How to install tile in bathrooms and swimming pools
When we start to learn how to lay tiles, we ask ourselves how to lay tiles in bathrooms and swimming pools.
If you have a project with tile in mind, this article interests you. We will tell you what Gresite is, what tools we need to place it, and the steps to do a good job.
WHAT IS GRANITE?
Before placing any coating material in our bathroom or pool, we must know its characteristics and properties.
Choosing to install glass mosaic pool tile is very common, but… do we know what we install? Most people think granite is a type of tile, but although they may seem the same at first glance, they really have nothing to do with it.
The tile is a ceramic material composed of fired clays with a vitrified face, but its reverse is porous, which means it absorbs water. It can be found in various formats, but 20 x 20 cm is the most traditional. Another great option for pool tiles suppliers in Dubai is Tile Gallery. This company also has an excellent reputation and offers high-quality products. They offer a wide variety of pool tile designs and colors to choose from, so you’re sure to find something that meets your needs. Their prices are also very reasonable, making them another great value option.
On the other hand, the tile is made with flat recycled glass melted at high temperatures and with zero porosity, which means that its size is always invariable and will not absorb water throughout its useful life. That is why placing tile is the most common in swimming pools.
It has a size that usually is at most 2.5 x 2.5 cm mosaics. Grouped into plates called tesserae of approximately 31.5 x 31.5 cm, each plate has a mobile surface that will adapt perfectly to the angles of the pool compared to the rigidity of the tile. Also, its small format means that placing tile visually enlarges the spaces in small bathrooms.
- Know more about:- How To Lay Tile In A Pool
KIND OF MISTAKES
There are different types of tile in terms of shapes, colors, and arrangement of the mosaics. There are also smooth or non-slip textures.
As for the ceramic pool tiles, there are three types of plates:
- One is made of glued paper on the finished face to join the mosaic pieces.
- The second is made with a mesh on the unseen face of the product.
- The other is made with dots of a special polyurethane silicone on the grip side of the liner. It is the one that gives the best results since it prevents the mosaics from coming off.
But if tiles and stoneware are so different, why do we usually confuse them?
- First, they look alike since the vitrified aspect of the tile makes it very similar to that of the glass of the granite.
- And secondly, because the way they are installed is very similar, and the materials and tools we use are the same.
WHAT TOOLS DO WE NEED TO PLACE GRANITE?
Well, as we have mentioned, to place the tile, we will use the same tools as to place the ceramic tile, including:
- Palette
- Toothed wool
- Mosaic cutting pliers or manual ceramic cutter
- electric mixer
- Regulate
- Flexómetro
- cubes
- drawers
- Rubber trowel for grouting
- cuvettes
- sponges
- Talochas
WHAT STEPS SHOULD WE FOLLOW TO PLACE THE TILE?
These are the different summarized steps for its installation:
- STAKEOUT
You should first plan and organize the space in which the tile will be placed. Take measurements with the pleximeter and calculate the tile surface you will require.
- PREPARATION OF THE SUPPORT
Whether we are going to place a tile in a swimming pool or a bathroom, before starting to place the tiles, you must check that the walls or the floor are levels, with as perfect a planimetry as possible. To do this, you can use a ruler, ensuring that you do not see unevenness gaps greater than 3 mm, in which case we should regularize the surface. Check out more at EDM Blog
We must also ensure that they are dry and do not have dust or dirt. If the walls or floor have cracks or fissures, they must be repaired before beginning the installation.
If it is the first time you will cover the pool, it is best to apply waterproofing cementitious mortar on the entire surface before installing the tile. This way, it will be uniform, and you will guarantee the waterproofing of the pool.
- PREPARE THE GLUE CEMENT MIX
Add water in a container following the manufacturer’s instructions, add the adhesive cement, and beat the mixture until it achieves a homogeneous consistency. For this, you should use an electric mixer, and thus you will avoid the mixture lumps. You must let it rest for the time indicated by the manufacturer before giving the final mix.
- SPREAD A LAYER OF ADHESIVE CEMENT
With the help of the notched trowel, spread a 2 or 3-millimeter layer of glue cement and comb it with the notched part. This will allow it to adhere better to the surface.
You want to do this in parts, keep a small piece of adhesive, or it will dry out before you can lay the whole tile down.
- PLACE THE TILES
Mark a line across the top level across the pool to help you lay the tile straight. Always go from top to bottom until you reach the joints with the ground. Once you have spread the adhesive cement in the first area, you must place the plates or tiles, ensuring that they are aligned and that the distance between them is about 2 millimeters.
With the mallet or rubber trowel, hit the plates to settle them and fix them well to the layer of an adhesive cement. Then make sure they are level. Repeat this step until you have covered the entire surface of the pool.
Reserve the boards you will need to cut to fit the smallest and most inclined spaces, such as stairs or angles of walls and floors. To cut it correctly, you will need to measure the uncoated space and mark a reference line on the tile. With mosaic pliers or a manual ceramic cutter, you must cut the pieces of tile from the plate and place them in place, taking care that it does not affect the symmetry of the coating.
- CLEAN THE REMAINS OF GLUE CEMENT
With a damp sponge, clean the adhesive cement remaining on the tile’s surface.
- GROUTING OF THE TILE
When the adhesive cement and the tile are completely dry (approx. 24 hours), you can start with the grouting, which is nothing more than filling the joints. To do this, you must use the electric mixer again and, in a container, mix the grout or joint mortar. When you obtain a homogeneous mixture, you must use a rubber trowel to spread the mixture over the tile’s entire surface and introduce it through the joints, always sweeping diagonally with the rubber trowel.
To remove the excess mixture, you must apply pressure (very light) with diagonal sweeps so as not to extract any material that has already penetrated the joint and damaged the grout.
- CLEAN THE REMAINS OF THE GROUT.
If you let the grout dry completely, it will be very difficult to remove. Please wait for it to dry a little but not too much, and using well-wrung sponges and floats, do a gentle cleaning to remove the remains of grout, always with diagonal sweeps, and be very careful not to remove the joint material.
- DO THE FINAL CLEANING OF THE COATING
Let the grout mixture dry, respecting the times given by the manufacturer (approx. 24 hours), and with the help of the sponges and floats, proceed to give the final cleaning of the entire installation, sweeping all the pieces diagonally.
- ENJOY YOUR RECENTLY PLACED TILE
Finally, now that you have learned how to tile and have installed it, it is time to enjoy it!?