How To Install Tiles The Right Way

As durable as tile and stone are, when they aren't installed correctly, they can failures. How you install tile adhesive mortar affects how well-supported the tile is and how well it can then support heavy loads and direct impact.

1 Substrate preparation

there is a growing demand for larger-format ceramic and natural stone tiles. This necessitates proper specification and execution of floor surface preparation, particularly in relation to floor flatness.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Specification for the Installation of Ceramic Tile stipulates in A108.01 that deviations in sub-floor flatness should be no greater than 1/4" in 10'. For large format tiles with one edge greater than 15" and for natural stone tiles, the maximum allowable substrate variation can be no more the 1/8" in 10'.

2 Ensure proper mortar coverage on the tile

Coverage is critical to preventing failures. According to the ANSI A108.5, tile requires a minimum of 80% mortar coverage in interior applications and 95% for exteriors and wet environments. Natural stone tile requires 95% coverage in all areas.

How to achieve the required coverage?

• Trowelling the adhesive in one direction only, Swirled mortar creates weak spots (Swirling causes voids where the tile is not bonded to the substrate. That then leads to cracked tile and bond failure under normal use).

• Comb ridges across the short side of the tile (With rectangular tile, trowel ridges should go across the short direction of the tile) and this allows better air release from under the tile since the air travels a much shorter distance when you bed the tile.

• Use a suitable trowel; large tiles need a larger and deeper trowel (trowel sizes matter, one size does not fit all).

• For large format tile, glass tile, natural stone or any tile set on exterior surfaces, “backbuttering” the tile is recommended. Use the flat side of the trowel to get an even coat of mortar and fill all the spaces in the surface.

• Don't ever spot bond tile

• collapse all ridges by Moving tile across the trowel ridges backward and inward. perpendicular to the ridges. Straight trowel ridges collapse with that back-and-forth motion eliminating voids.

3 Avoid tile lippage

large format tiles is subject to inherent warpages from the manufacturing process that can create lippage and affect the integrity of the tile installation.

most effective way for managing lippage - especially when you're installing large format tile - is by paying close attention to how tiles are offset from one another during installation. That's why the ANSI Specification A108.02 recommends a maximum offset of 33%.

modifying the traditional 50% offset used in a brick pattern to a maximum of 33% - which doesn't affect the look of the pattern - when installing tile 18" or larger, will manage lippage.

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