GUIDELINES - Tiling Made Simple

Before You Begin

Stone is a product of nature, and variations in colour and characteristics are the elements that give every installation its unique appearance. No single image or picture can indicate all the possible permutations that may be present in stone varieties. The tiles featured on our web site show typical tile characteristics.

Blending - Blending involves sorting through the tiles (before you start fixing) and selecting the mixture of shades and textures to suit your requirements. We strongly suggest that all tiles are blended before installation. The installer must have an understanding of blending requirements or special patterns as part of the job. For instance minor damage to some stones may occur during installation, handling, cutting and grading. Under normal circumstances, 10% should be allowed for that purpose. Whilst sorting tiles to ensure suitable blending, normal practice calls for segregation of tiles with minor damages or some unusual markings. They can be used where cut tiles are required, or in less visible locations.

Colouring - Stone tiles are always packed in wet conditions at the factory and cannot properly dry out until unpacked; they will lighten in colour as they dry. It is therefore essential that all tiles are completely dry prior to installation to be able to assess any colour variation present. To check this, it may be necessary to place a tile in front of a direct heat source to see the true colour of the stone when it is totally dry.

Sealing - All natural stone must be sealed, this is usually done after fixing and before & after the application of grout.

How to calculate your tile quantity requirements.

If you measure your room in feet and inches the simple and safe method to convert to SQUARE METRES is:-

Example 1 (measurement in feet & inches).
• 7 feet 6 inches X 5 feet 8 inches CONVERT TO INCHES - 90” x 68” = 6120 square inches.
• 6120 divide by 1296 = 4.72 square yards (dividing by 1296 converts square inches to square yards)
• 4.72 divided by 1.2 = 3.9 square metres (dividing by 1.2 converts to square metres)
• At this point ADD an extra 10% for cuts & waste – 3.9 plus 10% = 4.29 square metres • ROUNDED UP = 5 square metres of tiles will be needed.

Example 2 (measurement in yards)
• 4 yards x 3 yards = 12 square yards
• 12 divided by 1.2 = 10 square metres
• Add 10% for cuts and waste – 10 plus 10% = 11 square metres.

Some tips to help you arrive at the correct tile quantity calculation:

• Calculate each wall individually. Give each wall a number, when you’ve finished making the calculation for each wall check you have the calculation for each wall and add them all up to give the total coverage.
• If you have included the extra 10% in your calculation for each wall, MAKE THE FOLLOWING REDUCTIONS;
• Deduct 1.5 square metres for a door
• Deduct 1.2 square metres for a bath
• Do not make adjustments for windows once you added 10% for cuts and waste.

Border Calculations
• Add together the width of the walls (e.g. 6+7+6+7 = 26 feet)
• Convert to linear metres by DIVIDING by 3.25 (26 divided by 3.25 = 8 linear metres)
• Divide 8 by the width of the border (some may call this the length) e.g. 8 divided by .2 (20cm) = 40 borders.
• When calculating borders DO NOT take out the door as this will allow for the cuts.

General Guidelines on Fixing Natural Stone & calculating adhesive & grout requirements.

In general, the fixing of natural stones employs similar techniques and materials to those used for fixing ceramic tiling. Natural stones, however, possess specific properties that need to be taken into consideration when fixed using adhesives.

Adhesive Bedding
Bedding of natural stone tiles should be carried out using cement-based adhesives when using the solid bed method. Use a white cement-based adhesive with light coloured stone tiles because a dark adhesive would show through. Thin solid bed fixing is usually the best procedure and the technique of blob fixing should be avoided as this is a poor fixing technique that may result in:

• The blobs being visible through the tile
• Cracking
• Water penetration behind the tiling

To calculate your quantity requirements see the product you want to use (each product describes its suitability for the application) the coverage expectation is listed.

Cleaning, Sealing, Grouting and Maintenance

Cleaning - after fixing and before sealing & grouting you should clean natural stone tiles, we recommend using Lithofin Power Clean. Full details are available on request with all Lithofin products available in our branches.

Sealing - this should be done in two phases, once when the tiles are fixed PRIOR TO GROUTING; and then once again AFTER GROUTING. We recommend Lithofin Stain Stop, full details are available on request with all Lithofin products available in our branches. Care should be taken to prevent the sealer coming into contact with the sides of the tiles, otherwise adhesion of the grout may be impaired.

Grouting - the application technique should fill the joints adequately with grout so that long term performance is accomplished. With deep narrow joints between natural stone tiles the grouting technique may have to consist of at least two applications to progressively fill up the joints. This is because the initial application of grout may sink down into any voids at the bottom of the joints as the trapped air slowly escapes. Stones with textured surfaces such as antique stone tend to have larger joint widths of 6-10 mm, whilst honed and polished stone joints can be narrower to suit the individuals requirements or to fit with the aesthetics of the environment.

Cement-based grouts are most appropriate for stone jointing

Although certain types and sources of natural stone do have particular properties which need to be catered for in terms of adhesive and grout selection, it is important to bear in mind that the vast majority of quality natural stones do not give rise to problems. However, the use of correct fixing techniques utilising rapid drying adhesives will satisfy most situations and cater for natural variations.

Final Cleaning - to finish your natural stone project properly and ensure the natural stone textures and characteristics are at their best give the tiles a final wash with the Lithofin Power Clean.

Maintenance - to make sure your natural stone tiles stay beautiful for their lifetime we recommend the use of Lithofin Easy-Care. This is an ideal wash-wipe care material that will maintain a well cared for appearance at minimum cost.