POST FLOOR TILING INSTALLATION: BEST PRACTICE.
Post floor tiling installation: Once the floor tiles have been installed they must;
Be allowed to fully dry/cure. Curing time does vary from situation to situation.
(As a guide for internal tile work, usually 7 days for every 1cm thickness of the cement Mortar bed).
Exposed external areas will cure more quickly than internal floor areas.
Further, depending on the type or the type of tile, tile bed and or the tile adhesive.
Are the tiles to be installed directly over a wet screeded cement mortar bedding? If so with this process, the tile and cement mortar bedding drying/curing time for internal work is a minimum of 7 days.
Or are the tiles to be installed using and adhesive; being a direct stick method over a fully cured screeded cement mortar bedding or directly installed over a compressed floor sheeting using an adhesive?
Are the tiles to be installed directly over a waterproofing membrane?
In these different situations, the Manufactures recommendation for the tiles, adhesives or waterproofing membranes for site protection should be established and strictly followed to avoid any part of the tile system breaking down bringing about tile failure, loss of and warranty on the tiles, adhesives or grouts.
Protected floor tile work from damage by:
Not allowing, the floor tiles to be disturbed i.e. Foot traffic should be generally kept off floor tiles for at least 24 hours after laying and grouting has been completed.
Grouting should be done, after the initial curing period. This curing period can be different, by way of the type of substrate, the thickness of the mortar bed which is critical to curing times. Further, using a direct fix, type of adhesive to install the tiles: E.G. Rapid setter-normal setter curing time can be reduced and the tiles grouted.
Also dependent on such factors as: the weather: hot, cold, wet and the surface temperature at the time of installation.
The protection should be provided by the laying of, some form of sheeting material as a soft board over the floor tiles for the period between completion and the handover to protect the tiles from others walking on the tiles or within commercial sites, vehicles driving over the tiles.
A barricade should be erected with clear notices to “Keep off”
