Chinese bricks are very absorbent and are often used for paving sidewalks and outdoor walls. When constructing brick tiles, it is necessary to consider a number of possible problems.
Common problems when installing hydrophilic tiles
Improper construction
The surface before tiling needs to be flat to prevent surface shrinkage and tile peeling. Use tile adhesive suitable for each specific application. Avoid tiling with traditional mortar and applying glue in patches behind the tiles, this method will make the tiles easily peel off.
Chinese bricks have great elasticity
Unlike modern bricks produced on a production line, Chinese bricks are produced using old technology so the bricks are uneven in size. Normally when installing Chinese tiles, people will leave large sized grout lines for aesthetic reasons and to allow the grout to stretch. Therefore, it is necessary to have a specialized grout for large sized grout lines to prevent the glue from breaking and shrinking.
The surface of Chinese bricks is very water-hungry/absorbent
Chinese tiles are very absorbent because the tile surface is not glazed. The most common phenomenon is stains on the tile surface after grouting and is very difficult to clean. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to protect the tile surface before tiling or grouting.
Construction solutions
To install Chinese tiles, it is necessary to use a highly elastic and specialized tile adhesive. The tile surface is very porous, so it is necessary to take measures to protect the surface before tiling and use specialized grout for large-sized grout lines.
Apply construction solutions
- Prepare the surface
- The surface needs to be flat and dry for 1-3 weeks, so that the cement inside reacts completely before tiling.
- Use Nikko products
- You should use chemicals to protect the tile surface before tiling and be careful not to let the chemicals stick to the edges or edges of the tiles.
- Let the tile adhesive dry completely for 24 hours before grouting
- Use specialized products for grouting
- Grout with a specialized product for large sized grouts
- Leave grout lines 5-20 mm wide for uniformity and aesthetics
- Allow the grout to dry completely for 1-2 days before circulating on top
