Selection and Installation of Natural Stone
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Selection and Installation of Natural Stone in self-build projects from the National Homebuilding and Renovating Show NEC 2016. This presentation is a cut-down version of the one of the seminars that is presented to the members of the Stone Federation of Great Britain.
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Selection and Installation of Natural Stone
- 1. The Selection and Installation of Natural Stone Steve Turner AMARESTONE
- 2. Contents Uses of Stone Selection of Stone Installation Underfloor Heating Maintenance Any Questions Image: Magny French Limestone – History Museum Berlin
- 3. Uses of Natural Stone for Self Builders Flooring Wall coverings Worktops and Vanities Building Facades Fire Surrounds Staircases Table tops And more…… In every room, inside and out. Image: French Ampilly Limestone quarry
- 5. Selection of Stone CE Certificate: • Legal requirement since July 2013 What is a CE certificate? • Test results that prove the characteristics of the stone • Density/Porosity/Frost Resistance….. Why is it important? • Demonstrates that the stone is fit for purpose
- 6. Selection of Stone Variation: • Ideally, visit the quarry or factory to see current production • or • See a range of samples/photos that demonstrate the variation • One small sample may not be representative
- 7. Selection of Stone Ensure sufficient quantity • Particularly if there’s a mix of sizes and/or finishes – contingency for each variant • It is cheaper to over order than to have a top-up order
- 8. Installation - Substrates Sand and Cement screed: • Allow 1 day per 1mm of depth for drying time • Bridge/repair any joins and use anti-fracture matting Anhydrite (poured) Screed: • Must be dry – typically one day per 1mm depth • Remove “crust: before tiling Wooden floorboards/joists • Eliminate bounce • Better to have two layers of cross-laid ply and • Anti-fracture matting
- 9. Installation - Substrates Substrates to Avoid: • Plaster board, plaster skim, painted surfaces • Chipboard flooring etc. Wall substrates: • Check that the substrate can take the weight! • 20mm stone weighs up to 60 kgs/sqm Wall Substrates Maximum Weight of Tiling per m² Gypsum Plaster 20Kg/m² Gypsum Plasterboard Direct (without a plaster skim) 32Kg/m² Plywood (WBP) Up to 30Kg/m² Lightweight Tilebacker Boards Up to 40Kg/m² Dependant upon the type and thickness of the board. (Marmox over 60Kg/m²) Glass reinforced Cement Sheets Up to 50kg/m² Dependant upon the type and thickness of the board. Gypsum Fibre boards Approximately 35-40Kg/m²
- 10. Installation – Adhesives & Grouts Adhesives: • Minimum spec: rapid set, white (not grey) and flexible – S1 standard • ALWAYS a full bed, NEVER dot and dab • “Butter” the back of the tile Grouts: • Always use a flexible grout • Many colours available • Grout is sealed
- 11. Installation – Anti-fracture Matting Anti-fracture matting: • Also known as “de-coupling layer” Pocketed plastic on separate backing e.g. Ditra Mat • Waterproof • 5mm thick Non-woven fabric e.g. Mapetex • 1mm thick • Uses less adhesive • Requires S2 adhesive to stick it down
- 12. Installation - Sequence 1. Lay the stone tiles/slabs 2. Clean with ph neutral detergent and rinse 3. Allow to dry and then seal 4. Allow to dry and then grout 5. Clean with ph neutral detergent and rinse 6. Allow to dry and then seal 7. Water drop test to see if more sealer needed 8. Wax if required
- 13. Underfloor Heating Considerations: • Thermal expansion/contraction • Anti-fracture matting to prevent cracking Different types: • Wet – normally in screed • Electric – in screed • Electric – mat/cable Test before starting the tiling. Raise the temp gently – 1-2 degrees C per day
- 14. Maintenance - Sealing and Waxing Solvent or Water-based sealer? Solvent based: • Longer lasting • Stone MUST be dry • Less environmentally friendly Water based: • Can be applied to stone with “residual” moisture • Less fumes! • Less drying time = quicker finish Waxes • Gloss, satin, matt Why use wax? • Ease of future maintenance • Prolongs life of sealer • Not for external or wet areas
- 15. Maintenance - Cleaning Use ph Neutral Cleaner Don’t use “supermarket” cleaners • Often contain bleaches or acids which can etch • “Wash and Shine” contain wax/silicone which leave a residue Good idea to use sealers and cleaners from same supplier
- 16. Thank You *** Questions? See us on stand E99
Editor's Notes
- Welcome….. A brief word about Amarestone so that it puts into context what I’m about to talk about here. Denise and I started the company in 2003. In the early days, I did some of the installations myself and then gradually stepped back as we got busier. My current installation team have been with me for over 5 years and they have a huge amount of experience between them. Most of them are almost as old as me but they’ve been in the stone business for 30 odd years each and have worked on jobs for a variety of high profile clients including royalty and celebrities. I’m happy for this session to be interactive – feel free to ask questions as we go along.
- Contents: Uses of stone Some of the areas that natural stone can be used in Selection of Stone How to avoid nasty surprises and know what to expect Installation Substrate Preparation Adhesives, grouts and sealers etc that work well with stone Anti-fracture membranes Maintenance Initial cleaning and sealing Ongoing regular maintenance Special maintenance
- Mix of our own photos and from other Stone Fed members.
- Ensure the quarry/factory can provide the CE certificate and Declaration of Performance.
- Large samples of current production can usually be seen at the quarry or at the quarry’s production factory, which is not necessarily in the same location (or even the same country) Ask for “range” samples or photos of ranges so that you know what variation might arrive with your order. Ensure the quarry/factory can provide the CE certificate and Declaration of Performance.
- Large samples of current production can usually be seen at the quarry or at the quarry’s production factory, which is not necessarily in the same location (or even the same country) Ask for “range” samples or photos of ranges so that you know what variation might arrive with your order. Ensure the quarry/factory can provide the CE certificate and Declaration of Performance.
- If you’re going to get problems with an installation, the chances are that it will be the substrate that has caused the problem. There are a few simple things to look out for to minimise the risks of problems: Sand and Cement – probably one of the most common forms of flooring substrate. Always allow the screed to dry fully before you start work. Check the levels across the whole floor area – it may be necessary to put down a concrete leveller to fill in any dips. We normally check it using a laser level to identify any low or high spots. Look for any joins in the screed – sometimes where the screeders finished on one day and then started again the following day. These joins are where cracks are likely to appear if you simply tile over them. Anhydrite (poured) screed: These are great because they give you a nice flat surface to work on. There are some simple rules to follow: An anhydrite screed has to be dry before you start work on it. As it dries, it develops a crust (or laitance) which is a flaky layer on top of the flat base. This crust has to be removed before anything is laid on top. Drying times are typically one day per 1mm of depth (about the same as a sand/cement screed) – but anhydrite screeds can often be thinner and hence you can have a shorter drying time. Wooden floorboards: eliminate any bounce in the floor – joists may have to be strengthened or even replaced. An option is to strengthen the floor with a layer of 18mm ply screwed down every 10-15 cms. Get the builder to make sure that all the edges of the ply are fully supported by the joists. An even better option is to use 2 layers of ply which are “cross laid” so that they overlap each other. Then cover the whole lot with an anti-fracture membrane.
- This is an interesting chart which DIY tilers are not usually aware of. Chart taken from the TTA web site. When you consider that 10mm thick tile of marble or limestone will typically weigh about 30 kgs per square metre, then allow a bit more for the weight of the adhesive, this chart is really saying DO NOT USE PLASTER OR PLASTER BOARD or PLYWOOD. Plywood is a poor option on walls. Some tilebacker boards will take the weight of a 15mm tile – ie about 40 – 50 kgs. Marmox boards take weights well over 60kgs, plenty for 20mm stone tiles.
- When it comes to choosing adhesives and grouts, there is a huge choice of brands and even different products within each brand. There are a few basic rules that we keep to: - We always use powder adhesives not the ready mixed ones (except when we use resins for specific applications) We always use white adhesive and we always use S1 flexible adhesive. We use rapid set. The only time we don’t use S1 flexible is when need extra flexibility and we then use S2 which is even more flexible. E.g. for sticking down Mapetex to create the anti-fracture solution. Grouts are also always flexible and we usually buy the grouts from the same adhesive supplier. Check the colour of the grout with your customer and try to show them the colours against some dry stone. Find a supplier that gives you access to technical support – have a technical help line that you can call when you have a question. Mechanical fixings: I’m not going to go into detail about mechanical fixings other than to say that there are circumstances where you will need them. There are lots of solutions available.
- Anti-fracture matting or decoupling membranes. The purpose of these is to allow a small degree of movement in the substrate without it being transmitted through to the upper surface layer – in other words, it minimises the risks of the tiles cracking. They don’t prevent cracking in cases where the substrate moves up and down, only side to side. So, it’s bit of insurance against expansion cracks but not against sinking screeds or bouncing floorboards. I’ve used two main types of anti-fracture matting – Ditra Mat, probably the best known of them and Mapetex made by Mapei. Both have their merits and we decide on a project by project basis which one to use.
- I’ll explain the process that we go through for most marble or limestone floors:- Always use a full bed of adhesive – NOT “dot and dab”. “Butter” the back of the tile to ensure that the adhesive covers the whole of the back – don’t leave air pockets. “Buttering” minimises the risk of shading on translucent tiles such as Carrara or Thassos – lighter patches where there is no adhesive. The tiles are likely to be dirty from the cutting process at the quarry’s factory so this needs to be washed off together with any adhesive residues. Being clean now will result in a better looking finish. When clean and dry, seal the tiles with the chosen sealer. If you’re using a solvent sealer, make sure the tiles are completely “bone” dry. It can take several days for them to dry out completely. Now grout (with the colour that you agreed with the customer) and wash off carefully. Clean again thoroughly with a ph neutral cleaner (don’t use anything acidic on marble or limestone) and allow to dry. At this stage, we like to go over the floor with single disc polisher with a white pad – the softest of the pads. This removes any lingering grout residues. Then vacuum and mop again as required. When dry, apply a second coat of sealer. When dry, carry out a water drop test to check that the sealer has covered properly.
- Most of our customers, nowadays, will be using some form of underfloor heating. As you are probably aware, there are different types of underfloor heating and they can affect the “design” of the build-up. Typically, modern new builds will have in screed water fed heating pipes. With these systems, it is important to ensure that they have been switched on and tested before you start to fix anything to the surface of the screed. That way, any settlement cracks will have appeared and any leaks identified and (hopefully) resolved. Occasionally, you see electric in-screed systems – these should be tested in the same way as the wet systems. Another common type - electric cable systems. These are supplied either on a roll-out mat or as a reel of cable which then has to spaced out on the floor. Normally, we would install these systems on top of insulation boards – these make a massive difference to the efficiency of the systems. Without insulation, it can take up to 4 hours before you begin to feel the heat. With insulation, it can be as little as 15 mins. It’s a good idea to cover the cable systems with a concrete leveller (again, check with your supplier which leveller is suitable). With any form of underfloor heating, we always recommend using an anti-fracture matting to minimise the risk of cracking because of expansion and contraction as the heat is turned up and down. Make sure the heat is off and everything has cooled before you start the tiling and then, when you have finished, turn the heating up slowly when it first goes back on. Raise the temperature by no more than a couple of degrees per day in order to avoid thermal shock. We leave the customer with some written instructions that explains about the heating as well as giving them details of cleaning and maintenance.
- There are lots of different brands of sealer on the market and different types of sealer within brands as well. When I speak about sealers for stone, I am referring to impregnators which soak into the stone and protect from within (not topical). Essentially, there are two types – water based and solvent based. Sooner or later, it is likely that the solvent sealers will be replaced completely by water based sealers as technology advances. Waxes Not for use in wet areas, shower enclosures, swimming pool surrounds and outside on patios. Can be used on textured, honed or polished stone and they help to prolong the life of the sealer and they make maintenance a bit easier. The wax fills the tiny pits and holes that the grout won’t go into and helps to stop them from clogging up with dirt. The floors are then easier to sweep or mop. Waxes can be matt, satin or gloss.
- We like to leave our customers with a maintenance info sheet which explains what the cleaning routine should involve. We also give them a free litre to get them started off on a good footing.