Ways of laying porcelain stoneware on the floor

Thanks to the lightning-fast development of innovative building technologies, in the arsenal of home craftsmen planning to repair flooring, in addition to traditional methods, such as arranging a self-leveling floor and tiling, another one has appeared - laying porcelain stoneware on the floor. Despite the fact that porcelain stoneware is a relatively new material, it has been used for a long time, along with ceramic tiles, for the installation of floor coverings. In addition, the relatively recent appearance of porcelain stoneware has not prevented it from occupying a solid niche in the construction market, which is explained by its durability, high aesthetic characteristics and environmental safety. However, the process of laying porcelain stoneware is somewhat more complicated than finishing the floor with ceramic tiles and is characterized by certain nuances, ranging from the peculiarities of calculating the required amount of material and ending with the grouting technology. By observing these nuances, you can install a high-quality floor covering that will last as long as possible and, at the same time, retain its original appearance.

Porcelain stoneware: flooring features and material selection rules

Porcelain stoneware is a material made from a mixture of quartz, feldspar, clay and mineral pigments. The manufacturing technology of porcelain stoneware involves pressing and firing the specified composition in special kilns, resulting in a high-strength tile that does not differ from natural stone in its aesthetic and operational characteristics. In view of the high strength, wear resistance and moisture resistance of porcelain stoneware floors, the laying of porcelain stoneware slabs, performed in accordance with all the rules, will guarantee a long service life of the floor covering, which will retain its original appearance.

In view of the fact that the floor is the basis of any room, in the process of choosing a floor covering, it is necessary to take into account the functional purpose of the space. Due to the fact that porcelain stoneware, unlike ceramic tiles, is a more durable and heavy material, its laying is a technologically more complex process.

When installing flooring in residential premises, consider the requirements for certain premises. If we are talking about a hallway, then the floor covering must be moisture resistant, resistant to negative chemical influences (salt, which is sprinkled on sidewalks in winter) and dirt, as well as mechanically strong and wear-resistant.

The floor in the kitchen should be characterized by wear resistance, lack of sensitivity to cyclic temperature fluctuations, as well as resistance to chemical-based detergents. Similar requirements apply to the floor in the bathroom, which, in addition, must be resistant to moisture and non-slip. Thus, porcelain stoneware, which is characterized by the above characteristics, can be used for the installation of flooring in these rooms.

In addition, matte porcelain stoneware, in contrast to polished, is characterized by a rough surface and, due to its high resistance to mechanical stress and high humidity, can be used for installing flooring in workshops, boiler rooms and garages, where increased requirements are placed on it.

Advantages of porcelain stoneware: its differences from ceramic tiles

Despite the fact that porcelain stoneware and ceramic tiles look similar in appearance, distinguishing them is not as easy as it seems. However, they have significant differences.

Unlike ceramic tiles, porcelain stoneware can withstand high mechanical loads, being a material with high strength. Features of the manufacture of porcelain stoneware determine its specific coloring not only outside, but also inside. Features of the pattern are formed in the process of manufacturing the tile itself. Thanks to these nuances, the pattern can be seen not only on the surface, but also on the cut of porcelain tiles. The manufacturing technology of ceramic tiles involves drawing a pattern only on its surface after manufacturing.

In addition, porcelain stoneware has the following advantages:

• Long service life;
• Resistant to high and low temperatures;
• Increased moisture resistance;
• Immunity to detergents based on chemicals;
• Wide selection of sizes and colors.

The choice of porcelain stoneware and its preparation for laying

Before purchasing porcelain stoneware, sketch out a plan of the surface on which the laying will be carried out and calculate the required amount of material. Calculate the total area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room and based on 1 sq. meter of surface, determine the total laying area and the required number of porcelain stoneware slabs. After calculating the required amount of material, add 8-10% of the total amount of material to the figure obtained, and thus you will get the required amount of porcelain stoneware slabs that you need to purchase. This will allow you to insure against errors in calculations and damage to the material during its transportation. When buying porcelain stoneware slabs, make sure that their pattern, tint solution and format of the entire purchased batch of material are identical.

In the process of choosing porcelain stoneware, the purpose of the room in which the installation will be carried out is taken into account. If it is a bathroom or kitchen, in order to avoid possible injuries that can occur when water gets on the floor, try to give preference to porcelain stoneware with a rough surface.

Subtleties and options for laying porcelain stoneware on the floor

It has already been noted earlier that porcelain stoneware is distinguished by a variety of shapes, a wide color palette and a large selection of sizes. Even without using special types of porcelain stoneware, you can lay it in various ways, as shown in the figure below.

Ways of laying porcelain stoneware on the floor

By choosing one of the presented options and choosing one-color porcelain tiles, you will get an original image, especially if you combine tiles of different sizes and colors.

Important! If the room in which the flooring will be installed is characterized by an irregular shape, porcelain stoneware can be laid in accordance with the drawings below.

Features of image perception determine certain subtleties, the observance of which will be appropriate in the process of laying porcelain stoneware. They are as follows:

• The size of the tile has a direct impact on the visual assessment of the room: large tiles visually reduce the room, small tiles increase;
• To visually increase the width of the room, designers recommend giving preference to patterns laid out across, while patterns laid out along the room contribute to a visual increase in its length;
• To combine several areas of the room into a single whole, it is recommended to use a through pattern. The division of the room into several zones is carried out using a single drawing;
• The use of light-colored tiles contributes to the visual increase in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room, while dark colors visually reduce its area;
• If during the installation of the flooring you place the tiles at an angle of 45 degrees, the edges of the porcelain tiles must be strictly parallel to the diagonals of the room, as indicated in the figure below.

Porcelain stoneware laying methods: procedure

Depending on the type of surface on which the installation will be carried out, there are several options for laying porcelain stoneware on the floor, the most commonly used in practice. These include:

• Laying porcelain stoneware slabs on raised floors, involving the use of special structures for their fixation. This method of laying porcelain stoneware is relevant not only for the installation of a raised floor, but also for ventilated facades. It requires specialized professional skills and is carried out predominantly by experienced craftsmen.
• Laying porcelain stoneware on the floor with the help of special adhesives, which even a beginner can do.

The procedure for laying porcelain stoneware is as follows:

• Preparation of materials and tools that will be required in the process of work;
• Preparation of the base for laying slabs;
• Laying of porcelain tiles;
• The final stage is grouting.

Materials and tools for laying porcelain stoneware

To get started, prepare the following tools:

• Bulgarian, equipped with a diamond wheel, or a tile cutter;
• Building level;
• Metal ruler or building level, which are necessary for taking measurements;
• A simple and notched trowel, as well as a rubber trowel;
• A marker with which the surface will be marked;
• Drill equipped with a mixing nozzle;
• Container for mixing solution.

In addition, you will need materials from the list below:

• Primer designed for base treatment;
• Ceramic tiles;
• Adhesive for mounting porcelain tiles;
• Silicone sealant;
• Grout for seams.

First of all, experienced craftsmen advise to carefully consider the installation plan for porcelain stoneware flooring, which involves determining the installation method, the nature of the pattern, the thickness of the adhesive layer and the method of its application. Recently, the seamless laying of porcelain stoneware, which has the visual effect of forming a monolithic coating, has been gaining popularity. However, for the installation of flooring using seamless technology, a special rectified tile is required, characterized by precise geometry, taking into account minimum tolerances. The process of rectification can be subjected to porcelain stoneware tiles with different surfaces: polished, matte or structured.

The disadvantage of this method of installation is the possibility of using tiles of only one size, as well as the impossibility of ensuring the same length of the joints and the uniformity of their filling. However, this method also has advantages - its use allows you to provide a uniform surface without seams and save the materials used. Despite the advantages of the method, many prefer the traditional styling method.

Before starting installation work, the surface of the tile is cleaned of the protective layer applied by manufacturers to preserve its integrity. Most often, technical wax is used as a protective layer, which can be removed with warm water and detergent. If paraffin was used as a protective layer, it is removed with a spatula.

Foundation preparation: basic nuances

Laying porcelain stoneware can only be carried out on a perfectly flat surface with sufficient bearing capacity, which will become the key to the quality of the floor covering. In the event of irregularities on the surface to be installed, they will cause a difference in the thickness of the laying layer and a subsequent difference in stresses on the coating, which will lead to a deterioration in the adhesion of the tiles to the substrate. In this regard, before laying porcelain stoneware on the floor, the price of which depends on the quality of the material used, the surface to be mounted is cleaned, dedusted and primed.

Important! If porcelain stoneware is being installed on a wooden surface, make sure that it does not spring under the weight of a person. If a defect is found, stuff the reinforcing mesh onto a wooden surface.

The choice of adhesive for laying porcelain stoneware

Porcelain stoneware is a material that is characterized by zero water absorption, and this must be taken into account when choosing an adhesive mixture. In view of the fact that the adhesive for laying porcelain stoneware must have a high degree of adhesion to the surface, it is forbidden to use cement mortar to install porcelain stoneware on the floor.

Important! The cost of laying porcelain stoneware on the floor will be slightly higher if you use adhesive mixtures characterized by a large percentage of polymer additives, but this option is the most preferable due to its high reliability.

When choosing an adhesive for laying porcelain stoneware, consider the nature of the base on which the installation will be carried out, as well as the recommendations of the adhesive manufacturer presented in the instructions.

If the installation of the floor covering will be carried out in a corridor or other room with high traffic of people, experts recommend giving preference to more rigid adhesive compositions, for example, a two-component cement-based adhesive, which contains latex and epoxy resins. For laying the floor in rooms with high humidity, use an elastic adhesive with high elasticity.

How to make a seamless installation of porcelain stoneware?

This laying method is relatively new and requires compliance with certain technological nuances.

• Seamless laying of porcelain stoneware involves the use of large-sized porcelain stoneware with a minimum size of 600 x 600 mm. By observing this requirement, you can minimize the number of seams;
• As part of the seamless laying of porcelain stoneware, the seams are a kind of buffer that softens the load placed on the porcelain stoneware surface. The grouts used for the final processing of the joints contract and expand during the temperature difference, which prevents cracking of the floor covering. If these materials are neglected, the floor covering will soon fail, losing its original characteristics;
• Porcelain stoneware installation using seamless technology can only be carried out in a certain temperature range from +5 to +35 degrees;
• In the process of laying porcelain stoneware, you can leave a gap of no more than one millimeter, which is filled with a special grout and epoxy resin, which is matched to the tone of the tile;

• If the sketch of your flooring pattern involves the creation of a symmetrical pattern, it is better to start the installation of porcelain tiles from the middle of the room, stretching the twine along the line of symmetry;
• The application of glue, mixed to a creamy state, is carried out on a small area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe surface to be mounted and subsequently leveled with a spatula. It is important to exclude the formation of bubbles;
• Make sure that there are no voids in the adhesive layer between the floor and porcelain tiles, which will prevent the tiles from cracking during operation.
• The adhesive surface obtained during the laying process is treated with a notched trowel;
• After laying porcelain stoneware on the adhesive composition, check the correctness of its installation using the building level;
• The distance between each subsequent laid element should be no more than 3 mm. This laying rule is common for all types of porcelain tiles, with the exception of edged porcelain tiles, when the gap is almost imperceptible and does not exceed 1 mm;
• The porcelain stoneware coating, laid in accordance with the rules described above, is left for 3-4 days until the adhesive composition is completely dry, after which it can be used with maximum loads.

• The final step in the installation of porcelain stoneware flooring is grouting. In the process of choosing a grout color solution, several parameters are taken into account - the color of the tile and the width of the seam. In most cases, experts recommend giving preference to the least easily soiled gray grout tones.
• For grouting tile joints, a rubber spatula is used, which is also used to remove excess grout.

The assessment of the quality of the performed installation work is carried out in accordance with the following criteria:

• The surface of porcelain stoneware flooring should be characterized by the absence of bulges and depressions;
• The surface of the flooring should give the impression of a single harmonious composition.

Laying porcelain tiles on the floor video