Home remodelling - Best Practices for installing Cement tiles on walls or Floor!

Congratulations on buying cement tile! A common myth about installing cement tiles in remodeling projects is that they can be a headache; but trust me, as long as you have good quality cement tiles and sound counsel to guide you through, it’s a piece of cake.Just like you need a well-prepped recipe to make a delicious dish in the kitchen, tile installation requires detailed planning, quality ingredients, and careful execution. There are a couple of ways you could go about managing wall or floor remodeling projects, the sequence or execution of some of the steps can be changed or executed simultaneously.

Shortlisting a professional tile layer - You need an expert tile layer “period”. Allowing someone who’s never laid “Finished” cement tile (similar to those we sell in Lioness Tile) is bound to produce inferior results.

At Lioness Tile we have a team of professional layers we offer to bundle as part of our offering. You must always ask your tile manufacturer to send a team of tile layers as well as share their professional expertise or project pictures from the past.

Always go for the best! This is why Team Lioness recommends MYK LATICRETE, FILA, or Marble Magik Corporation (Make in India) for tile adhesives, grout, sealers, or cleaners. We recommend applying Wax Polish for scratch, and stain resistance (e.g. White Mansion Wax Polish). We have tested our cement tiles with the products of these companies and shortlisted those which have delivered high-quality results.

• Make sure your wall or floor is ready - You have to ensure that the surface is leveled at zero degrees and has been in a  dry state (ask your layer to perform a moisture test if you’re unsure) for at least 7 days. Laying cement tiles on a wet floor will cause spots on the top layer.

Preparing Cement Tiles for Laying - Few important things to do at this step is to arrange the full pattern (4, 9, 16, 32, and onwards) to pencil the joining angle, create the right blend of variation, edges smoothing and soft tile leveling management (to mitigate slight variation up 1-2 mm in tile surface and edges).      

• Laying Cement Tile -  Your tile bed must be perfectly leveled at zero degrees and in an absolutely dry state. Ensure your layer is using either hand or wooden blocks to set the tiles. Never use an iron hammer otherwise it’ll lead to the appearance of hairline cracks on the top layer of cement tile. ‍
• Grouting - Your cement tile manufacturer should provide you with grout (customized color) at an additional cost. Please ensure proper grouting between the tile joints.‍
• Sealing - Cement tiles are porous so this step is critical. Please wait for at least 48 hours before applying the first coat of sealer. Avoid applying sealer in direct sunlight if your installation is open to the sky. Between two sealer layers wait for at least 4 hours. Do a porosity test by spilling water, tea, or coffee.‍
• Finishing - This step is optional but I recommend it. You should consider applying a good quality wax polish to avoid scratch or staining. You can ask the finisher to manage the glossy appearance per your taste.      

For a complete cement tile installation manual please refer to this link.

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