Good afternoon,
I'm nearing completion of my wetroom 900mm X 900mm ,and have bought some glazed ceramic mosiac tiles (20cm by 33.3cm x10mm thick pic attached) for this. Each tile has unglazed grout joints which are not all the way through the tile. I have some questions regarding porosity of these grout joints.

I tested the tiles with water, and noticed that the water seeped almost immediately through these unglazed grout joints, and could see the watermarks on the underside. Have I bought the wrong tiles??

I was planning to use Mapei ultracolor grout to seal the joints, and then seal the grout joints with a suitable sealer. Will this suffice? I'm not too sure now after doing the water test.
I have thoroughly tanked the wet room walls & floor with mapei wps & tilesafe membrane & have installed UFH as well.

I will appreciate any suggestions to the suitability of these mosaics for this area and the correct sealing & grouting procedure.

regards

these tiles are wall tiles ???? yes

yes Paul, your right. I bought all my tiles from a bathroom showroom. The chap who sold them to me did not make it aware that these were for walls. He also sold me some glazed ceramics 66 by 33cm 12mm (for walls) which I've now fitted to the rest of the bathroom floor!! I only found out yesterday it says in small print "for walls on the box", and now I have the the wetroom to do and the mosiacs are the matching colour. Spoke directly to manufacturer and they told me the 66 x33 tiles will be ok on the bathroom floor (5m2) with light duty traffic. Now being suspicious about the mosiacs I tested them with water and it seeps through. Now I don't know whether I should get these repaced for something more suitable for the wetroom floor as I will loose the colour match with the rest of the bathroom

yes that what i thought . they will crack up on a floor. if you want to use them on you walls you could use a porcalain seal on these two light coats with a cloth should seal them . but that floor ! you will have to find another tile for that!!

Originally Posted by paul flight

yes that what i thought . they will crack up on a floor. if you want to use them on you walls you could use a porcalain seal on these two light coats with a cloth should seal them . but that floor ! you will have to find another tile for that!!

Thanks for the advice Paul. I'LL take them back tomorrow & ask for a replacement equivalent!

Originally Posted by paul flight

yes that what i thought . they will crack up on a floor. if you want to use them on you walls you could use a porcalain seal on these two light coats with a cloth should seal them . but that floor ! you will have to find another tile for that!!

Paul, had a word with the company who sold me, they cannot do anything as I bought them 3 months ago. Luckily it was only 1m2.

Can you please suggest/recommend a similar mosiac which would be up to the job for my wetroom floor?

regards

I think you will find that the lines in those tiles are designed to be grouted in the same way as you would the grout joint and you have to use a spacer the same size as those lines, I always stagger that type of tile so as the joints cant be picked out.

glazed tiles won't last long on the floor! sorry to say but at least it's a small amount

Originally Posted by david campbell

glazed tiles won't last long on the floor! sorry to say but at least it's a small amount

Hello David, I thought glazed ceramic tiles were hard wearing and eliminated some of the maintenance issues associated with natural stone tiles. So is it advisable to remove the tiles I've fitted to the rest of the Bathroom floor which were for walls? They cover 5m2
The shop that sold them to me advised that they were suitable for walls & floor, including the mosaics. It was only after installing some of the tiles, that I read on the box "for walls". they are 11.3mm thick.
regards

This is the exact tile in question which I've already fitted to the bathroom floor.
Sarria Gris Tile/Tiling Accessory, Sarria Tiles/Tiling Accessories , Wall Tiles, Stone Effect Tiles, - Webtiles
I was totally unaware they were for walls. Shame I didn't read on the box earlier. They seem really sturdy, but if they are going to wear out quick, would it be better to remove them now? This chap who sold them to me certainly doesn't know about his products.

Originally Posted by ap222

This is the exact tile in question which I've already fitted to the bathroom floor.
Sarria Gris Tile/Tiling Accessory, Sarria Tiles/Tiling Accessories , Wall Tiles, Stone Effect Tiles, - Webtiles
I was totally unaware they were for walls. Shame I didn't read on the box earlier. They seem really sturdy, but if they are going to wear out quick, would it be better to remove them now? This chap who sold them to me certainly doesn't know about his products.

oh, and he told me that they were porcelain!!!!

nice tile , but def for walls only , they will either crack or the finish willl scratch very easily if subjected to foot traffic,

sorry but id be ripping them up and starting again.

trev

Originally Posted by heavytrevy

nice tile , but def for walls only , they will either crack or the finish willl scratch very easily if subjected to foot traffic,

sorry but id be ripping them up and starting again.

trev

Hello Trev, yes, I'LL be taking them off today. Any tips on removing them? I've used Mapei Keraquick to set them down. Under that is a layer of Weber Self levelling compound shielding the UFH mat.