface on which the installation will be done.

• Laying on raised floors. When using this option of works, the installation of a special design is first carried out for reliable fixing of the plates.

• Laying on the adhesive composition. It is not hard to guess that glue is used here for fastening.

Choosing one of the styling options you need to say that the first requires certain skills. Immediately before installation, raised floors will have to be assembled, and this is a time-consuming process that not everyone can do.

But putting ceramic granite on the adhesive composition is much easier, and anyone can handle this work.

Note! Some experts compare the laying of porcelain tile with the work on laying tile. But it is not. In contrast to ceramics, the installation of porcelain tiles is more complicated, and in some cases the result depends on the choice of technique.

Tool and glue selection

Toolы для работы с керамогранитом, потребуются те же что и для укладки кафеля. А вот при выборе клея нужно учитывать несколько факторов.

1. Porcelain tile has a high water absorption, therefore, it is impossible to use tile glue or cement when working with it.
2. For laying tiles used two-part adhesive with a large percentage of the polymer content (acrylic and latex).
3. If it is necessary to lay tiles on the street, they select such glue, which contains plasticizers, they give it frost resistance.
4. For floor heating, a special type of glue is also used.

Note! The adhesive divorced for work is stored no more than 5 hours. If during this time you have not used it, then it loses all its properties. Even if the glue is diluted to the required consistency, the gluing effect will be low.

The order of work

To successfully carry out all the preparatory and laying work you will need to go through the stage of organizing the following work.

1. Prepare all the necessary tools and material, otherwise you will have to be distracted in order to purchase some glue or tiles.
2. Carefully prepare the base for laying.
3. Correctly and carefully lay the ceramic granite tiles.
4. The last stage - finishing work, grouting.

Selection of porcelain tiles

As we know, the floor is, first of all, the basis of any premises, and the aesthetic appearance of the coating plays a secondary role. Considering the technological characteristics of the material, it is necessary to select tiles for different rooms separately.

Non-residential premises. When choosing a porcelain tile for such rooms, first of all, it is necessary to take into account the durability and strength of the material. Also, the tile must be waterproof and not be afraid of mechanical damage and pollution.

Kitchen. As for tiles for laying in the kitchen, first of all, it must be durable and wear-resistant. Also pay attention to the resistance to the use of detergents and immunity to cyclical temperature fluctuations.

Bathroom. When choosing a tile for a bathroom, the same characteristics are important as when choosing a tile for a kitchen. Only it is necessary to add moisture resistance and anti-slip properties to them.

Living spaces. Here the main focus is on an attractive look. Class of durability, you can choose the average, after all the furniture in the rooms is heavy and the tile can be damaged when it is rearranged.

Note! It is not recommended to use polished porcelain tiles for working in the bathroom, laying out street paths or the floor on the terrace. At low temperatures and humidity, the material becomes slippery.

Surface preparation

Before you put the porcelain stoneware on the floor, you need to prepare it, because it is a demanding material, and it requires a special approach before work.

• First of all, the surface should be smooth. Therefore, the old coating must be dismantled. It is not recommended to lay the material even on an even covering of ceramic tiles. The main harm of such works comes from the tile joints.
• In addition to floors, walls should also be clean and even (their joint with the floor). Before they need to be washed, remove all the tabs and vacuumed. If there are traces of fungus or mold, then these places need to be hollowed out and sealed with a new solution so that the fungus does not appear later.
• Laying on wooden floors can be carried out only on condition that all the logs with rotting traces are replaced and firmly fixed. Also, when laying on a wooden base, one-component elastic adhesives or two-component epoxy-based adhesives should be used.

Note! For fixing the lag nails will not work. This is explained by the fact that over time such a connection weakens, but if you fasten them with self-tapping screws, then the fastening will be more reliable.

• If indoors the system of a heat-insulated floor is used, then during the work it cannot be switched on. It will be possible to use a warm floor only after complete drying of the adhesive composition. See the note on the packages with glue.
• Any surface on which the porcelain stoneware will be laid should be treated with a primer in several layers.
• When laying on drywall, most of the glue will be absorbed into it, so it must also be primed before work.

After completing all the manipulations on the surface preparation, you can proceed to laying porcelain stoneware.

Surface marking

Before laying porcelain stoneware, you need to mark the surface. For this fit construction roulette.

• The prepared surface is marked according to the order in which the tile will be laid out. If you decide to put it parallel to the wall, then exactly in the middle of the room you need to draw a line relative to it. When laying on a diagonal line is drawn from one corner of the room to another.
• The first row is laid out exactly on the intended line.
• Pre-divorced glue spread on the place of laying in small portions. It is recommended to lay out glue on the area no more than 1 m at a time.². To evenly distribute it spread with a spatula.
• Then use a notched trowel to make the grooves on the adhesive layer.

Note! Apply glue to the tile evenly, so that after laying under it did not form voids. Subsequently, under load in these places, it may crack. Also, special attention should be paid to applying glue to the warm floor. All cells must be completely filled.

• The first tile is laid carefully pressing it down. The second one is put on the edge along the laid tile, and then neatly placed side by side. In this way, you can get an even distance between the two tiles. For more even seams, you can use special crosses. They must be removed before the glue seizes completely.

• If large tiles are laid, then glue for porcelain tiles should be applied both on the floor and on the tile. This will give the surface extra strength. But we must remember that in this case, the consumption of glue will increase significantly.

We rub the seams

The final stage - grouting interstitial joints. Before this procedure, you need to make sure the seams are clean, there should be no dirt and residues of glue. It is also important to check that the adhesive is completely dry.

Note! If the working area is large, it is better to divide it into several sections.

Grout technology

1. Zatirochny paste is applied with a rubber spatula on the diagonal seams. And the surplus is removed by movements obliquely.
2. The remains of the paste near the seams clean with a damp cloth, just do not tighten this process. In case of prolonged contact with the decorative surface, the grout can cause damage to it.

That's the whole process technology. If you approach it with all seriousness, then you can properly carry out the laying, and the tile will be operated for a long time, giving the room a sophisticated look.

Home craftsman tips

1. To acquire the material you need, taking into account the stock on the marriage. This is about 10% of the total area.
2. For one room, the tile must be purchased necessarily from one batch, because it may differ in color and thickness.
3. When installing a heated floor for laying porcelain stoneware, carefully check the installation and operation of the system.
4. The working room must be maintained at the temperature and humidity at which the use of glue will be as efficient as possible. To do this, read the recommendations on the package.
5. If you need to go through just laid ceramic granite, then use a wide board for this.

Video

This video describes how to properly lay ceramic granite and tile on the floor: