Installation Guidelines and Recommendations
Notice to the Customer / Installer!
Carefully read this notice and installation recommendations before installing our products.
By following these guidelines, your concrete paver tiles, brick veneer, and cement tiles will result in a beautiful and durable surface that can be enjoyed for a lifetime!
DO NOT LET THE BOXES OF TILE GET WET, STORE THE BOXES OF TILE IN A COOL DRY AREA!!!
MOISTURE OR DAMPNESS CAN CAUSE STAINING, COLORS TO RUN, AND MAY DAMAGE THE SURFACE OF THE TILE
As with any handcrafted product, slight variations and imperfections will occur from tile to tile, such as in thickness, color, shading, and irregular edges. These variations are an inherent and desirable quality in our product that does not compromise the performance of the tile.
Carefully read this notice and installation recommendations before installing our products.
By following these guidelines, your concrete paver tiles, brick veneer, and cement tiles will result in a beautiful and durable surface that can be enjoyed for a lifetime!
DO NOT LET THE BOXES OF TILE GET WET, STORE THE BOXES OF TILE IN A COOL DRY AREA!!!
MOISTURE OR DAMPNESS CAN CAUSE STAINING, COLORS TO RUN, AND MAY DAMAGE THE SURFACE OF THE TILE
As with any handcrafted product, slight variations and imperfections will occur from tile to tile, such as in thickness, color, shading, and irregular edges. These variations are an inherent and desirable quality in our product that does not compromise the performance of the tile.
Thoroughly Inspect your order:
To resolve any product quality or color issues, you must contact the supplier prior to installation, installed materials constitute acceptance “As Is”.
Installation and Grouting Methods:
Our Concrete Paver Tiles, Cement Tiles, and Brick Veneers are NOT to be installed using a “Ceramic Tile Method.” Use an “Ungauged Stone” method for setting, and a “Brick” method for grouting. Failure to comply may lead to tile bonding failure, grout cracking or significant surface discoloration.
Cutting Paver Tiles and Brick Veneer:
Tiles should be cut using a sharp diamond blade in conjunction with water to avoid chipping edges.
Storage Guidelines:
Store boxed or loose tiles upright on edge, flat stacking may crack paver tiles.
Boxed tiles may contain moisture resulting from production and may appear significantly darker in color tone until fully dried.
Exterior storage may cause permanent changes to the surface color.
Interior storage of freshly packaged moist tiles may cause discoloration. If not used immediately, unpack tiles allowing for complete drying in an indoor environment.
For prolonged storage, unpack and store tiles in a consistently cool indoor environment (storage in excessive dry heat may cause hairline cracks in tiles).
Substrate Preparation:
New Concrete Slab- No sealers, curing compounds or other coatings should be applied. A light broom finish is preferred. New slabs should cure for minimum of 2 weeks prior to tile installation. Slab must feature appropriate movement joints as per “TCA” Specifications.
Existing Concrete Slab- Test concrete surface for any curing compounds, sealers, adhesives, paint overspray and other potential “bond breakers”. Slab surface must be free of dust and other debris contaminants prior to applying mortar bonding coat. Scarify contaminated, machine or steel-troweled concrete slabs. The substrate slab surface may require scarifying. Check for proper movement joint location.
Wood/Resilient Sub-floor- Do not apply mortar bonding directly onto wood, apply per TCA specifications. Mortar bond coat may be applied over resilient flooring that is in good condition, remove any wax residues and rough-sand resilient surface.
Additional Notes:
In desert climate or moist exterior areas, use ANSI compliant waterproof anti-fracture membrane, substantially limiting water-vapor emission, efflorescence, mineral contamination, and color fading.
Color fading, mineral deposits and associated symptoms are caused by continued or excessive moisture vapor emission. sealers cannot prevent these phenomena. to significantly reduce or prevent moisture vapor emission, carefully eliminate bond coat, and grout air voids plus set the paver tiles and bond coat over an ANSI compliant waterproof anti-fracture membrane. Membranes are most pertinent in landscaping settings or interior and exterior desert climate installations.
Installation Guidelines:
Immediately wet the backside of tile with a sponge before applying mortar bonding coat.
Installations in dry hot climates may require soaking tiles.
Use a high-quality medium bed latex modified thin-set adhesive, such as a Laticrete, Custom Building products, or Mapei products (follow manufacturers’ guidelines).
Moisten concrete slab and the backside of tile before applying mortar, trowel to medium bed depth using flat side of a notched trowel first, and then trowel with notched side in a parallel motion covering immediate setting area 100% (follow manufacturers’ guidelines).
Make sure that the thinset adhesive is applied fully to the back of each tile (100% coverage). Large tiles require back buttering. Remove excess adhesive from the surface with a damp cloth when it is fresh.
Push paver tiles into the mortar with a slight back and forth motion until the elimination of all air pockets, level tiles using straight edge and level. DO NOT POUND tiles with a rubber mallet to set!!!
Do not allow any foot traffic for 24 hours minimum, premature foot traffic may cause bonding failure.
Grouting:
Allow 2-3 days after tiles are installed before grouting joints. Use Laticrete, Custom, Mapei or equivalent grouting products (follow manufacturers’ guidelines).
Seal tiles prior to grouting to protect the surface from grout stain and haze (see sealing guidelines).
Use Laticrete, Custom, Mapei or equivalent grout, using manufacturers’ instructions.
Place grout directly into joints with a grout bag, brick jointer, or pointer trowel. Grout joints should be full and free of all voids and pits (avoid air pockets). Recommended grout joint width is 1/8” – 1/4” minimum.
“Float Spread Grouting” may leave surface haze, on unsealed tiles. Once the grout has been applied and starts to dry, remove any excess grout immediately (follow manufacturers’ guidelines).
When grout is completely dry (2-3 days) apply sealer as described below.
Always follow the manufacturer's guidelines.
Sealing:
Treatment must be done before and after grouting when the material is completely dry.
Our products are NOT pre-sealed at the factory; therefore, sealing with a penetrating or impregnating sealer is necessary. For exterior installations, use UV rated penetrating sealers only.
Apply sealer after cleaning and before grouting (follow manufacturers guidelines).
After the tiles and grout are completely dried and cured (2-3 days), apply another light coat of sealer over the surface of the tile and grout, wiping up any wet areas after 10 minutes. DO NOT allow the sealer to pool or stand on the surface!
• We recommend using Bright Glaze Pro-Seal 01 (contact your dealer for information) •
Cleaning:
Our products are cement-based and may have residue on the surface. This will be removed during the cleaning, before grouting and buffing process after installation and after implementation of an ongoing maintenance routine.
- After installation and before grouting, clean tiles with a natural stone or PH neutral cleaner.
- DO NOT use acids, vinegar, or alkaline cleaners on paver tiles and brick veneers.
- Use a single disc floor machine with a white pad to remove any residue or grout haze.
- Remove excess dirt and water with a shop vac.
- Do not allow water or other liquids to sit or pool on the surface of smooth tiles.
- Wipe off any spills, drips, wet buckets rings, footmarks, etc. on the tile surface immediately.
Maintenance:
For ongoing maintenance, clean regularly with a PH neutral detergent. Extremely heavy foot traffic may require buffing tiles with a white scrub pad. A natural patina will occur as the floor is maintained and wears. Water spotting will be eliminated through an ongoing maintenance routine.
DO NOT USE ACIDIC OR ALKALINE CLEANERS
• We recommend using Bright Glaze Neutral Cleaner (ask your dealer for information) •
The use of properly sized walk-off mats at entrances and sweeping or dust mopping is most important to remove abrasive grit that may cause wear.
Special Notice:
*Concrete paver tiles are to be installed according to CTMA, ANSI, and TCA specifications. Only use installation mortar, thin set, grout, membranes, or sealers that comply with ANSI, the CTMA Handbook or manufacturers’ guideline recommendations.
**This document describes the “Ungauged Stone” method. Do not use a “thin set method” a.k.a. “ceramic tile method” for installing our products (see description below).
When using bagged mortars (aka thin set) follow manufacturers’ guidelines. Contact us or the respective third-party material manufacturer / supplier for further details. We accept no responsibility for installations failing to conform to our “notice to the installer” and “installation guidelines and recommendations”.
***Ceramic Tile Method refers to using ¼” notched trowel, chalk lining and tile spacers. Use a Stone Setter’s Method instead, using ½” or ¾” notched trowel, mason’s line to mark grout joints and a straight edge to level surface. This method applies to site mixed mortar or bagged “thin set” materials.
****Do not affix duct tape, gaffer tape or acidic tapes directly onto tile surface, tape can discolor/stain tiles.
If you have any questions, contact your distributor before cutting or installing tiles.
The information contained below may be updated anytime without prior notice.
To request updates email us at: [email protected].
The information contained below may be updated anytime without prior notice.
To request updates email us at: [email protected].
