To ensure you have sufficient tiles for your needs, measure the area to be tiled and work out how much you need in square meters. You will need to factor in 10% for cuts and waste, to ensure that you do not run short. If you are ordering online please read the following information to ensure that you are ordering the correct products to suit your needs. Alternatively call us and we will be happy to do the hard work for you. We are able to deliver worldwide and offer a fast and reliable transportation service. All deliveries are dispatched from our warehouse to suit your delivery date. Deliveries are between 9am-5pm Monday – Friday. It is important that we are informed of any access restrictions as deliveries will be by HGV.
We pack all our tiles so that the crates are water tight so that adhesives and grouts are not damaged. However some tiles are packed when wet due to various finishing processes. Remove all the tiles and give them a wipe down to remove residue and allow them to dry prior to commencing tiling. For uncalibrated tiles (such as the Lonsdale Slate Farmhouse Flags) it is helpful to grade them into thicknesses. So when you come to lay them, lay the thickest flags first to start the level, then bed up the thinner flags as necessary.
Whilst grading it is also helpful to pick out any tiles that have markings that may or may not be to your liking and use them for cuts or place in prime position. Being natural materials there will be variations in the tiles. So when care should be taken to select tiles to give a consistent distribution of colours and variations. It is normal to have a few chips and marks due to packing and unpacking, this is to be expected and it is standard practice for these tiles to be used for cuts.
It is paramount to choose the correct adhesive to suit your substrate, so the first thing to ascertain is exact what you are tiling onto. To choose the correct adhesive please see the chart below. Due to the large number of substrates it is not possible to list the correct preparation methods for all of them, so please give us a call to discuss your situation or enlist the help of a professional tiler. When tiling floors a solid bed of adhesive needs to be achieved therefore using the right trowel is important. A u-notched 10mm (solid bed trowel) is often sufficient, with larger format uncalibrated tiles it may be necessary to increase the notch size.
Always follow the manufacturers instructions and never re-wet the adhesive as this will compromise the performance. Some tiles may require the back face of the tile to be “buttered” (such as Travertine) to fill small voids in the tile.
On light coloured stones always use a white adhesive as grey can leach into some porous stones and discolour the surface. We have a range of rapid and standard set adhesives to suit not only how quick you lay but also on some porous stones to disperse the water quicker and prevent issues with water retention in the stone.
If you have any questions as regards adhesive choice then please feel free to ring us on 01539 822666 or Mapei Technical helpline on 0121 508 6970.
Mapei Ultracolor Plus is a fast setting and flexible grout suitable for grout gaps from 2mm to 20mm so is ideal for nearly all applications. When floor tiling the minimum advised joint is 3mm to always for lateral movement. If laying a pattern it should be noted that not all the gaps will be consistent due to the nature of the pattern and this is to be expected.
On some porous or cleft tiles it is necessary to seal the tiles post fixing and prior to grouting as this not only eases the cleaning off process but will stop any potential leaching of the grout colour resulting in “picture framing” of the tiles. RR Stone Ultima Seal is ideal for this being fast drying and easy to apply. When grouting it is important that the grout is not over-wetted as this can result in the grout being lighter in colour than expected. In particularly large areas of tiling it is necessary to include a movement joints. Their inclusion and frequency can depend on various factors so please call us if you are unsure.
It isn’t 100% necessary to seal natural stone if you do not wish however we would always recommend that you do. All natural stones are porous in varying degrees this means that they are susceptible to staining and sealing the stone correctly and help prevent stains, mould, mildew, etc. It also makes cleaning and maintenance of your investment easier.
There are two main categories of seal Topical and Impregnator(some can be both). A Topical sealer is one that forms a protective barrier on the surface of the stone. An Impregnator, as the name suggests, impregnates the pores of the stone and fills them to prevent anything else infiltrating the stone. It is important to chose the right sealant to suit your application as some sealers will enhance the stone and darken and some will leave the stone unchanged. Please see our sealant selector to choose the right one for your needs.
It is often helpful to seal the tiles prior to grouting to aid removal of the grout residue from the surface. Once clean, the tiles and grout can then be sealed again. It is usually necessary to give at least two coats of sealant to most stones, however some porous stones can require more. One way to test is to place a teaspoons worth of water onto the surface and if the water is absorbed within 10mins or so then the surface will require further treatment.
For further instructions on how to apply specific sealants please contact feel free to contact us by email or ring us on 01539 822666.
It is vitally important that any under floor heating systems are fully commissioned prior to tiling. If you are in any doubt concerning the moisture level of a screed or it has developed stress cracks a decoupling membrane should be used. After tiling the UFH should not be turned on for at least a week to allow the adhesives, grout and sealant to cure fully. When turning on the UFH after tiling it could be turned to its minimum setting and increased by 5degrees a day until you have reached your desired temperature.