Installation of facade clinker tiles is usually performed in several stages: Preparation of the base (plastering and leveling or insulation of facade and making an external reinforcing plaster layer); Pasting clinker tiles; Grouting joints.
Installation of facade clinker tiles is usually performed in several stages:
1. Preparation of the base (plastering and leveling or insulation of facade and making an external reinforcing plaster layer);
2. Pasting clinker tiles;
3. Grouting joints.
Grout mixtures perform two important functions at once: decorative and waterproofing.
Decorative function implies using of grout of different colors that can change an appearance of the whole building quite seriously. One and the same color of clinker tiles or facing bricks with different colors of grout mixtures will look differently.
Waterproofing function provides a protection of facade from penetration of moisture in it from the environment. It’s worth remembering that a compound of grout mixture differs from the compound of masonry mortar for facing bricks or a paste for clinker tiles and it can’t be replaced by them under no circumstances.
When performing works for finishing facade with clinker tiles a grout mixture for clinker tiles or bricks mustn’t have a liquid consistency because clinker has got a rough surface and a liquid grout will leave traces which are difficult to remove. Grout for clinker tiles and bricks is diluted to a consistency of wet sand, sealed into joints and then moisturized with water. Thus there is no possibility of getting the cement water grout or cement splashes on a rough surface of clinker and the grout doesn’t stick to it.
Step 1. Moistening of joints.
When clinker tiles are pasted on plastered surface of the facade wall it’s necessary to keep the joints clean. Excess paste which gets into the joint between the tiles needs to be removed immediately.
Before a key joint pointing it’s necessary to stand the time for a full solidification of the adhesive compound and that’s about two weeks. If you do the grouting earlier, humid containing in the adhesive cement water grout will not find an easy way out and will have a negative impact while operating the building. This point is especially relevant in northern latitudes with low winter air temperatures.
A key joint pointing starts with moistening inner surface of the joint for which any sprayer is suitable. Moistening of the joint with water provides the best adhesion of the grout and the base. Both horizontal and vertical joints are moistened.
Step 2. Preparation of the grout.
A mixture for grouting joints is diluted according to the installation manual located on each package of a selected mixture. A mixture is diluted to a consistency of wet sand which crumbles into grains and simultaneously sticks together into a loose lump.
Step 3. Filling the joints.
Moistened joint is filled with prepared grout mixture. The mixture is taken on a pallet; then with a special trowel for filling joints of clinker tiles it is sealed into an open joint and tamped. An average consumption of grout for clinker tiles of 9-12 mm thick is approximately 4-5 kg per 1 sq.m.
Performing grouting works is rather labor-intensive process; a specialist is processing 1 sq.m for an hour. Therefore it’s not worth worrying that there is a separate graph called “key joint pointing” in the overall estimate for performing finishing facade works because its presence is quite reasonable.
Step 4. After the joint had been sealed with grout it must be tamped. The joint is pressed with the same trowel. Both horizontal and vertical joints of brick laying are tamped. The excess grout is falling while tamping avoiding sticking to clinker surface.
Step 5. Sweeping the joints with a soft brush.
In order to remove all unnecessary leftovers of the grout from a brick laying one need to sweep the joints with a soft brush after tamping. A soft brush is perfect for this action. Sweeping is performed diagonally in order to remove wastes but at the same time not to damage tamped joints.
Step 6. Moistening of grout.
After joints are sealed and tamped, an excess mixture got on the surface is sweeped by a brush one need to moisten ready joints by spraying. It’s not needed to moisten abundantly; just sprinkling from sprayer is enough.
