For the decoration of the floor, we generally choose to pave floor tiles. The daily cleaning of floor tiles is simple and convenient, and floor tiles can be decorated with various styles. The paving of floor tiles must rely on one thing to seal the gap, that is, floor tile sealant. The floor tile sealant can better help us lay the floor tiles. Today, George Ceramic, a tiles manufacturer from China, will give you some tips on how to beautify tile grout and help you learn how to soak tiles before laying them.
Ⅰ. What are the types and functions of beautifying caulking?
1. Generally, there are three types of beautifying caulking: Joint sealer, seam sealer and epoxy-colored sand.
(1). Joint sealer
The joint sealer has been used for a long time. In fact, the joint sealer is also a cement-based material, in which some bonding substances are added. The high-quality joint sealer is added with waterproof substances, but it has no effect on mildew and dirt resistance, thus the gap will become black and dirty after a long time. Therefore, it is not recommended to use the joint sealer.
Advantages: The price is cheap.
Disadvantages: The service life is short, and it is easy to get dirty.
(2). Seaming agent
There are two types of sealant AB, one is epoxy resin, and the other is a curing agent. After the two are fully integrated, the glue is as hard as porcelain and the surface is smooth.
With the continuous development of sealant, some improvements have been made to the AB adhesive, which may be harder, more anti-aging, and have a variety of colors.
Advantages: The beautification effect is the best, with strong waterproof and anti-pollution ability.
Advantages: The beautification effect is the best, with strong waterproof and anti-pollution ability.
Disadvantages: The construction is relatively complicated, and it is difficult to clean if the glue is accidentally got on the hands or clothes.
(3). Epoxy-colored sand
The main raw material is epoxy resin & curing agent & quartz sand, which combines the advantages of seam sealer and porcelain seam sealer and is supplemented. The matte texture is better, but the price is generally high, and the construction is difficult.
To sum up, if only the performance is considered, epoxy-colored sand>joint sealer>seaming agent. Of course, the choice of seam sealer depends on your own situation. If you are looking for beauty and have an adequate budget, you can directly prepare epoxy-colored sand. If you are looking for cost-effectiveness and have an insufficient budget, you can choose a seam sealer. Porcelain seam sealer is more suitable for small partners who want to compromise, have both beauty and cost-effectiveness, and have an adequate budget.
2. The functions of beautifying caulking
Compared with traditional white cement caulking, the beautifying caulking has the properties of waterproof, impermeability, and oil stain resistance. After solidification, the surface is smooth, with high strength and wear resistance, no contamination, no mildew, and easy to clean. Let’s talk about the role of beautifying caulking.
(1). Beautifying effect:
The beautifying caulking can well beautify the gap reserved during tile paving, improve the space’s appearance, have a strong sense of lines, have a high overall aesthetic degree, and are rich in color, natural and delicate, suitable for a variety of decoration styles, and can bring a very good visual effect.
(2). Waterproof and oil stain resistance:
The beautifying caulking can prevent cracks, falling off, dirt, mildew, and other problems in the reserved gap during tile paving, and it has waterproof performance, which can prevent water seepage and oil stain in the tile gap after construction. (Ps: beautifying caulking must be made in wet places such as toilets, kitchens, living balconies, etc.)
(3). Convenient cleaning:
The ceramic tiles with beautifying caulking are easy to clean because the dust will not get stuck in the seams.
Ⅱ. How to do the beautifying caulking of porcelain floor?
▲Porcelain floor tiles are affordable and easy to clean, which is the first choice for many families to decorate. There will be a gap after the ceramic floor tiles are paved, which is very ugly. This is often the time when the tile sealant is used to fill those gaps, so as to achieve the decorative effect.
1. When paving tiles, it is necessary to reserve the corresponding width of the beautifying caulking. Generally speaking, the reserved width of the tiles is generally 1 mm – 8 mm, and the depth is generally 1 mm – 2 mm. Compared with narrow tile joints, the overall effect of the ground is better.
2. Clean the dust inside the tile gap with a vacuum cleaner or broom to ensure that there is no moisture, dust or particles in the tile gap.
3. Reserved tile joint, the positioning cross can be embedded into the tile joint to ensure that the width of the tile is consistent. Then, ordinary cement or white cement shall be used to pave the bottom and fill the joint. After filling, willow shall be used to level the joint and compact it to keep the joint depth about 0.5-1.5mm.
4. Screw the discharge nozzle to the discharge port of the seam sealant, load the glue gun to prepare the glue, and wet the tiles on both sides of the tile gap with a wet towel, but the tile gap must be clean and dry.
5. To apply a piece of seam sealant, a novice can apply 20cm — 50cm first, and then gradually become more proficient and can apply it to a longer length; Then lay the glue gun flat and catch it with a receiving plate under the discharge nozzle.
6. Flat the seam sealant (mainly using water scraper, sponge, and finger); The water scraper is held with four fingers on top and thumb under the water scraper; Excess materials scraped by the water scraper shall be transferred to the sponge.
7. Drying period: after the completion of the paving and caulking, the cement materials in the joints shall be thoroughly dried before the pointing construction of the joint beautifying agent can be carried out. The dust in the tiles can be removed with a rag.
Ⅲ. Which tiles need soaking?
▲Next, we will learn about tile soaking. In fact, not all tiles need to be soaked in water before they are paved. Whether they need to be soaked in water depends mainly on the material of the tiles. Generally speaking, ceramic tiles need to be soaked in water before they are paved, while porcelain tiles do not need to be soaked in water when they are paved. Because the ceramic tile has high water absorption, it must absorb enough water so that it will not fall off.
▲Ceramic tiles must be soaked in water before paving, because there are many tiny pores inside it, which has a certain degree of water absorption. If the tiles are not soaked in water or are not fully soaked in water before paving, if they are directly paved, the tiles will absorb the water in the cement mortar, making the tiles and cement not firmly bonded, leading to problems such as hollowing and falling off.
▲In addition, there is a layer of white powder on the back of many tiles, which is talcum powder added by the merchants to protect the tiles from damage during transportation and storage. If there is too much talcum powder, the bonding ability of cement mortar will be affected. Soaking in water is also to clean this layer of talcum powder.
Ⅳ. What are the precautions for tile soaking?
1. When soaking in water, pay attention to the fact that the tile glaze faces up and the embryo face faces down to avoid problems such as tile corner collision and porcelain missing corners. Ensure that all tiles are immersed in water.
2. After the tiles are soaked in water, pay attention to protecting the tiles when they are taken out of the basin. You can first lay the packing carton on the ground with the glaze facing up.
3. There is a certain loss in tile paving and tiling. When you buy more tiles, you can return them if there are more tiles left. But you should pay attention to that tiles soaked in water cannot be returned.
Because tiles soaked in water will become dark and cannot be sold a second time, so you must pay attention not to soak all tiles in water when paving and tiling. It is better to count the number before soaking it in water to avoid unnecessary waste.
CONCLUSION
The decorative effect of beautify tile caulking is particularly strong, with rich colors, natural delicacy and luster. Bring better overall effect to the wall and ground. The contrast between the seam and the tile is obvious, which makes the tile more noble and beautifies the whole room.