Walls and floors lined with ceramic mosaic, tiled or porcelain stoneware are most often perceived as divided into squares or rectangles. However, following the designer trends of recent years, many want to create the effect of a monolithic ceramic surface. How to make a similar idea?
Walls and floors lined with ceramic mosaic, tiled or porcelain stoneware are most often perceived as divided into squares or rectangles. However, following the designer trends of recent years, many want to create the effect of a monolithic ceramic surface. How to make a similar idea?
Ceramic facing materials are traditionally used in wet rooms. They are waterproof, hygienic, have high chemical resistance, practically not wear out at home, environmentally friendly due to natural components, they are easy to clean. Made facing ceramics from a mixture of natural clays of different varieties. The production of production plastic clay mass is placed in special forms, pressed and burned in the furnaces. As a result, products with low porosity and water absorption are obtained (less than 0.5% in porcelain stoneware, 2-10% in ceramic tiles), high hardness and wear resistance.
Arch-Skin. | 
Atlas Concorde. | 
Arch-Skin. |
2, 3. Grout for seams makes the surface lined with ceramic elements fully hydrocelated. At the same time, color grouts, selected exactly to tone tiles, porcelain and mosaic, provide visual integrity of the coating
Not so long ago, a new ceramic Material of Arch-Kin, produced in Italy and Spain appeared on the domestic market. It is able to change the traditional idea of the ceramics and its scope. According to the composition of Arch-Skin, it is identical to a porcelain stoneware, but the production technology and properties differs from it. It is obtained by the method of rolled sheet with subsequent firing. Finished products are ceramic plates whose sizes reach 3.6x1.2m. The stove thickness is only 3 or 3.5mm, so that they are much thinner than the usual ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware (7-8mm). Perhaps such "panels" used to finish can even be called ceramic wallpaper. ARCH-SKIN - light (weight - 7kg / m), solid, resistant to ultraviolet and frost-resistant due to low water absorption material. But the most amazing, it is absolutely uncharacteristic for ceramics a property slightly bending (bending radius - up to 5m).
Readiness number one
A variety of modern facing materials dictates an individual approach to the installation of each of them and the choice of appropriate adhesives. Ceramic tiles with fairly large water absorption (up to 20%) are placed on cement-sandy solution. It penetrates the pores of the tile of the tile and keeps it at the expense of mechanical clutch. For porcelain stoneware and other materials with practically zero water absorption, the adhesive mixtures of the contact type should be used to create an adhesive film that performs the functions of the adhesive and the deforming layer during loads. It is necessary that the adhesion strength with the base of such adhesive compositions was at least 0.5 MPa for internal laying and at least 1 MPa - for the outer. The greater the weight and format of the tiles, the higher the adhesion of glue should be. It is important to remember that the facing begins with the preparation of the base: it should be aligned and apply soil. The surface must be smooth, durable and dry. Permissible deviations from straightness - no more than 2mm at the length of 2m. Only after that the wizard is embarking on the installation of ceramic facing.Opinion of a specialist
Akhmet Kagirov, director of Arsh-Skin
New opportunities
Most of us are typical to postpone the start of repair work, as they accompany dust, dirt and a huge amount of garbage. Innovative products will avoid this - SLIM porcelain stoneware (4mm) and Arsh-Skin material. One of their indisputable advantages is the possibility of laying over the old coating. The lack of dismantling will save time and money. Decorating curvilinear surfaces during repairs always causes difficulties. Try, for example, using a mosaic: Tessers of small sizes is easy to separate rounded walls, decorate niches, arches IT.D. Surfaces with a radius of bend from 5m can be fed by large-format sheets of Arsh-Skin. However, the 3mm thick material is easy to cut with glass cutter or diamond discs. In addition, it is easy for it to give the desired outlines using glass processing machines and porcelain stoneware to create, say, decorative panels of almost any format with original ornaments.Seams will not pass!
Using wet premises, we often find yourself in a not too pleasant situation: with insufficient natural ventilation of the bathroom on the walls, condensate is constantly present. The most problematic zones are the seams between ceramic elements. Here in a warm and humid environment, fungi and mold are actively developing. It is not by chance that high-quality grouts for wet premises contain disinfecting additives. Surface contaminated areas can be cleaned with special fungicidal agents. However, the fight against similar phenomena should be started with the arrangement of forced ventilation. At the same time, applying large-format facing materials, you significantly reduce the number of seams. Judge for yourself: the length of the seams around the 3x1m plate is 8m (for comparison: the length of the seams on the same area, lined not the smallest tile format 20x0cm, increases to 34m). So, the colonies of fungi will be much less convenient places for life.