KnowltonBaugh162

stone wall cladding - Stone is a defining feature in a room and adds instant solidity, luxury and grandness whether you choose to cover all your walls with marble or simply use it for a simple round basin. Although stone is definitely an tough material once installed, the self -builder should take special care to see the delivery and installation process runs smoothly. Dirt from visitors or a careless knock from the power tool could lead to a pricey repair bill. Maintain the room clean and tidy, check larger items like a stone bath, can fit by way of a door entrance (you may need to leave off architrave/frames to allow extra room). The weight of stonework also means that it should be planned in at the home's design stage as load-bearing joists should be increased in size or even doubled approximately cope with the weight.

Preparing floors

A fresh concrete screed is the perfect base for stone floor tiles, as long as the concrete is fully cured. New concrete should be at least six weeks old and show no indications of remaining moisture. You may want to use a thin screed of self-leveling compound to smooth out any low spots. Again, leave the compound to fully cure before tiling.

If you're working on new flooring grade T&G chipboard panels, make sure the edges are fixed at 300mm centers and tile to the surface with a flexible adhesive every one of the trade adhesive manufacturers have powder mixes meant for timber flooring. For a restoration project, never try to tile directly onto old floorboards. Instead, develop a new sub-base with 15mm exterior grade plywood, screwed down at 300mm centers with stainless-steel screws. Stagger the board joints and adjust any uneven floorboards before starting work. Coat it's with thinned PVA to seal the wood.

Old cork and vinyl carpeting should always be pulled up. Look at the floor beneath is dry, flat and robust enough to support the newest stone tiling. If you're faced with quarry or ceramic tiles, it's possible to tile directly on the surface as long as there aren't any signs of damp, cracking or movement. Prime that old tile surface to give the adhesive a key' for bonding to make set out your new tiles so the grout gaps aren't aligned with all the existing floor. The exceptions are shower or wet room walls that ought to be lined with a waterproof lining panel to provide the tile base.

Installing real stone tiles

The porous surface of many natural stone products means they are more vulnerable to staining than glazed tiles. Check the manufacturer's instructions for precise laying instructions and try to seal the surfaces of the tiles, if recommended, before fixing it's too easy to spill adhesive on the tile and not notice. Open the tile packs and work from the 3 major packs to evenly distribute any color variation between packs.

Tiling the ground

With a little planning and careful starting off, dramatic stone flooring is as easy as tiling a wall. There's usually less cutting around awkward shapes as compared to wall tiles and you are not fighting against gravity. Remove skirting boards and door thresholds before beginning work. In the setting out stages, it's important to ensure the tiles look completely from the entrance to the room. Often walls are bowed or out of true so check your measurements in a number of places along each wall. It is slightly more but a powder mix rapid-setting adhesive is the greatest option for most floors. It's going to reach full strength in as little as 24 hours so the rest of the build isn't delayed.

Finally, plan in almost any movement joints required. They're 6/8mm wide and filled up with flexible filler that enables for movement and prevents tile damage. These joints are normally installed where flooring abuts walling, steps, columns or other hard objects on large floor areas as well as over structural movement joints. Floors under four meters between walls is not going to normally need movement joints.

STEP-BY-STEP

1 Find the mid-points of the two longest walls and snap a chalk line throughout the room between these points. Repeat for the shorter walls but adjust the road so that it passes through the center of the first line at right angles. Make an effort to work with as many whole tiles as possible, even if it means adjusting the grout line width slightly.

2 Lay tiles across the two lines to ascertain if they look right from the doorway. If any gaps at the walls are less than half a tile wide, shift the fishing line across to make more of a gap. Also move the guide lines so that tiles around a dominant feature (e.g. a fireplace or French windows) are symmetrical there are whole tiles at the doorway.

3 Spread about one square meter of tile adhesive/grout into one of the right angles produced by the two crossing chalk lines. Scrap the notched edge of the trowel across the mix to make ridges of the same thickness.

4 Lay the first few tiles along the fringe of the longest center line. Gently press the tiles in place, making sure they also line up with the other center line. Add plastic spacers each and every corner to keep them a similar distance apart for grouting.

5 Work outwards from the middle of the room in anticipation of having laid all the whole tiles on a single half of the floor. Work with a spirit level to look for the tiles are at the same level. Now move across towards the other side of the longest center line and add all of those other whole tiles. Leave to set for 24 hours.

6 Utilize the tile cutter to trim the advantage tiles to the right shape. Appraise the space at both sides in case the walls are uneven and don't forget to allow for the grouting gap. Always wear goggles and gloves when cutting tiles.

7 Leave the adhesive to create for at least 12 hours, then grout involving the tiles with the adhesive/grout. Force a combination into the gaps with a squeegee, working from side to side or more and down the tiles.

8 For wide joint lines, operate a piece of hosepipe over the grouting surface. Wipe off any grout from your tiles with a damp sponge, before it sets hard.

Wall tiling

Natural stone tiles add a touch of luxury to any room. There's no special trick to finding out how many tiles you will require, just measure the height and width with the area and multiply these together to offer the area to be tiled. Divide this figure by the area of a single tile (e.g. a 10x10cm tile posseses an area of 100cm) to give the quantity of tiles you need. Add 10 % for cutting and wastage. Installation is the same as for ceramic tiles however, you will need an electric tile cutter with a diamond wheel and also the capacity to tackle your best depth of tile. Easiest stone is easier to cut than ceramic. The additional weight of real stone also need to be considered use strong battens, no less than 50mm wide and screwed towards the wall, to support the base line of tiles.

Make use of a saw tile to reduce a tile to match around an awkward shape such as a pipe or architrave. If you wish to cut a curve, to fit around the side of the basin for example, create a card template the identical size as the tile. Make cuts around 10mm spacing along the curve edge and press website into position. Trim the 10mm strips to match exactly around the curve and transfer this fit around the tile. Make sure to leave at least 2mm for grouting.

STEP-BY-STEP

1 To prevent lots of cut tiles or an unbalanced look, make-up a tile gauge (a batten using the tile dimensions and grout spaces marked across the edge) to plan the positions with the tiles so that the tops from the last row of tiles under any window is going to be exactly flush with the ledge. You may find you will need to cut the bottom row of tiles.

2 Screw a batten to the wall along the line you've got marked. Check with a spirit level it's horizontal. Fix a second upright batten along the left side with the area to be tiled. Again, work with a spirit level to make certain it's vertical.

3 Spread the adhesive/grout over most a square meter from the wall, starting in the corner made by both battens. Use the notched side of the spreader to form even ribbons of adhesive. Many of the important for heavy stone tiles. Generally of thumb, 6mm notched spreaders are used for walls and 10mm versions for floors.

4 Learn to tile, pressing the tiles gently to the wall and sliding into position until you see adhesive squeeze out across the sides. Press spacers into each corner and hold a spirit level throughout the tiles to see if they form an appartment surface. Continue to tile, working on about a square meter at the same time until you've fixed all of the whole tiles. Clean off adhesive from the tile surface when you work.

5 Next, lay tiles alongside and front of the window reveal so that they cover the edges with the wall tiles. Wipe off any adhesive before it's got dried with a damp sponge.

6 Leave the splashback to dry fully before removing the timber battens. Now cut the tiles to match into any gaps in the bottom of the splashback and at the front and sides with the window reveal. Fix in position.

7 When all the tiles are fixed, leave to dry. Force more adhesive/grout in to the gaps between the tiles using a squeegee. Wipe off all of the excess grout with a damp sponge, rinsed out regularly in water that is clean. When the surface is dry, polish having a dry cloth.

8 To create a flexible waterproof seal new tiles along with a worktop, run a bead of waterproof sealant around the bottom of the tiles.

TIPS

If you are tiling around an acrylic bath, half fill with water to make the rim flex to its maximum extent before filling the space with a bathroom sealant.

Make screw holes for bathroom accessories having a masonry drill bit. To stop the bit slipping and damaging the top, stick some masking tape over the area to be drilled.

Buy all the tiles you will need at once if possible to avoid any differences between batches.

If you want to form a pattern, draw a plan of the room on graph paper to make certain the pattern can look in proportion and symmetrical.

To tile a room that has to be used everyday, tile 1 / 2 of the area at any given time so you can still walk over the bare floor while the tile adhesive sets. If you learn you are working slowly and also the adhesive is beginning setting, only spread around half a square meter at any given time. It's essential the adhesive is still wet when the tiles are being fixed.

Fireplaces

Stone Fireplaces are a defining feature for any lounge or living area, making the perfect frame to some wood, coal or gas fire. Needless to say, any chimney linings needs to be pre-installed in your self-build project and the surround really does come at the final stages of the project. Most companies provide a design and install service that's well worth the money for such large and dear objects. Otherwise, look at builder is happy to defend myself against the job. It may need extra lifting equipment nevertheless the installation process isn't complicated. You are able to choose anything from the clean lines of the contemporary fireplace with a reproduction Regency style or contact an architectural salvage yard for any genuine period piece. Most yards will even undertake restoration focus on stone and marble fireplaces.

Baths and basins

Baths, basins and washstands could be either stone resin or solid stone. There exists a wide range of colors provided by off-whites to reds, browns and blacks. Bear in mind the loading over a suspended floor baths can weigh from 200 to 500kg or even more.

As well as the luxury of your solid stone basin, a few of the modern designs may also be breathtaking, with open wave forms, travertine mosaic and deceptively thin slab designs.

Worktops

Granite is easily the most popular of the natural stonework surfaces. It's easy to clean and contrasts well with lighter wood carcases. Marble and limestone look great but are softer and can scratch or stain. Whenever you plan your kitchen, guarantee the runs of floor cabinets can withstands weights approximately 90kgs per square meter average for a 30mm solid granite top. You can also specify 40mm tops, made from two 20mm layers with a ply central insert to lessen the weight. Your kitchen supplier might need to alter the design and add extra support around sink cut-outs and appliances. The suppliers may also need a clear work space so all sinks and hobs needs to be removed and kept clear of the work area. If you're able to, don't install the wall sockets until after the worktop is fitted this will avoid any accidental damage as the stone is slid into position over the units. With regards to the shape and size of each factor, the suppliers might point to extra joints in solid granite worktops as the grain structure can be very vulnerable to cracking if there's any stress over longer lengths or around narrow cut-out areas. Make sure you order matching granite up-stands

for your walls. These are around 100m high with polished surfaces and edges. Color-matched silicone sealant is utilized for the jointing. As with sanitary items, composite quartzite can help to eliminate the price of the kitchen but still give some of the solidity and feel of the real stone. It also has the advantage of grain consistency and a wide range of solid reds, blues, greens plus more neutral tones.

Cleaning and maintenance

stone wall - Keep a copy of the care and maintenance instructions provided with your stonework as sealants and care procedures vary. Granite surfaces including worktops don't need a lot of specialist cleaning because the surface doesn't absorb stains just as as a softer travertine stone.

Wipe up any spills as quickly as possible, especially liquids for example acidic juices and alcohol. Fine grit will be the big enemy of natural stone flooring as ground in particles cause striations than eventually dull the outer lining. Use a mop, soft brush or vacuum to get up the dirt. A neutral pH detergent and warm water will remove grease as well as other light stains but guarantee the floor is dried using a soft cloth to avoid a film build of residues.

Stone should only need resealing every 3-5 years roughly and some products will never need resealing. After installing any stone, it's essential to clean up any mortar/adhesive residue right away as the resin-based adhesives bond' the stone surface and therefore are extremely difficult to clean up when cured. For bathroom and kitchen installations, avoid using any wax or soap cleaners for around the first six weeks. Otherwise, the stone pores will end up clogged and restrict the evaporation in the mortar/adhesive.