Special Tiling Cases

[Rich]

Evening all, its been a long old time since I put up one on my mind numbing posts that you love so much so I thought Id share a section from my notes. It is not meant as a 'how to guide' just a little bit of info. Hope it will be some help to some1...

Tiling onto Metal
Tiling onto sheet metal should be carried out with great care. While steel is inherently strong, it can be prone to vertical and horizontal expansion/contraction when subject to temp fluctuation.

• The surface of the metal should be thoughly cleaned and degreased to ensure it is free from all rust or other surface contamination.
• Galvanised, painted steel or aluminium are not suitable substrates for tiling
• The steel should be adequately supported and fixed to prevent deflection due to its own weight, the weight of the tiling or any applied load during the life of the tiling installation and to prevent exessive expansion/contraction due to temp change.
• A resin based adhesive should be used or a decoupling membrane should be installed.
• The uncoupling membrane should be fixed with an epoxy adhesive using a 4mm notched trowel and thereafter a max of 6mm flexible adhesive bed is applied over the mat to embed the tiles.

Tiling Balconies

• The substrate must be suitable to receive the tiling installation and sloped to allow sufficient run-off to drains or guttering (approx 1.5mm/m).
• If the balcony is a flat roof conversion or similar non load-bearing design, consult a structural engineer for advice.
• It is recommended the apply a uncoupling membrane to the substrate before tiling. Joints with walls, between sheets and over the balcony edge should be sealed with a joint tape.
• Install tiles as normal using a flexible S1 adhesive.
• Ensure solid bed fixing (as with any floor).
• Perimeter joints should be sealed with a suitable silicone.
• Consideration should be given to installation of skirting tiles and/or waterproof trims.

Tiling Swimming pools
This is only a few notes on the subject as my first advice to anyone who was worried about tiling a swimming pool would be to ask an expert. In addition to the below I would also consider a uncoupling membrane.

Preperation

• The pool shell should be designed and installed to meet the watertightness criteria BS8007
• New concrete should be left for a min of 6 weeks to dry before tiling (depending on thickness)
• If the pool shell is not suitable for direct tiling, the surface must be mechanically prepared to receive new screed/render and applied when the shell is at least 6 weeks old
• The new screed/render should be left to dry for a min of 3 weeks (depending on thickness) before tiling
• It is very important that these are left to dry out as much as possible as much of the shrinkage of the structure will occur during this early period
• You may or may not need to prime depending on the adhesives being used (check with suppier)

Fixing

• Unsure the surface to be tiled is free of all contaminants including concrete release agents, curing compounds, laitance, etc., and there is a good mechanical key.
• Pressure washing or enclosed shot blasting may be required to remove contaminants.
• If priming is required, use the primer recommended by the adhesive manufacturer
• If there is a concern that the pool water will be such that it will be consistently aggressive to cement based materials, a reaction resin adhesive should be considered
• The tiles should be firmly pressed into the adhesive with a twisting motion (as with any tile on any substrate) and working times of the chosen adhesives should be followed
• There should be 100% coverage without the presence of voids with a min adhesive bed of 3mm

Grouting

• It is normally advisable to use a epoxy grout to provide the necessery resistance to aggressive pool water , cleaning chemicals and for easy of cleaning.
• Setting times of the chosen adhesive must be followed

Movement joints

• Proprietary movement joints should be used. Movement joints should be provided in accordance with BS 5385 Part 1:20 or BS 5385 part 2:20 and their locations should be decided at the design stage
• Either epoxy based sealants or unplasticised polysulphide sealants are suitable for use in swimming pools and surrounds

Commissioning

• The swimming pool should only be filled 3-4 weeks after grouting has been completed
• It should be filled at a rate of not more than 750mm rise in 24 hours
• Subsequently the temperature should be raised no more than 0.25 degrees per 24 hours

[Dave]

Now that is a top top post from a TF Trusted Advisor..

[jay]

nice post

[tfs]

good post mate