Covering Installation Guide / Defects and malfunctions in wall and floor tilings / Defects in tile-to-tile joints / Historical
Historical
Butt-joint tile installation or tile installation with a minimum tile-to-tile spacing presented no great problems in the past when tile sizes hardly exceeded 400 cm2, with a water absorption capacity exceeding 10%, and wall tile installation by skilled professionals who applied ‘slurries’ of lime and fine sand or other local compositions, in addition to fixing the wall tiling on highly stable surfaces.
On repeated occasions, almost a constant feature is this publication, we have noted the changed tile installation scenario (with large, at times practically impervious, tiles, and instability of the construction elements and the fixing surface).
In this new scenario, tile installation with an open joint and the use of appropriate, if not specialised, materials are required, which assure the durability of the joint pattern. At present, materials need to be selected that conform at least to the requirements of standard EN 13888.
In addition, the grouting operation deserves a careful and ‘kind’ installation, rather than an operation carried out by unskilled hands with great haste. The final appearance of a wall or floor tiling depends on that operation. Nowadays, the technology is available to achieve that objective.
On repeated occasions, almost a constant feature is this publication, we have noted the changed tile installation scenario (with large, at times practically impervious, tiles, and instability of the construction elements and the fixing surface).
In this new scenario, tile installation with an open joint and the use of appropriate, if not specialised, materials are required, which assure the durability of the joint pattern. At present, materials need to be selected that conform at least to the requirements of standard EN 13888.
In addition, the grouting operation deserves a careful and ‘kind’ installation, rather than an operation carried out by unskilled hands with great haste. The final appearance of a wall or floor tiling depends on that operation. Nowadays, the technology is available to achieve that objective.
Hard, sharp-edged rubber trowel to fill the material and clean it off correctly
Stiff sponge to avoid pulling material out of the joint
Stainless steel spatula for filling RG materials
Extruder gun for applying RG materials 
Grouting with rotating disc machine 
Cleaning of the tile-to-tile joints
Diagonal grouting with a hard, sharp-edged rubber trowel 
Diagonal first cleaning with a wrung-out stiff sponge
Second dry cleaning
Industrial equipment for mechanical grouting and/or cleaning 
Mailing address:
Diputación Provincial
Avda. Vall d'Uixó, 25
12004 Castellón
Opening hours
From Monday to Friday: from 8.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.
From May 15 to Oct. 15
From Monday to Friday: from 8.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.
Contact
Phone (+34) 964 35 99 02
Fax (+34) 964 35 99 40
E-mail: ipcdip@dipcas.es
