Cement mosaic tile ELVA - series BREDA - 20 x 20 - french grey/white

Cement tiles

Even today, tiles are still made by hand, slab by slab. A coloured mixture is made from marble powder, white cement and pure colour pigments, which is filled with a carrier layer and pressed together under high pressure. This produces solid and hard-wearing tiles with a slightly porous surface and a colour and wear layer that is around 3 mm thick. Due to the manufacturing process, the cement tiles have their typical unmistakable characteristics: a silky smooth surface, elegantly iridescent colours and slightly uneven edges.

Suitability

Installation in directly wet areas is generally not recommended, however. Floor coverings in showers must fulfil at least slip resistance class R10 and B. Cement tiles fulfil slip resistance class R9 and B. Additional measures would therefore have to be taken to fulfil the legal requirements. Particularly high demands are placed on the protection of cement tiles in wet areas. Aggressive acidic cleaning agents can attack inadequately protected cement tiles. Care products such as hairspray, shampoo and shower gel often have a pH value that is pleasant for human skin but can become a problem for cement tiles. The frequent alternation of moisture and drying is very stressful. Limescale marks that develop over time cannot be adequately removed and make the surfaces rather unsightly over time.

Cement tiles are also suitable for underfloor heating if the floor is heated evenly and at a normal water temperature (22-28°C). Excessive temperature fluctuations should be avoided. The combination with electric underfloor direct heating systems, which are laid in the adhesive bed of the cement or terrazzo tiles, is not recommended due to the greater thermal stress.

If cement floor tiles are laid on dry construction substrates, cement-bonded dry construction boards / screed elements should be used.

Cement floor tiles are only partially frost-resistant and are not suitable for outdoor use.

Maintenance care

For a period of around six months after installation, Precious Stone Soap P324 should be used to mop the tiled surfaces. The precious stone soap contains natural oils that supplement the protective layer each time it is cleaned. This can also be used for ongoing maintenance care. Alternatively, you can also use a good soft soap.

Good things take time - a patina only builds up over time and protects the floors maintained in this way.

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Basic cleaning

After installation, thorough cleaning is the basis for impregnation. After sweeping or vacuuming the floor, possibly also removing mortar and paint residues, the surface should be wiped with a slightly damp cloth. Coarse building soiling can be scrubbed off with scouring powder after light pre-wetting. Acidification is not permitted! Then wipe the boards sparingly with clean water and allow to dry thoroughly.

the capillaries must not be saturated with moisture from previous cleaning. A meaningful test surface must be created before complete impregnation. Check dryness! For further treatment, the residual moisture must not exceed 2 - 4 %!

Make sure the ro

Impregnation can be applied approx. 10-14 days after grouting, when the laying surface has dried thoroughly. As long as the cement tiles are not impregnated, they are open-pored and therefore sensitive to dirt and moisture!

1 - Basic cleaning with HMKR155

A clean, dry surface is the basis for impregnation. Before impregnation, the floor should be thoroughly cleaned again.

Sweep or vacuum the floor first

Carefully follow the individual laying steps and drying times. Depending on the weather conditions, you must allow approx. 3 weeks from the start of installation until the floor is completely ready for use.

Laying

The installation work must be carried out by an installer who is familiar with the specific material properties. We accept no liability for improper processing.

Before the individual panels are inserted into the adhesive bed with as few joints as possible (joint width 1-2 mm), the packages should be mixed together to create a harmonious interplay of colours. Individual slabs may show stronger colour differences, this is part of the laying pattern. However, before laying tiles with very different colours, this should be agreed between the installer and the client. The narrow joint width is a special design and should also be explicitly agreed between the client and installer.

The substrate must be clean, level, load-bearing, dimensionally stable, dry and free from adhesion-reducing substances, stable and free from cracks. The substrate should be treated in accordance with the adhesive manufacturer's instructions. In order to bind the residual dust of the substrate and reduce the absorbency of highly absorbent substrates, the substrate should be pre-treated with a primer as required. (e.g. Oktamos UG 30 from Kiesel)

A particularly fast-setting and hardening, highly stable and mouldable mineral flexible mortar with crystalline water binding must be used as the tile adhesive. (e.g. Servoflex K-Schnell SuperTec from Kiesel). Firstly, a contact layer of the flexible mortar is applied to the substrate with the smooth side of the notched trowel. A layer of adhesive is then applied with a 10 mm notched trowel, which, when pressed down and carefully aligned, creates an even surface without any overhangs. The buttering-floating method should be used to ensure a fully saturated, void-free installation. The open time/correction time of the adhesive must be strictly adhered to: the boards must be pushed into the fresh adhesive bed and pressed into place. Care must be taken to ensure that no skin has formed on the surface of the adhesive. Never mix too much adhesive and do not apply more adhesive than can be processed in this time. Do not use leftover adhesive that has already thickened! During installation, care must also be taken to minimise the penetration of moisture into the boards. Rewetting of the tiles or an uneven moisture content in the covering, e.g. due to the surface drying too quickly, can lead to cupping.

Cement floor tiles are best cut with a diamond blade. Even
mitres can be designed so precisely that clean joints on outer edges are possible. Cutting should be done dry.

If the laid floor still needs to be covered, this should be done with a breathable material (no cardboard, as this can leave marks and discolouration).

Grouting

The tiles can be grouted 2-3 days after installation.

Before grouting, the flooring surface should be slightly pre-wetted to prevent the joints from burning out. The grouting mortar is mixed on site from trass cement 2:1 with the finest quartz sand (grain size 0 - 0.3 mm) with the addition of water to a yoghurt-like consistency and applied to the swept tile floor. The mortar is pressed into the joints with an epoxy resin grout board and worked in until the joint no longer falls (i.e. the mortar completely fills the joint.)

CARE: Do not use ready-made grouts that contain a plastic component, as these can form an irreversible grey haze! The required quartz sand and trass cement can be obtained from building materials stores.

Once a section that is easily accessible has been completed, the laying surface is completely cleaned by wiping with a slightly damp tiling sponge. However, the tiles should never be washed off! This could lead to cracking due to swelling and shrinkage.

Silicone joints should be applied after the impregnation has been applied. Use a natural stone silicone to avoid discolouration. Always use the smoothing agent specified by the respective natural stone silicone manufacturer. Remove excess smoothing agent immediately without disturbing the joint!

Stain treatment

Any dripping liquids, especially red wine or similar, should be removed immediately. Stubborn stains can be removed with a pot cleaner, scouring pad or coarse brush and scouring powder. However, stains that occurred before impregnation or due to incomplete and inadequate impregnation are usually irreversible. Sanding with a diamond sanding pad can help to conceal these - if necessary, however, the board must be replaced.