Texture features of seamless floor tiles

Seamless - this word in the name of the tile indicates that this floor covering is not stitched. The latter, however, are available, but thanks to the special technology used to make such a tile, they are very thin and hardly noticeable in the general background. This effect is achieved as a result of the absence of chamfer at the edges of individual fragments of such a tile. After laying, they fit so closely one to another that the gap between them does not exceed 0.5 mm. As a result, the floor, lined with such tiles, looks like a monolithic canvas, on which the seams and crevices are not visible.

Laying such a floor requires from the performer high professionalism, a considerable amount of patience and extensive experience in the work of this kind. The installation of a seamless floor tile implies a high precision of laying, since there are practically no seams, and it is impossible to compensate for small inaccuracies at their expense. But, due to the absence of seams, the floor design becomes more attractive. For the same reason, the amount of pollution is reduced, since there are no gaps that accumulate dust and dirt, as well as mold and fungi.

As well as the usual, seamless ceramic floor tiles are available in series. Therefore, with a high degree of probability, the sizes of each fragment will differ with some deviations. In this regard, there is a need to polish the edges of the material. This is done to obtain an ideal surface and to fit each element to a certain size. This grinding can take up to 40% of the time of the entire laying process, therefore, it is almost impossible to call it fast.

The laying process itself is characterized by the complexity of fitting each element, which requires one hundred percent accuracy.Any slight displacement during the laying of at least one element creates the prerequisites for breaking the configuration of the entire floor surface after laying one row. All this suggests the need for strict adherence to the technology of laying such tiles and the inadmissibility of any deviations.

All work of both a preparatory nature and the laying of the seamless tile itself is carried out according to the same technological methods as for the ordinary tile. The installation of this cladding material can only be carried out on an even foundation with sufficient strength. Such a foundation can only be a concrete floor, the surface of which must be leveled, flooding it with a tie to eliminate defects on the surface, after having cleaned it of debris. The presence of any protrusions, cracks and failures is unacceptable phenomenon, so that all of them should be eliminated.

For a technically correct preparation of such a base by the leveling method, sift sand for the solution in order to remove large fractions. When purchasing cement, it is necessary to take into account the date of its production, as over time it loses some of its properties. If this is not essential for masonry, then a seamless tiled coating on such a solution may subside over time.

The use of ceramic tiles without seams is impossible in areas where there are sharp temperature drops. It also can not serve as a coating for the so-called underfloor heating with electric or water heated. On a heated floor tiles with a minimum gap between them are subjected to deformation and cracking.

Often, especially in private houses, there is a need for insulation of concrete floors. Therefore, such an operation should also be classified as a preparatory work before laying a seamless tile.

For its implementation on the floor spreads waterproofing material roll type. This may be a membrane, permagamous coating, polymer film and the like.With a sufficiently large floor area in one lane it is impossible to close it. In this case, the overlapping strips are made so that they overlap each other by 10-15 centimeters, fastening the joints with duct tape. In this case, be sure to start the edges of the strips on the walls to a height of 10 centimeters.

This is followed by the laying of insulation. His choice is now huge and the acquisition of the necessary material will not be a problem. If the choice fell on a porous heat insulator, then it will be necessary to lay another layer of waterproofing material on it. If it has a high density, then you can fill the screed on top of this insulated layer.

As already mentioned, the gluing of seamless tiles is completely analogous to the usual procedure for installing any other types of tile. It consists in marking the surface prepared in advance, determining the place where the first element will be laid and in soaking the material.

Then, the preparation of the adhesive composition is carried out, which should be applied to the base for even distribution with a notched trowel of uniform thickness over the entire plane.Tile glue is very elastic, but it quickly hardens, so in order to avoid drying, you need to prepare it in small volumes.

This is followed by the installation of the first tile on the floor. It is necessary to put it with accuracy on the chosen place and align it horizontally. After that, it is pressed down by light blows of a rubber or wooden hammer on the front surface.

Laying the following elements is in such a way that each subsequent tile was tightly pressed to the previous one. At the same time, after laying each fragment, the entire surface is checked for alignment and horizontal position with the help of a building level. If the interior of the room contains protruding parts, columns, pipes and similar technological or architectural "complications", then you will have to cut the tile under their profile.

With regard to the need for mashing such a floor, it is absent due to the absence of seams, which is another peculiar advantage of seamless tiles. However, some experts believe that even with the most experienced master the laying of the material still does not go without gaps, even the most meager.Therefore, they still use the grout to get rid of the most minor flaws. In this case, the grout should be selected according to the color of the ceramic floor in order to create a monolith effect.

After the glue dries, those masters who see this as a necessity go on to the processing of joints with tiled grout. Since the floor will subsequently be subjected to wet cleaning and, consequently, the possible ingress of moisture under the tile layer, this operation has its own meaning. Grout, as already mentioned, is chosen in one color with a coating, and its best grade will be the one that is resistant to the appearance of mold. Grout with a spatula is applied to the surface of a seamless tile and rubbed with a sponge, and after filling it with joints, the excess is removed with a sponge moistened with water.

Today, there are many different patterns of laying tile coatings, but not all of them can be used for their seamless installation. This is explained by the fact that the formation of a periodically repeated pattern is due to the seams. The formation of the same exquisite patterns using a seamless method of laying is achieved by contrasting the textures of marble, porcelain and other materials.

Laying solid tiles on the floor of a large area is not recommended for the whole roomso that there is no feeling of emptiness. Therefore, laying mosaic, ladder, in a checkerboard pattern, with a rosette in the center and a frame in the form of a perimeter, and many other options. It is quite natural that such complex patterns and patterns on the floor, made by the seamless method, can be created only by professionals. Such specialists are able to develop a complex artistic pattern on a computer, select the necessary materials by color, cut the tile with high accuracy with a tolerance of about 1 mm using the method of water-jet cutting in their workshops.

If we are talking about laying on the floor a seamless tile of mass production with a single-tone texture,then the masters have to customize such a tile to minimize the gaps and to create the conditions for its ideally smooth laying by polishing its edges. Such work requires considerable time and labor, but the result is the true masterpieces that embody any design ideas.

You can learn more about the process of laying seamless floor tiles in the next video.