GENERAL SPECIFICATION FOR FIXING WHITE OR LIGHT-COLOURED MARBLE, TRAVERTINE OR GRANITE TILES ONTO INTERIOR RENDERED WALLS, AND ONTO INTERIOR SURFACE BEDS AND SUSPENDED SLABS

 

Please note that ‘general’ specifications are issued for information purposes and should not be used as project specifications.

As each and every project needs to be assessed individually on its own merits and characteristics please contact the TAL Technical Advice Centre for a project-specific detailed materials and methods specification for specific projects.

 

It is important that the tile selected is suitable for the application, preferably against a written Supplier’s specification. Factors such as water absorption, irreversible moisture expansion, MOR and PEI ratings, chemical resistance and overall stability of the product need to meet the requirements of the service conditions.

The backs of all tiles must be clean and free from dust and contaminants.

 

Please note that any “wet” areas, such as showers or balconies, should be waterproofed using TAL SUPERFLEX I or TAL SUREPROOF waterproofing compounds prior to commencing tiling. Please feel free to contact us for a specification for waterproofing and tiling these areas, as well as for technical literature on any of our products.

 

TAL PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS

The TAL products required for this installation are as follows:

TAL KEYCOAT
TAL MARBLEFIX
TAL BOND /  TAL BOND POWDER
TAL WALL & FLOOR GROUT
NOTCHED FLOOR TROWEL
SPACERS
TAL SEALMASTER CORD
TAL GOLDSTAR SEALMASTER 1000

 

Special note must be taken of the following:

Tiles:
Certain marble and travertine products have a reinforcing mesh or resin backing on the backs of the tiles which, due to the nature of the fixative / resin used to bond the mesh onto the back of the tile, is not compatible with cementitious tile adhesives. Please contact TAL if the marble or travertine product to be used for your installation has a reinforcing mesh or resin backing, so that we can advise on the correct adhesive system.

Surface Beds: All surface beds should have a damp proof membrane (DPM / DPC). Should there be no damp proof membrane below a surface bed or if prevailing moisture levels do not attain 5% (75% RH) or less, it is recommended that TAL X-CALIBUR X-SHIELD VAPORSTOP HB (vapour barrier) be applied prior to tiling to eliminate potential problems associated with excessive moisture in the substrate (such as slow- or non-curing of the adhesive, efflorescence on grout and porous tiles, etc). 
TAL X-CALIBUR X-SHIELD VAPORSTOP HB is a moisture tolerant, 100% solids epoxy barrier coat that prevents the passage of water vapour and moisture through concrete slabs. 

Please contact TAL for more information on the application of VAPORSTOP HB. 

Suspended Applications:
Tiling onto SUSPENDED concrete slabs require special precautions to be taken as the installation is prone to increased movement caused by slab deflection and creep, loading on the slab, etc. TAL BOND or TAL BOND POWDER needs to be incorporated in the adhesive and grout mix, or a single part flexible adhesive such as  TAL MARBLEFLEX needs to be used to allow for the increased movement.
NOTE: All Ground Floor levels with Basement / Parking levels below should be construed as SUSPENDED slabs. 

Tile Panel Movement Joints & Perimeter Joints: 
It should be noted that the lack of movement joints in a tile panel, or poorly constructed joints, is a major cause of tile failure. Joints must be created at the required spacing and must be well raked out to remove all traces of adhesive residues, debris, contamination, etc, ie the joint must extend through the tile and tile adhesive layers. These joints must be filled with TAL GOLDSTAR SEALMASTER 1000 Polyurethane Joint Sealant (and suitable backing cord where applicable) in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. (See later detail of correctly constructed tile panel movement joint and perimeter joint.) 

 

GENERAL SPECIFICATION FOR FIXING WHITE OR LIGHT-COLOURED MARBLE OR TRAVERTINE TILES ONTO INTERIOR RENDERED WALLS

 

• BACKGROUND PREPERATION
  • Allow all new wall rendering to cure for at least 14 days. The rendering must be firmly attached to the substrate, must be integrally sound (no crumbling, cracking, etc) and must be of a quality and consistency suitable for tiling. All damaged, defective, deteriorated or hollow sounding areas must be removed and made good before proceeding. The surface must be clean, dry, firm and sound and free from all traces of dust, loose particles and surface contaminants before proceeding. Renders should be left with a woodfloat finish and should not be skimcoated with gypsum plaster.
  • If the surface has been woodfloated (rough) it is possible to commence tiling. However, if the surface has been steelfloated (smooth, dense) it will be necessary to first key the surface with a slurry consisting of 1 part  TAL KEYCOAT to 2 parts TAL KEYMIX powder or 2 parts TAL MARBLEFIX powder (by volume), which is applied by block brush.  Allow this slurry coat to dry for 4 – 6 hours before applying the adhesive. *

 

• ADHESIVE SYSTEM
  • Apply   TAL MARBLEFIX  rapid-setting light-coloured adhesive to the background using a notched trowel.
  • In this tiling situation it is imperative that there is a solid bed of adhesive at least 5mm thick behind each tile. We would recommend the use of a   NOTCHED FLOOR TROWEL .
  • At no time spread more adhesive than can be tiled onto in 10 – 15 minutes.  Depending on atmospheric conditions, this will normally be around 1 square metre.  This prevents the adhesive from drying or “skinning” before the tiles are applied.
  • Bed dry tiles (do not soak) firmly into the wet adhesive  with a twisting action to ensure full contact between the background, tiles and adhesive.  Tiles should be well tapped home with a rubber mallet or the wooden handle of a trowel.  It is sound practice to remove the occasional tile to ensure that good contact has been achieved.
  • Clean off any surplus adhesive remaining on the face of tiles and between the joints with a damp sponge before the adhesive dries.
  • Never butt joint tiles.  Joints are required to allow the individual tiles to move with respect to each other and thus avoid a compressive stress build-up.  They are also required as vents for the tile adhesive to cure.  The joints between these tiles must be a minimum of 3mm wide. 
  • Pot life of the adhesive will vary with climatic conditions.  Under no circumstances should adhesive which has been left standing for too long be reconstituted by adding more liquid.
  • Do not tile over structural, expansion or cold joints in the background.  These joints must be extended through the various layers to the surface.
  • NOTE: Ensure that heavy and/or large format wall tiles are well supported by means of a batten or some type of mechanical device until such time that the adhesive has set sufficiently.  In this situation it will be 6 hours.

 

• GROUTING
  • Grouting must not be carried out until sufficient bond has developed between the bedding mix and the tiles to preclude disturbance of the tiles during the grouting operation. Allow a minimum of 4 hours before grouting.
  • ‘Dry’ Areas
    • Use white or coloured  TAL WALL & FLOOR GROUT for filling wall tile joints up to 8mm wide.
  • ‘Wet’ Areas, ie Splashbacks
    • Use white or coloured  TAL WALL & FLOOR GROUT mixed 20kg with 6 litres of  TAL BOND (replacing the water in the mix) for filling wall tile joints up to 8mm wide.
      Alternatively,  TAL BOND POWDER may be added to the grout mixing water, at a ratio of 1 x 1kg sachet per 20kg  TAL WALL & FLOOR GROUT.
  • General / WARNING:
    • Particular care must be taken to clean the grout off the tile face before it hardens completely. This is especially important when an additive such as  TAL BOND or  TAL BOND POWDER has been used.
    • A sample of the tiles to be used should be tested beforehand to ensure that no grout is absorbed into the tile body, causing permanent staining of the tiles.
    • It is important to use the stipulated amount of liquid in the TAL Grout mixture. When cleaning, a  damp, not wet,  sponge must be used. Over hydration (too much water) of the mix, or in cleaning, causes colour variations in the grout joints, and also affects the integrity of the grout, resulting in a friable product.

 

 

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