Private house 

Is it possible to lay tiles on cement. Mortars and mixtures for tiles - types, compositions, mixing rules and the best manufacturers Glue tiles on cement mortar

Everything that will be said below does not call for a return to 30-year-old technologies. This knowledge is necessary to understand the basis of durability in facing processes.

To begin with, two examples of how tiles hold on to cement mortar, with the right technology.

The first case is a tile on the walls of a bathhouse built 50 years ago. According to all the layouts, the cladding should have crumbled immediately after the closure of the bath complex. Wet walls, wet tiles in an unheated room, plus frost, etc…

The second case is the reconstruction of a pool built 25 years ago. Conditions for tiled cladding are also not so hot:


And then, in continuation of the topic, cutting photographs, where the structures (sculptures) stood, uncovered, for several centuries. On the eaves of the temple, without ebb, snow accumulated every winter, and melted in the spring. And despite such conditions, there are no traces of destruction.

This means that there was an effective technology, without modern mixtures and primers, which made it possible to achieve such results. So it's not the mix?

Safety of structures.

Except ceramic tiles, earlier, on cement mortar, facing with marble was made. Many facades with such decoration have survived to this day (this is 30-40 years old). The technology is simple. Marble slabs were installed at a distance of 1-2 cm from the wall. Fastened with a temporary support and poured into the gap liquid cement mortar. In a ratio of 1:2.

This technology is still used in wall cladding. natural stone, outside the building.

What kind important points It should be noted:

  • Natural stone (including marble) is a porous material.
  • The solution has a high brand. No less than modern adhesive mixtures.
  • The solution is liquid. The surface of the wall and stone is not wetted by water and the solution penetrates as much as possible into the pores of the wall and stone, without creating a dry film on the border of materials.

Technology of laying ceramic tiles on cement mortar.

The technology of cladding on cement mortar is based on the above listed properties.

In the case of floor tiles, a freshly laid thick screed is poured with liquid cement milk to create a contact layer. Tiles, with this technology, do not need to be wetted. Floor ceramics have a dense structure, with low water absorption. The moisture content of the liquid solution is sufficient to create a reliable contact.

And when facing walls - the tiles are soaked for 5-8 seconds in water. This is necessary for two reasons:

  • The solution is prepared convenient for styling, that is, thicker. Under such conditions, there is not enough moisture and a layer of dry mixture appears, at the border of the tile - mortar.
  • Wall tiles have a large water absorption, more than 3%. Such a surface absorbs moisture strongly. Cement milk on such a surface could help. But in practice it is difficult to implement. Therefore, they compromise, with partial soaking. Longer soaking also gives a negative result. The pores in the ceramic, saturated with water, stop drawing in the solution.

The correct solution (by density) is clear in the following video. In the same place, you can see a system of three lines - two vertical and one horizontal. Fishing lines allow you to make lining in one vertical plane.

The only moment is that the tile is dry (as far as this can be understood from watching the video). With this approach, it will fall away, over time, with a clean reverse side.

Is it always possible to lay tiles on cement?

Based on the properties on which the technology is built, porcelain stoneware is ill-suited for such a case. It has the lowest water absorption. Adhesion occurs on the surface, due to the ribbed back surface, without penetration into the pores.

Indoors, such strength may be sufficient, but outdoor temperature drops will undermine the tiles:



There is an example of laying terracotta tiles on a mortar (street). And do not consider those masters as idiots. They have their own, proven technology, confirmed by examples. If you carefully understand their actions, then they fit into the above rules.

Terracotta tiles are laid on a fresh screed. This material has good porosity. Laying is carried out on a liquid layer of cement mortar. Looks like one piece of cement. Works are carried out in Cambodia or Vietnam. The temperature is positive throughout the year:

Advantages of laying ceramic tiles on the mortar.

  1. Cheapness. There are no costs for adhesive mixtures, a primer.
  2. No need to level the plane with plaster. The materials that are needed for the leveling layer are used in the cladding.
  3. The speed of facing on mortar is lower than with mixtures. But taking into account the whole process (starting from plastering and technological breaks), it is faster.

If desired, you can use crosses, followed by filling the joints with grout. So they did at the time of the first renovations.

The presence of a laser plane builder simplifies the installation of vertical lines. The laser allows you to set the beam at a distance of 8 mm from the wall. You can do without a line system by installing the device on the first row of cladding, in the place where there is still no tile. And facing to lead along the beam. How much more convenient it is - it's hard to say. The beam, even green, hits the eyes.

Installation of a scaffolding system for laying wall tiles on mortar.

In private construction, you can still find the use of a do-it-yourself solution. Professional builders have not used this method for a long time, because it requires knowledge of proportions and suitable ingredients. But, if its use takes place, then there are advantages in it. Namely:

  • Low cost of materials (used inexpensive materials, some may be at home in free access, such as sand);
  • The ability to cook with your own hands (no need to call the masters for help);
  • A wide range of applications (you can lay different types of tiles on it);
  • Reliability (actually made solution will sometimes serve longer than ready-made mixtures);
  • The possibility of using the remnants of the mortar to level other surfaces (in a private house, this can be street steps or a curb).

The only drawback of a homemade mixture is its instability. In order for the solution to be constantly of the same consistency and composition, you need to monitor the amount of ingredients that are used. The easiest way to do this is if you have a measure at hand.

What is this article about

The main components of the mixture

The most important adhesive component on which the quality of the mortar depends is cement. It is necessary to use only high-quality cement (for example, Portland cement) with a marking of at least 300. It is not recommended to take one that has been stored in a warehouse for a very long time, since over time its properties are lost if not proper storage. If you have chosen a bad cement for laying your own tiles on the floor, perhaps nothing will happen. But if we are talking about laying on the wall - the whole tile may fall off or slide.

The quality of mortar cement can be checked at home. Take a little from the bag in your hand and squeeze. If it remains loose, then good quality and proper storage, if it forms a lump, the solution will come out unsuitable for laying tiles.

The next ingredient that affects the quality of the mixture is sand. It is best to use washed river sand. Make sure that there are no small pebbles and shells in it, because when laying they will form humps on the glue layer. These humps will prevent you from installing the tiles evenly - there will be large gaps from all sides. If you can't find the perfect sand, try winnowing the one you have. You need to do this when it is dry.

The only ingredient for which there are no requirements is water. You can use any water, any temperature.

Proportions

If you decide to prepare cement tile adhesive yourself, adhere to certain proportions. It all depends on the marking of the cement that you are going to use. When marking 300, the ratio of cement to sand must be no less than 1:4. If the marking is 400, then you can put 1 part more sand (1:5). Well, when marking 500, another 1 part more, respectively (1: 6). You must also understand that the percentage of cement in the mortar depends on the weight of the tile for which it is being prepared. If this is a regular tile, you can put more sand, but if it is a large wall tile, do not spare the cement, because you can ruin the whole work with bad glue.

Additional Ingredients

When laying floor tiles, additional elasticity of the cement mortar is required. Why do you think factory mixes are different for different types surfaces (walls, ceiling, floor)? Because the plasticity of the solution differs depending on the place of application. The mortar for laying tiles on the floor must be plastic. In order to give it this characteristic, PVA glue is used. You can buy it at any hardware store.

Sometimes glue is replaced with powder and others. detergents, but it is better not to experiment. The plasticity of the solution provides strength in this case. The floor is in constant contact with heavy things and people. If you lay the tiles on a poor-quality mortar, cracking of the joints may occur, and this is an additional cost for a new repair, since you will have to glue the tiles again.

The mortar for laying floor and wall tiles in the bathroom must be able to withstand moisture. That is why slaked lime is added to such a mixture. It should also be added if there is a fungus in the room. The fact is that the fungus can actively develop even under a thick layer of glue and tiles. Its detrimental properties for health have long been known. Adding lime will help prevent fungus.

How to Mix the Ingredients Properly

First you need to mix cement with sand in the right proportions until a homogeneous dry mass is formed. After that, water is added in parts until a suitable consistency is formed. The density of the solution for tiles depends on its size and weight: the smaller the tile, the thinner the adhesive solution. Lastly, you need to add additional ingredients, if their use is necessary. Tip: if you poured too much water into the tile mortar, you can adjust its density by adding cement.

Dry ready mixes

If there is no desire or opportunity to mix the tile mortar with your own hands, you can buy a ready-made one. They are sold packaged in bags, like cement. The disadvantage is the inability to track the exact composition and exclude low-quality ingredients. On the other hand, there are many well established firms that you can rely on. The composition of the finished mixture already includes all the necessary ingredients for a particular use (plasticizers, retarders or hardening accelerators, polymers, etc.).

The technology for preparing a mortar for laying tiles based on a dry ready-mix is ​​very simple. Simply add water and mix well. If there are additional requirements for kneading, the manufacturer will definitely indicate them on the package, so it doesn’t hurt to read what is described there.

Do not rush, do everything clearly and correctly. Look carefully at the proportions when it comes to self-made cement mortar for tiles. After kneading, let the mixture stand for 3-5 minutes and only then proceed to work. If you get too much solution - speed up the work and mix it periodically. This will slow down the curing and crusting.

This "aged" technology of laying tiles on the floor has several advantages. No cleaning required floor covering for laying tiles with special leveling of the surface. It is enough to keep the general horizontal. In addition, expensive adhesive mixtures are not used here, and cement mortar is used to lay tiles on the floor. This way of laying tiles better fit for relatively large
secondary premises where it is not required to withstand design solutions, and it is not necessary to seal tile joints with colored compounds.
In this technology, both pure cement and its mixture with sand in a one-to-one ratio can be used. In any case, before starting work, the cement mixture must be sieved through a fine sieve.

Before the mass laying of tiles on the floor, beacons are placed. They are placed in the center at the corners of the room, and if the room is large, then along the walls and along the center lines. The lighthouse is actually the same tile, only laid on a gypsum mortar so that it can be easily removed later. The first beacon sets the overall level of the floor, so it must be placed especially carefully in the highest place. Further, using the level, the remaining beacons are set, strictly in a horizontal plane with the starting point (beacon).

The concrete base is filled with water, and covered with a sand-cement mixture. A liquid solution is formed on the floor, in which the tiles will be laid. The sufficient thickness of the layer of the resulting mortar is at least 3 mm, and in case of irregularities, the cement-sand mixture can be added up to 30 mm. The tile itself is not lubricated with mortar before laying on the floor.

The tile is laid in a row between the beacons, while it is pressed into the solution, and its position is controlled by the rule and the level. After that, the beacons in the row are removed, and mortar tiles are laid in their place. The squeezed solution is immediately removed and used elsewhere.

The laid tiles are allowed to fix for at least one day. After that, to fill the tile joints, a liquid solution is poured onto the floor, which fills these joints.

After 2 - 3 days, the remains of cement from the tile are wiped off with a rag moistened with a 3% solution. of hydrochloric acid which is washed off with water after a few minutes.

Of course, this technology does not correspond to modern ideas about laying tiles on the floor. The strength, durability, and water resistance of such a tiled flooring is in doubt. But the technology of laying tiles on a cement-sand mortar immediately over large areas has its advantages - low cost and high speed of work.

The operation of the floor can begin no earlier than 7 days after laying the tiles.

Before starting work, make sure that the base is level and clean. When gluing tiles, its moisture content should not exceed 8%. First, the tiles are laid out and the number of rows is determined, as well as the number of tiles in each row; match the pattern if available.

It is necessary to count the number of pieces and their size relative to the whole tile to cover narrow areas of the floor. You can cut the tiles using an electric machine, having previously installed a ceramic cutting disc for cutting.

Start laying tiles from the wall opposite the doorway (entrance).

Before laying, install pendulum tiles one level along the walls.

Periodically check the level with a long rod (deviation can be up to 4 mm).

Laying tiles on cement-sand mortar:

1. A solution with a thickness of 5-15 mm is applied to the wetted base, a width of 2-4 cm more than the width of the row.

2. The lower surface of the tile is moistened with cement milk (a thick mixture of water and cement) and placed on the mortar.

3. Align the tile with respect to others by tapping it with a hammer.

It is necessary to lay the mortar so much that, after the tiles are set down, it comes out through the seams and fills all the voids.

Before gluing the tile, its base is primed with mastic or bitumen dissolved in 3 parts of kerosene (gasoline).

Before proceeding with the finishing work, it is necessary to determine on what composition the ceramic tile will be attached to the base. Builders have few options. And to be precise, there are only two: as a lining layer, you can use a cement-adhesive mixture or modern dry mixes with modified additives.

Consider the most common option: the use of a cement-adhesive mixture. For wall cladding and for flooring, cement mortar is prepared in exactly the same way. Rsolutions it is recommended to mix from coarse-grained washed sand and cement not lower than grade 300. The ratio of parts of cement and sand in the finished composition should be as follows: 1:5 with cement grade 300-400; 1:6 with cement brand 500-600.

To better hold the tile on the surface to be lined, you can add to the prepared for work cement mortar 1/25 of PVA glue, glue improves the adhesion of ceramic tiles to the wall and floor.

Sand used in solution, must be dry, otherwise it will be very difficult to sift through a fine sieve. It is necessary to sift the sand through a sieve, since various foreign inclusions will remain in the unsifted sand: pieces of shells, small pebbles, pieces of clay. They interfere with the installation of tiles on the surface, since their dimensions are usually much larger than the thickness of the layer required to install ceramic tiles, and do not allow them to sit in place. If you start tapping on the tile in order to still install it properly, it will simply crack.

Cement for cooking solution it is advisable to take only fresh, recently made, because the fresher the cement, the better the tile will hold on the floor and walls. The fact is that, as you know, during storage, cement loses about 5% of its activity (that is, quality) every month, up to 40% in a year, and up to 50% in two. Therefore, try to lay ceramic tiles on solution from fresh cement. When buying, pay attention to the date of its manufacture, which should be indicated on the bag. If the date of manufacture is not indicated on the bag, or cement is sold in bulk, you can determine its freshness and, therefore, the quality visually. Take a handful of cement and squeeze it. If it freely "flows" between your fingers, it means that it is recently made, if it crumbles into a lump, then the cement is old.