Laying and maintenance of cement tiles David&Goliath cement tiles are manufactured under licence in the Far East, according to our standards and specifications concerning colour and dimensional stability; smoothness and porosity of the surface; and the sharpness of the design. Every batch is sampled for quality control purposes on delivery.. Cement tiles are still hand-made products, however, and small imperfections are inevitable. The tiles may be of slightly different thicknesses and minor colour differences, even within a single batch, are also possible. When re-ordering we cannot guarantee identical colours. Cement tiles also have to be laid with thin grout joints and this requires extra care. If you are laying decorative patterns, you are strongly advised to use a laying plan. 1. Layings instructions for David&Goliath cement tiles: 1.1. General recommendations: When laying cement tiles you should bear the following points in mind: -adhesion: the backs of the tiles are porous, which means that the tiles will suck up moisture when laid and this can cause problems with adhesion. For this reason we recommend laying the tiles by gluing them onto a dry screed, rather than using the traditional mortar bed method. -flatness of the floor: cement tiles vary in thickness. This difference can be reduced during the gluing stage. Minor level differences between the tiles are, in any case, a feature of cement tile floors. You should never use a rubber hammer to level off the tiles, as this can cause hair fractures in the surface of the tile. -tile plan: you are strongly advised to use a tile plan, especially for more complicated decorative patterns. This ensures a symmetrical end result and avoids ending up with partial tiles that have been cut in a way that spoils the design. -stain-resistant coating : we recommend to treat tiles before installing. 1.2. Laying the tiles using glue: The cement tiles should be glued onto a flat and completely dry sub-floor (screed). The screed should be laid in the following way. It must be between 22 and 25 mm below the floor level. The best way of gluing the tiles is with a white flexible quickdrying thick-bed glue from a professional brand. An alternative is to opt for double gluing with a flexible glue. If pre-treatment of the screed is required, ask your supplier for technical advice.
If you don t have a tile plan, we recommend that you lay out all the tiles in their intended positions carefully before you start. You should avoid cutting through the middle of a design or leaving narrow edges in visible places. Take care to arrange the designs as symmetrically as possible within the area of floor space to be tiled. Before laying the first series of tiles, you should stretch out a string to mark the height of the floor level. The tiles must be laid against this string. When laying the floor you should mix tiles from different packs in order to make any minor colour differences less obvious. The tiles must be handled with care. If they get knocked or banged, this can damage the edges and corners. We recommend to treat tiles with stain-resistant coating in order to facilitate cleaning. The backs of the cement tiles are porous, which means that they absorb moisture. Moisture in the tile can cause it to buckle slightly and might lead to it coming loose. For this reason the tiles must be glued onto a completely dry sub-floor. We recommend that you use a quick-drying white flexible glue from a professional brand like Omnicem PL85 Prof R. These glues have the advantage that they harden very quickly so the tiles don t get the chance to suck up any moisture that might be in the glue. Double gluing with a flexible glue can also give good results. These glues are suitable for use on top of floor heating. When laying the tiles use a thick-bed comb with round teeth of l cm. 80% of the surface of the tile must be supported by glue. The tiles must be levelled off in the glue by hand. Never use a hammer as this can cause hair fractures in the surface of the tile. David&Goliath cement tiles have an average thickness of 16 mm, with a tolerance of about +/- 1.2 mm. The back of the tile is not parallel with the top layer, nor is it flat. The tiles should be pressed into the glue by hand and checked with a spirit level. The tiles should be laid with thin grout joints of 1-2 mm. Level differences of l mm between the tiles can be tolerated and are characteristic of cement tiles. The use of thin grout joints and the straight corners of the cement tile result in level differences between the tiles than can be felt if you run your hand across the floor. Each new row of cement tiles should be laid against the previous row. Check regularly that you are keeping to the floor level. Glue residue on the tiles and between the grout joints should be removed as quickly as possible. The tiles can be made smaller by grinding or cutting. To grind the tiles you can use a water saw or an angle grinder with a fine diamond blade. 1.3. Laying the tiles using the traditional mortar bed method (not recommended): We strongly recommend that you don t lay the tiles on a mortar bed for two reasons. First of all, there is a risk of poor adhesion. Secondly, you could end up with unsightly marks on the tile due to efflorescence, which could take months to go away. However, if you still decide to opt for the traditional method of laying the tiles in a mortar bed, you must treat the back of the tiles with a primer or tile glue before laying them into the mortar. Never tap the cement tiles into the mortar with a rubber hammer
as this can cause cracks or hair fractures. If you are using the traditional laying method, you need to wait 4-6 weeks before pointing so that the mortar bed can dry out properly. Only use stain repellent on dry floor. 1.4. Pointing: Once the tiles have been laid, give them enough time to dry before pointing. Check how long this is by consulting the technical sheets provided by the manufacturers of the glue and the grout. David&Goliath cement tiles have already been treated with a stain-resistant coating, so you don t need to do this yourself. Nevertheless, at this stage, you should avoid walking on the floor as far as possible, especially if building work is still going on in the vicinity. For this reason we recommend that you cover the floor. If the floor has to stay covered for a long time, you should use moisturepermeable materials (e.g. cloth or cardboard, but not plastic or tetra). Otherwise there is a risk of efflorescence, with unsightly marks that will take a long time to disappear. You must point the cement tiles with a liquid grout, applied in several coats. Given that the grout joints are very narrow, you should apply a ready-to-use grout designed for thin joints from a professional brand. A white or light-grey grout gives the best results, depending on the colour of the tiles. Application of stain repellent coating will facilitate cleaning. Any grout residue left on the tiles should be removed as soon as possible. After this phase the floor should again be covered with a moisturepermeable protective material. Expansion gaps should be left as per the usual rules. 2. Maintenance instructions for David&Goliath cement tiles: 2.1. General: Cement tiles are often used in environments where they can easily suffer staining such as kitchens, eating areas or bathrooms. However, maintenance is not a problem provided you use the right treatments and take sufficient care. As time goes by, the appearance of the cement tile floor will also change. The tiles will continue to harden and, depending on the maintenance applied, they may develop a shimmering appearance. For the maintenance of your David&Goliath cement tiles we recommend that you use the products made by Akemi, a German specialist in treatment products for tiles and natural stone. Never use aggressive acid-based cleaners. Treatment starts with Akemi Stain Repellent Nano-Effect. This is a permeable, stain-resistant coating that covers the tile with an invisible film and protects it against stains. The Akemi Anti Stain Nano is suitable for contact with foodstuffs. Remember that no stain-resistant coating offers protection against prolonged acid corrosion. Wine stains, for example, must be removed as soon as possible.
2.2. Maintenance, stage by stage: 2.2.1. Before laying: Akemi Stain Repellent Nano-Effect We recommend to put immediately a layer stain repellent coating on the tiles after opening the boxes. This can be easily done with a rag and stain repellent. 2.2.2. Cleaning after laying: Akemi stone cleaner Once the job is completely finished, clean the floor with Akemi stone cleaner, a powerful, specially designed cleaning product that dissolves small cement and glue residues and other building dirt. If necessary, particularly persistent stains can be removed with abrasive paper or a grinding sponge with a fine grain (min. grain size 180 or more) while the tiles are wet. 2.2.3. After cleaning apply Akemi Stain Repellent Nano-Effect After cleaning the floor, allow it to dry completely and then treat it with Akemi antistain Nano. Apply the stain-resistant coating wet-on-wet in 2 coats with a cloth, leaving an interval of a few minutes between coats. You can re-apply the treatment after drying for as long as the tile continues to absorb the product. 2.2.3. Day-to-day maintenance The day-to-day maintenance of the cement tiles can be done with Akemi Stone soap, which nourishes the stone and coats it with a protective film. In time this will give the tiles the typical "patina" shimmer found on old floors. This effect can be speeded up by treating the floor with Akemi stone polish from time to time. This is a polymer-reinforced floor polish that further protects the surface of the tile and gives it a shimmering appearance. You can alternate cleaning with stone soap and polish with a treatment with Akemi Christal Clear. This is an alcohol-based cleaning product that gently degreases the tiles and dries quickly without streaking. If you want to preserve the matt finish of the tiles, you should clean them only with Akemi Christal Clear.
2.2.4. Using a polishing machine Alternatively, the above cleaning procedures can be done with a floor polishing machine that cleans with a thick pad and polishes with a lighter pad and stone soap. Using a machine polisher ensures that the individual pores of the cement tile are more effectively filled with a soap film and keeps the tiles shinier, making maintenance easier. David & Goliath 1/12/2016