H
Highlander
As most people cannot get into the Tilers Arms I have posted this for all to view.
Hi guys and gals and wivers.
I see lots of comments about slate and recently have had to do a report on a slate instalation that has gone wrong installer had not flaked the tiles.
You get various slates on the markets home grown slate, chinese slate, brazilian slate the list goes on and I have worked with so many.
I find that you can get problems with all slate how ever some are better than others. Some brazilian slate can be 10-12mm thick comes in honed or riven and is very nice to work with it is normaly a denser slate and this allows it to be cut thinner than most other slates. The Chinese slate can be a nightmare and comes in various thicknesses some tiles can be 20mm at one corner and 5mm at other and I have managed to split them by hand. Home grown slate does not normally come below 20mm but this depends on what quarry it came from.
Now how to treat the slate.
1 Get your tiles out of boxes and mix them up.
2 Flake your tiles use a scrapper and take any loose slate of
3 Sort your tiles out into thickness
4 Tap your tile particulary Chinese slate if you get a hollow sound normally means tile will fail after installation ie fall apart
5 If your tiles are realy dirty dusty wash them down
6 Lay your tiles
7 Keep a bucket of water and sponge/cloth and wipe any excess adhesive of straight away
8 When wet cutting have a sponge cloth clean tiles down once cut also clean your water in cutter often
9 If you have lips (trip hazards) on rustic slate dont be frightened to take a small bolster and hammer them of all you will expose is more natural slate
10 Seal your tiles and make sure you take excess sealer of as you go along
11 Grout your tiles and remember to change your water often in wash boy
12 Seal if required a second time some slate is denser and requires less sealer and may not require that second coat always do a test area.
All it takes is time now some people say and BS standards recommend sealing before laying however I work clean and never have had problems. But each to their own.
Just some pointers
Highlander
Hi guys and gals and wivers.
I see lots of comments about slate and recently have had to do a report on a slate instalation that has gone wrong installer had not flaked the tiles.
You get various slates on the markets home grown slate, chinese slate, brazilian slate the list goes on and I have worked with so many.
I find that you can get problems with all slate how ever some are better than others. Some brazilian slate can be 10-12mm thick comes in honed or riven and is very nice to work with it is normaly a denser slate and this allows it to be cut thinner than most other slates. The Chinese slate can be a nightmare and comes in various thicknesses some tiles can be 20mm at one corner and 5mm at other and I have managed to split them by hand. Home grown slate does not normally come below 20mm but this depends on what quarry it came from.
Now how to treat the slate.
1 Get your tiles out of boxes and mix them up.
2 Flake your tiles use a scrapper and take any loose slate of
3 Sort your tiles out into thickness
4 Tap your tile particulary Chinese slate if you get a hollow sound normally means tile will fail after installation ie fall apart
5 If your tiles are realy dirty dusty wash them down
6 Lay your tiles
7 Keep a bucket of water and sponge/cloth and wipe any excess adhesive of straight away
8 When wet cutting have a sponge cloth clean tiles down once cut also clean your water in cutter often
9 If you have lips (trip hazards) on rustic slate dont be frightened to take a small bolster and hammer them of all you will expose is more natural slate
10 Seal your tiles and make sure you take excess sealer of as you go along
11 Grout your tiles and remember to change your water often in wash boy
12 Seal if required a second time some slate is denser and requires less sealer and may not require that second coat always do a test area.
All it takes is time now some people say and BS standards recommend sealing before laying however I work clean and never have had problems. But each to their own.
Just some pointers
Highlander
