travertine

[shaundaly]

Hi Guys,

I done my tiling course with North East about 1 year ago. I've done loads of wall and a fair bit of floor tiling. This is in kitchens only as I am a kitchen fitter.
I have a fit to do in 2 weeks and the customer has travertine tiles. The wall tiles are 4" so they can be fitted as normal I assume, but the floor tiles are the mosaic type with different tiles in the matting.
As I have never touched this stuff before, I have a few questions.


Do you lay the floor tiles randomly or try to create a set pattern?

Do you seal tops and bottom of tilies before fitting or just tops?

Can you cut the tiles with a normal wet cutter? I have the bigger plastic plugs one. Are the mosaics easy to cut on a wet cutter?

I think the floor is concret(did not do survey) so what adhesive and grout do I use. What adhesive for walls.

I have a v notched trowel that I use for wall tiling and normal one for flooring, not sure of size but think 10mm. I got it from North East for ceramic/porcelain.

Should I prime floor and walls with BAL APD?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks
Shaun

[keraldine]

Hiya

If they are on a mesh then i would follow a pattern as you will get your randomness from the way it is already laid on the mesh ,

You generally only need to seal the tops of the tiles and you can do this after fitting but before grouting and a white adhesive would prevent colour from grey adhesive bleeding through the tiles.As for cutting you should find it relativly easy on the wet cutter if the pieces are big enough to hold without your fingers getting in the way .

I would just check that the adhesive is suitable for use with natural stone but always go for white with light travertines and read the bag to see about priming as a lot of the newer versions are self priming dependant on how powdery the substrate .

The trick is just to check the bags and call the tech help lines if you are not sure of anything

[shaundaly]

Thanks Mate.
If I don't seal before fitting and I get a bit of adhesive on the tile when laying, could this cause a problem with staining. That's why I was thinking about sealing before laying. It's strange, some people say seal before and some say just seal after. This is what's causing my confusion.
The tiles are beige so I guess its the white adhesive as you said.

Shaun

[BDS]

Hi shaun i`ve just done 60 m2 of travertine floor,not mosaics but same stone and as long as you clean of any excess adhesive but make sure its white adhesive,if any residue left on use a remover theres loads on the market then seal tiles,theres lots of sealers out there as well so use as per there instructions then grout.as for adhesives i`ve used a few and find BAL the best and there always more than happy to help in anyway have a word with GazTech he can tell ya more about addy`s/primers etc etc etc good luck

[shaundaly]

I've been spending time looking on the forum and theres so many different opinions about sealing. I should have pointed out that the tiles are the rustic type with small holes and not the smooth type. Unfilled or honed I believe its called.
Some guys are saying don't seal before grouting or the grout in the holes will not stick so I am well confused at what to do.

Is this the correct process?

Fit wall tiles unsealed, using white flexi cement adhesive. Another point, if the walls are skimmed plasterboard should I remove skim. If walls are block and have skim over undercoat plaster what then? The undercoat stuff is usuall really soft and powdery and you can scrape out with finger nails. Please advise on this as this has only just entered my head.

Seal & grout(flexi grout) or grout and seal?
Seal
Wash off.

Lay floor with same adhesive and grout.

Thanks guys.
Shaun

[sstilingservice]

Hi Shaun

Lay seal grout then seal again and please be aware that if they are now filled they will eat grout so make sure you have plenty and just take your time trav looks fantastic when it's all done and will look good on your web page . just make sure you clean all the grout off !!

[GazTech]

Shaun if using powdered adhesive onto plaster or plasterboard, you must prime it with APD.......Gaz

[enduro]

I always lay the tiles first then grout, then clean tiles with a floor polisher with a cleaning pad, then seal, then buff them up with floor polisher, i bought the machine on eBay for a few hundred quid, and it makes the job look so much better when finished and the customers love it as the new floor looks perfect.

[andy-p]

heres a recent job, unfilled trav sealed before and after grouting..

[Dave]

Andy..were those tiles from homebase..?

I did one with the same tiles and border and same lay out...lol..

[Sir Ramic]

I always lay the tiles first then grout, then clean tiles with a floor polisher with a cleaning pad, then seal, then buff them up with floor polisher, i bought the machine on eBay for a few hundred quid, and it makes the job look so much better when finished and the customers love it as the new floor looks perfect.

Can you be more specific about the floor polisher and the pads you used please

[andy-p]

yup dave they were from homebase, they were really badly unfilled , some like teabags, yours look much smoother or have you just done a better job than me ??

[Sir Ramic]

Andy..were those tiles from homebase..?

I did one with the same tiles and border and same lay out...lol..

Why have they got a hand rail on the floor ???

[Dave]

Hand rail...........you kill me neale....

It's a chrome waste pipe for a slipper bath ( free standing )....

[Sir Ramic]

lol

[shaundaly]

Thanks All,

Can I used a coloured grout like limestone or should I use white like the adhesive.

Cheers
Shaun

[Sir Ramic]

Thanks All,

Can I used a coloured grout like limestone or should I use white like the adhesive.

Cheers
Shaun

Deffo as close to matching the tile IMO

[sstilingservice]

Hi Shaun

I use limestone or ivory . Personally I would not put white with trav but hey what do I know . must admit when I saw that grab rail on the floor I thought perhaps there was a bit to much of slope in the floor

[BDS]

Hi shaun i`ve just used BAL`S pebble coloured grout on the trav floor and it looks great customer loves it again a big thanks to GazTech cheers gary.

[TilingLogistics]

If you use a temporary sealer like BAL on unfilled travertine and pour it in a roller paint tray and apply it with a paint pad sparingly you will not get any in the holes and it greatly helps on clean up after grouting!

The problems occur when you start slapping tons of sealer on the surface with a roller then it goes everywhere. Sealer should be applied sparingly in small area that can be reached at all times observing the surface and wiping off excess thoroughly. Apply more coats if necessary. I always say it and will say it again test the sealer on an offcut and get the clients approval before applying it to the whole floor. Different sealers can give a completely different appearance to the finish. I always carry 4 or 5 samples and show the client on a spare tile so they can make their own decision and then there is no comeback

Kev

[whitebeam]

Use a mohair roller, It won't allow to much sealer on it and will leave a smooth finish

[shaundaly]

Just started the kitchen fit to find that the wall tiles aree 300 x 300 mosaic travertine. So my question is for all you wise men, how do I cut the vertical cuts around a socket that will sit half way into my sheet of mosaic? Do I plung cut on wet cutter, if so how do I finish the cut?
With ceramic you can nibble as required with nippers but what about this stuff. Please help, I will be tiling it next week.

Cheers
Shaun

[Dave]

Just take the sheet apart and fit in sections and cuts to suit the sockets etc...

[shaundaly]

Cheers Dave.

A simple solution but never thought of it. Since my tiling course a year ago I've never had to do mosaics or stone. So my 1st mosaic job is with stone. Great.

I have thought of another question. People are talking about topical and temporary sealers. This is new to me. Once I've layed the tiles whay type of sealer do I use before I grout, and once grouted what sealer then. The tiles are pretty smooth with only small pits in them, although I must admit to not knowing the different types of travertine.

Thanks in advance

Shaun

[Alberta Stone]

Putting sealer on before grouting is one way and it works, but as mentioned it needs to be applied sparingly so you don't get it into the pits and joints.
I don't seal before.
I grout and wash and then use a diamond scuff pad to clean any little residue that is left.
This way my grout lines are not washed out and are very flush with the level of the tiles
I find with the stone I have been getting that Mapei biscuit is a good color, but match it to the stone you have and don't use white, but all of the beige's are wide open.

With mosaic I just cut out the pieces that are over the socket and if a small piece is covering something I use a Dremel with a diamond shank tool end and just grind it neat the next day when the mortar has set.
If I have to cut little bits on the side or top I take the pieces I have cut out and cut those to fit.
You can nip travertine if you are careful, but if your saw is set up and handy just use that.
I also get the customer to choose the level of sheen they prefer before doing the final seal so they get just what they want and can't complain after the fact which would be tough to rectify.

[shaundaly]

I have lifted the old ceramic tiles now, and the sub floor is part concrete and part tile. It's all ok to tile on and I'm using bal flexi rapidset. I'm thinking that I should seal the floor with bal sbr first. Can someone please confirm this or advise otherwise.

Thanks
Shaun