Travertine mosaic, general questions...

[averagejoe]

Hi All, I'm your average DIY guy who has been doing various easy/medium difficulty jobs around the house for the last 20 odd years. I've tiled a few bathrooms in my time, usually with the everyday ceramic tile but nothing too complicated. The wife has chosen a travertine mosaic from Topps for the new kitchen I've just put in. I've never dealt with smaller tiles mounted on a mesh, or stone tiles, or tiles that are almost 10mm thick! My wife loves to give me new challenges

Just a couple of general questions for anyone that can help:

1. Tiles on a mesh. Is the mesh meant to hold the tiles and the adhesive hold the mesh? The reason I ask is because the mesh on these tiles doesn't seem to allow the adhesive to actually touch the tile, the mesh holes are blocked with the glue. Maybe the adhesive is meant to attach to the glue (which is stuck to the tile)?

2. Corners... There is a soil pipe that runs down the corner of the kitchen which causes a protruding corner. When going around the corner, is it best to butt the two tiles against each other or leave a 3mm gap (to match the gap between the normally laid tiles). I've taken a picture with a 3mm gap to illustrate what I mean. Should these tiles touch? or have a gap?

3. Sealing... I have bought some Sealers choice gold from tradetiler.co.uk and wondered at which points is it best to use it. Is it worth applying any at the earlier stages or should I just go for multiple applications after tiling and grouting?

4. Grout and granite... The tiles will be sitting next to a black granite upstand. When I grout the 3mm gap between the upstand and the first tile, should I be worried about the grout seeping into the granite and staining it?

5. Anything other tips for a good job with this material in 48mm mosaic form?

Thanks for any help,

Joe

 

[kevan]

question 1,provided you use the correct spreader i would use a 6mm notch,this should not be a problem, no2 keep the 3mm gap no3 you should pre seal with an inpregnating sealer first this will allow you to grout without staining, the final seal should be done when job is cleaned and totally dry.no 4 i would tape it up and Silicon it and between bench top and tiles, to stop cracking of grout,tips when laying mosaics make sure your gaps between the sheets are the same as the sheets and keep your glue as dry as possible to stop them sagging and dont attempt to wash the grout off to soon to keep the joints full good luck

 

[doug boardley]

Joe, can you post a pic of the back of the tiles on the mesh please, I'm struggling to appreciate that the adhesive will not come into contact with the back of the mosaics because of the mesh glue

 

[mikethetile]

:welcome:as above

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

good advice!! and pat them all over with a rubber trowel to bed them in flat as soon as they are fixed and while the Addy is wet , also clean out any addy that has sqesed out of gaps with a nail and wipe over with a sponge nice and clean!!

 

[averagejoe]

Thanks all for your responses. Please find attached a picture of the back of the tiles. As you can see (I hope) the glue glistening in the holes in the mesh. On the right of the picture you can just about see where I have pulled off a tile to leave the mesh and a fair amount of glue 'film' in the holes.

Thanks again,

Joe

 

[Dave Ramsden]

5ve seen this before, use a 6mm trowel and you will be fine :welcome:

 

[doug boardley]

as all advice above, apart from I tend to do all sealing after fixing, just so the grout grabs into the pores of the stone and not just onto the sealer.

 

[jay]

id ask manufacture what adh is recommended as there is a not much area for normal adh to adhere to:8:

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Check that all the tiles are of the same batch ie if you have 35 sheets make sure the 5 loose sheets match the others.
This backing mesh glue is of a material that will hold the weight of the tiles and mesh together so use your cement based flexible white adhesive as normal -6mm trowel. If the tiles are easily removed from the mesh take the sheets back as they are not satisfactory for your purpose.
When fixing make sure all the joints are in line and it does not look like 30cm sheets of mosaic - run a plasterers trowell through the horizontal grout lines and pat flat with a mosaic block. You can either peg the joints if they slip or use a long panel pin type nail to take the weight until set.
All other points have been answered.
Enjoy!

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

not to sure about that film of gum over the back of the tile though mate!!IE second pic you posted!!! you need as much contact with the stone as poss mate and the film will prevent this, and may DE-laminate :yikes:

 

[DHTiling]

I would seal them after grouting..
Sealing them beforehand can seal the pores/holes and the grout will not take.

They will not stain with grout unless using a pigmented dark grout like black..

 

[averagejoe]

Thanks all, your advice has helped a lot.