The Technology Behind The Tiles

[DHTiling]

The Technology Behind The Tiles (Part One)

As the philosopher Plato said: "Necessity is the mother of invention," and for Schlüter-Systems, the world's number-one supplier of floor and wall tiling protection products, necessity is what it's all about. Certain types of profiles and accessories don't simply enhance the appearance of a tiling installation - in many cases they contain essential technology to prevent it from failing. In 1975, tiling installer Werner Schlüter was faced with a tricky problem. While tiling a bathroom with five doors he realised there was no protection to the edges of the tiles he was fixing, where they abutted the adjoining floor coverings. He quickly came up with a solution: a profile that, when fixed into the tile adhesive, edged the tile, leaving the bathroom floor neat, tidy and most importantly, protected from damage. The Schlüter-SCHIENE was born.

Today Schlüter-Systems has grown into the world's foremost supplier of tiling protection products. With around 5,000 products in its range, Schlüter plays an essential role in almost every tiling installation, keeping tilers, specifiers and stockists up to date with the mechanics of modern protection products and the technology behind them, to ensure that their tiled applications look as good in years to come as the day they were installed. Schlüter's areas of expertise covers a number of tile protection categories:
Uncoupling, Waterproofing, Drainage and Sound Insulation
Schlüter's specialist membranes protect against water damage and substrate stresses. And Schlüter's acoustic membrane reduces the impact sound perception of floor constructions by up to 50%.
The Schlüter-DITRA uncoupling and waterproofing membrane is a proven success in stopping stresses being transferred to floor tiles from the substrate.
Without such protective measures being taken, problems occur because the surface tiles and the substrate will almost certainly move differently through thermal expansion and contraction, leading to the possibility of tiles debonding and cracking. Moisture content can also affect the degree of movement. Schlüter-DITRA neutralises this differential movement, preventing stresses being transferred to the tile covering. Also, the system supports applied loads by transferring them directly to the load bearing substrate.
The system comprises a polyethylene matting, with a fleece laminated to a grid-type structure of square cavities on the top. The fleece is adhered to the substrate with suitable adhesive, and the adhesive used to bond the tiles actually anchors into the dovetailed configuration, mechanically locking the tiles on to the top. The cavities allow any stresses that occur between the substrate and the tiles to be neutralised evenly in all directions. As well as uncoupling the matting has three other functions - waterproofing, vapour diffusion over green screeds, and it bridges cracks such as timber board joints and cracks in screeds.
Its use over green screeds enables tiling to be started as soon as the screed will support weight - e.g. two or three days - instead of having to wait for the industry recommended drying time. The membrane actually slows down the drying process of the screed, minimising shrinkage and eliminating most of the cracking which could occur. Also, especially over floating type screeds with insulation, it minimises the curling effect of the screed.
And Schlüter-DITRA creates a waterproofing assembly with the tile covering. The British Standards Institution recommends waterproofing with such impervious membranes, stating the most satisfactory method of preventing water passing downwards, is by: "Providing a membrane between the base and the tiling...the membrane material should be impervious...and be sufficiently flexible and strong enough to resist movement in the structure, and loads, without rupturing."
For waterproofing walls, Schlüter-KERDI is ideal, as it is applied very simply, like wallpapering.
The design of a floor drain which could be used in conjunction with bonded waterproofing membranes has traditionally caused problems. But Schluter-KERDI-DRAIN overcomes this long-standing weak point in the construction of surface assemblies in tiled floors. Its upper assemblies incorporate a bonding flange on the top surface to provide a secure bond between the drain and the waterproofing membrane. The flange is installed flush with the screed using a special sealing collar to produce an impervious connection with the waterproofing membrane.
Moving onto Schlüter's safe and permanently effective passive capillary drainage system, Schlüter-DITRA-DRAIN. It consists of an impact resistant polyethylene mat with a special stud structure on one side and a polypropylene filter fabric laminated to the upper side, which can be permeated by water and vapour. Thanks to the passive capillary effect, the water cannot return to the covering layer.
Schlüter-DITRA-SOUND was specially designed to reduce impact sound while protecting the tiled surface. It is a bonded impact sound insulation made of a heavy polyethylene mat, which has an anchoring fleece laminated to both sides. It reduces the impact sound perception of floor constructions by up to 50%, and the technology behind its construction means that because it cannot be compressed it ensures that the tiles are highly durable.
Underfloor Heating
The technology behind the Schlüter-BEKOTEC-THERM underfloor heating system led to it winning The Tile Association Award for Best New Innovation in 2007. The revolutionary studded panel design of the modular screed gives an overall height to the complete floor assembly of just 52 mm - that's a reduction of 23 mm compared to a traditional screed. This means that the pipes are closer to the surface, so the temperature loss between the pipes and the surface covering is minimal, resulting in the heating system running at a significantly lower temperature, using less energy and reducing heating bills. The studded panels diffuse tension in the screed when it is drying out, and incorporating Schlüter-DITRA uncouples a tiled surface from the substrate. This allows independent movement between the screed and the tiles, protecting the finished floor against cracking, tenting and debonding, overcoming a traditional problem of fixing tiles over underfloor heating.


The Technology Behind The Tiles (Part One) - Schlüter-Systems

 

[DHTiling]

The Technology Behind The Tiles (Part Two)

Movement Joints Ceramic and stone tiles can be subjected to a variety of strains and stresses caused by movement in the tiled surface. Movement joints compensate for the movement of tiles which extends down through the tiles, the bed and screed layer below.
They create a tile field which moves independently from those around it, and should be included at set distances in floor and wall tiles, in accordance with recommendations from the British Standards Institution (BSI).
Technology governs the amount of movement that can be absorbed - and therefore the degree of protection given by the joint - through the size of the profile and the compressible material used. Pre-formed surface joints will usually accommodate movement up to 20% of the movement zone width. A 10 mm joint will extend and compress by approximately 2 mm. One of Schlüter's stress-relieving movement joints, the Schlüter-DILEX-KS, has a movement zone of 11 mm, which will accommodate up to 2.5 mm of tile movement.
Because there are specific movement joints for specific types of application, most tiling failures are caused by using joints that aren't suitable for what is being demanded of them. The correct technology in terms of width and material - brass, aluminium, stainless steel or PVC - must be taken into account when specifying movement joints.
Transition Profiles: Edge Protection For Tiles Meeting Other Flooring Surfaces
All too often, where ceramic or stone floor tiles join neighbouring surfaces such as timber, carpet, vinyl or laminate, the edges of the tiles can crack and chip, and even debond from the substrate. An appropriate profile will prevent these problems occurring. The technology behind Schlüter-SCHIENE, such as its specific angle and wall thickness, means it transmits point loads into the substrate and surface covering, protecting the edge of the tile from damage.
For adjoining surfaces of different heights, Schlüter-RENO-U, Schlüter-RENO-TK and Schlüter-RENO-RAMP have a fixed sloping arm to provide stepless transitions - thanks to the shallow angle of Schlüter-RENO-RAMP and its long-sloped transition edge, it is easy to use with wheeled traffic and creates stepless transitions to comply with disability requirements. Schlüter-RENO-V has an adjustable sloping arm to accommodate different heights. The anchoring legs for these profiles is fixed underneath the tiles.
However, there is also a profile that can be retro-fitted to adjoin different types of floor coverings at the same height -- Schlüter-RENO-T overlaps both surfaces, preventing the edges from being damaged when subjected to mechanical stress.
Stair Nosing Profiles

The Schlüter-TREP range of slip resistant stair nosing profiles forms a clean, decorative stair edge that is highly visible, while protecting it from damage. Some have a replaceable plastic tread insert. For those fixed at the same time as the tiles, the anchoring legs are installed beneath the tread tiles, with the surface tread improving safety and protection. Specific products are available to comply with current DDA requirements.
Wall Corners And Edge Profiles

The outside edges of tiled corners - indeed any exposed edge of a tiled surface - can often look unattractive and become damaged. This is because many tiles on the market today don't have a glazed, finished edge.
Specially engineered profiles are ideal for providing the dual function of combining an attractive finish, with protecting the vulnerable outer edge of the corner. Profiles are available in a wide variety of materials (including stainless steel, aluminium and chrome plated brass), colours, surface finishes and designs to co-ordinate with the tiles and grout. The technology of the Schlüter-QUADEC, Schlüter-RONDEC, Schlüter-JOLLY and Schlüter-ECK-E ranges focuses on the anchoring leg fixed behind the tiles, and the protective, finishing, edge.
Some also come with matching inside and outside corner pieces for elegant connections.
Balcony and Terrace Constructions

A wealth of technology has gone into developing protection and drainage systems for balconies and terraces, incorporating waterproofing and uncoupling membranes, a passive capillary drainage system, and movement joints (as described above and in the article in the previous edition of Tile UK) as well as systems developed specifically for such exterior applications.
For example, Schlüter-TROBA is a separation and drainage layer for use above a horizontal waterproofing layer, and below a screed or gravel. It consists of a pressure stable polyethylene sheet with perforated studs for reliable drainage.
The technology behind the Schlüter-TROBA-STELZ range was developed specifically to aid in the installation of large format pavers. They are polyethylene rings placed where the slabs meet, then filled with fresh mortar. The corners of the pavers are placed over the rings and tapped to the correct height and alignment.
Waterproofing assemblies on balconies and terraces often lack sufficient height to connect smoothly to door connections and other fixed building elements. This led to the development of Schlüter-TROBA-LINE, which is a stainless steel channel that guarantees drainage, even with low connection heights.
To complete balcony installations, Schlüter created its Schlüter-BARA and Schlüter-BARIN ranges of finishing profiles and gutter systems. Each has its own appropriate technology, including providing a functional frontage with a drip lip, protecting the exposed edges of the screed bed and the exposed edges of the floor assemblies. The Schlüter-BARIN gutter system is connected to the balcony edging profiles, and elongated slots at the back make it possible to slope the gutter up to 30 mm.
The technology behind each individual product combines to provide a full protective, drainage and finishing system for balconies and terraces. The technology also allows for a number of variations to take preferences of style and functional requirements into consideration.


The Technology Behind The Tiles (Part Two) - Schlüter-Systems