Encaustic Tile Procedure - Tile Advice

[cowgomoo]

Good Morning to you all, if you have time I would like some advice on encaustic tiles. I have seen them before but never worked with them and now I am in a position to possibly start selling them I want to get all my info right.

I have read the various threads here and understand that it is a specialised install but there are 1 or 2 things I would like to get clear.

Are they really suitable for a bathroom floor ? does the weight of them make the prep any different to that of a porcelain for a typical 1st floor / loft extension with wooden joists.

Are they a suitable tile for a busy kitchen - prone to heavy use with lots of food spills including oil etc etc.

Are they a lot more to install with all the sealing, drying, laying, grouting and sealing again - what do any of you typically charge per m2 for this. My client will mostly be in London.

Do any of you specialise in this install.

I am sure more questions will arise but this will get it going.

I appreciate all the help / advice you have given me in the past and look forward to your comments.

Cow.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

You can get pre sealed encaustic now which has made this product more accessible to the fashion industry we work in!
It's a product which has the aesthetic impact that clients crave but not always the practical properties that they want long term .
No matter how much sealing is done it's not a material I'd recommend for heavy duty areas where oil spillages are possible.
As for costs - treat as blotting paper stone - possibly day rates.

 

[Flintstone]

I fitted some last year over Ufh, in a kitchen, they where off white with some of the pattern ones in the middle, looked great but they were really really prone to marking and stuff, the woman spent hours cleaning and scrubbing them before I sealed them, I'm sure they probably didn't stay looking fresh for all that long.

 

[Flintstone]

 

[Flintstone]

I can't remember what the sealer was, it was one that they supplied with the tiles.

 

[cowgomoo]

You can get pre sealed encaustic now which has made this product more accessible to the fashion industry we work in!
It's a product which has the aesthetic impact that clients crave but not always the practical properties that they want long term .
No matter how much sealing is done it's not a material I'd recommend for heavy duty areas where oil spillages are possible.
As for costs - treat as blotting paper stone - possibly day rates.

Good Afternoon John,

thanks for the reply, I supply plenty of "encaustic effect " tiles in bathrooms and kitchen where the characteristics of porcelain come to the fore. Would you say that these were for specialist installers such as yourself ??

ow

 

[cowgomoo]

View attachment 80019

Thanks for the info Localtiler, do you get asked to do these on a regular basis ? Do you charge a lot more as opposed to porcelain and did you have to dip them before laying ?

Thanks for your help.

Cow

 

[Spud]

I always get a least 2 coats of sealer on them before fitting them , I use a slower setting rapid like keraquick or similar I always dip the tiles for 5'seconds before wiping off excess water and laying them , you will hear them kind of fizzing when you dip the back of the tile in the water , I let them dry out for a couple of days before grouting so I try and plan to finish the tiling on a Friday where ever possible and give them the weekend to dry out ,
Final finish I usually give them another coat of sealer and once this is dried in I finish with Lithofin multi seal
Sealer I recommend for encaustic is fila fob

 

[cowgomoo]

Good Afternoon Gary,

do you completely submerge the tile or just lay the back in ?

Cow

 

[Flintstone]

I've only been asked to do them once, I wiped the back of the tile as they are dusty and back buttered them as they are a little un even on the back. Time wise they are pretty much like laying quarry tiles but with a little more time cleaning and sealing. I also sealed twice I think

 

[MTiler]

I worked with Bert & May encasustics last year and just followed their installation instructions. They all had to be washed and left to dry out before installing. Easy to cut as theyre not hard, I just used a grinder so they didnt stain. They really soak up the Impregnator lol. They had to be left to completely dry out for 5 days before sealing. I used 1mm grout joints and grouted with Mapei KeracolourSF grout.

 

[tommyzooom]

I've a bathroom floor to do this week, but they are a strange type......5 or 6 mm of encaustic, with a cement layer on the back, 20mm thickness overall

 

[Spud]

Just the backs

 

[Spud]

Love that pattern Sharon

 

[MTiler]

Love that pattern Sharon

That was all down to the Interior Designer. Nice big kitchen so worked well as a feature wall.