Special tile installation recommendations

in cases with exposure to water:

Regardless of the type of ceramic material chosen, it is essential that the tile installation is carried out with the products (adhesive and grout) suitable for this type of application and following a series of recommendations to prevent water from penetrating into the inside of the tile.

Adhesive:

Product selection:

– With regard to the choice of adhesive, either C2 or C1 denomination should be chosen, selecting the most suitable depending on the characteristics of the product (format and water absorption) and the type of substrate (brick, concrete, cement, plaster, etc.). The UNE 138002 standard can be used as a support.

Recommendations:

– Inspect the pieces prior to installation to prevent them from being wet.

– DO NOT pre-soak the pieces before installation in order to gain adherence.

– Mix with the amount of water recommended by the manufacturer.

– Use the millimetres recommended by the manufacturer in the adhesive layer.

Grouting:

In this type of applications where the material is going to be in contact with water during use (bathrooms, showers, etc) grouting takes on special importance and that is why in this document we collect a series of important products and techniques to take into account so that water does not penetrate inside the tile creating visible damp stains or generating mould in the joints.

Product selection:

– In domestic use conditions in damp rooms we will use an improved cementitious grout with additional properties of fast setting, reduced water absorption and high abrasion resistance CG2FWA.

– In those coatings requiring water and vapour tight conditions we will use an RG reactive resin grout as these are two of the characteristics that these materials in particular exhibit: water and vapour tightness.

Recommendations:

– The RG epoxy type reactive resin will always be more watertight than the CG2FWA grout, but also more water should be used for cleaning up after work and could give problems in particular cases where the rectified material or freshly cut sides may absorb water at the surface edge.

– The mixture should be mixed as recommended by the manufacturer without the addition of more or less water.

– The mixture should be thoroughly stirred to ensure that all the grout has the same properties.

– The joint should be filled with material to its full depth, flush with the edge of the piece, and care should be taken to clean and not remove material.

Below are 2 grouts recommended by MAPEI. An example of each of the types:

ULTRACOLOR PLUS CG2FWA