Installation and maintenance manual

Installation and Maintenance

360/361

For particular or aggressive stains we recommend the

use of specific detergents, but in any case it is

advisable to eliminate any stains quickly because

while the porcelain stoneware surface is practically

non-absorbent, the micro roughness that is present

on all tiles can make the cleaning more difficult, and

quick action normally allows for an immediate result.

In any case, the detergents indicated in table on page

338-339 can be used for lapped products, taking care

to avoid prolonged contact, respect the dilutions and

rinse. All the same, it is always best to test the product

beforehand on a tile that has not been laid or in a small

area of the floor.

EXTRAORDINARY MAINTENANCE

AND STAIN REMOVAL

Extraordinary maintenance is an operation to be

carried out only when there are stains or rings of

various kinds that cannot be eliminated with ordinary

routine maintenance.

These can be removed using a specific detergent in

the event of widespread dirt on the entire surface, or

for localised spots or residues it is possible to use a

stain remover. Removal occurs through a chemical

reaction between the stain and the detergent, so that,

depending on the nature of the dirt, it is necessary to

employ different types of products, as shown in table

on page 338-339.

DAILY CLEANING AND PERIODIC MAINTENANCE

The use of specific products for the daily cleaning of

porcelain stoneware contributes significantly to the

maintenance of its beauty and performance over time.

These solutions are used through traditional washing

systems (brush and rag or mop) and do not require

rinsing.

The products recommended for end-of-job cleaning

and ordinary or extraordinary cleaning are summarised

in table on page 338-339.

Introduction

The increasingly widespread use of porcelain

stoneware, distinguished by high technical and

aesthetic characteristics and intended for commercial

and residential environments, requires extra attention

during installation andcleaning to get the best results.

Modern porcelain stoneware tiles have adopted the

typical processes of stone products (rectifying,

lapping, polishing) leading to layouts with "minimal

joints".

The use of special pieces (strips, slats, waterjet cuts)

or the use of "multiple format" layouts complicates the

laying of floors.

REFIN therefore considers it useful to underline some

basic rules that apply to porcelain stoneware tiles.

Laying

First of all it is necessary to inspect the goods upon

receipt, checking:

- Correspondence between delivery documents and

goods.

- Colour, size, choice of material

- Presence of any defects

In this regard, remember that no claims will be

accepted for visible defects of already installed

tiles (see General Conditions of Sale on page 342)

REFIN porcelain stoneware tiles have a very low level

of water absorption (less than 0.2%) and it is therefore

necessary to use specific and high-quality glues, and

in any case traditional laying on concrete slabs is

strongly discouraged.

Therefore, use only improved adhesives having a

minimum class of C2 for the floor, C2 T for walls and

C2 S1-S2 for floors with heating screed, according to

EN 12004 which distinguishes the classes of

adhesives as shown below:

CHEMICAL NATURE:

- C = Cementitious adhesives

- D = Dispersion adhesives

- R = Reaction resin adhesives

ADHESIVE CLASS:

- 1 = Normal adhesive

- 2 = Improved adhesive

OPTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS:

- E = Extended open time

- F = Fast setting

- T = Reduced vertical slip

- S1 = Deformable cementitious adhesive

- S2 = Highly deformable cementitious adhesive

For porcelain stoneware, traditional laying with cement

mortar does not guarantee an adequate adhesion of

the tiles. Refin does not accept claims for material

laid without the use of suitable screed and

adhesives.

The laying screed must be perfectly flat. The UNI

11493 and ISO 8976-1:1989 standards provide for a

tolerance of +/- 3 mm under a 2 m straight edge. In

case of a screed that exceeds the indicated

tolerances, it is advisable to use self-levelling mortars.

It is not good practice to use the thickness of the glue

to compensate for imperfections in the laying surface.

The laying surface (screed) must be intact without

cracks, of good quality (no dust), mature (no residual

shrinkage) with parameters of mechanical flexing

strength suited to the use of the flooring.

Roughly speaking, the strength parameters should be:

- 10-15 N/mm

2

for residential spaces

- 30 N/mm

2

for commercial spaces

For resistance to stresses parallel to the laying

surface of wall tiles, maintain a resistance R value of

0.8 – 1.2 N/mm

2

Depending on the conditions of use, it is important to

take into account the flex strength of the tiles.

For large format slabs or for particularly high traffic

(commercial, industrial) it is advisable to use the

double buttering technique to guarantee a full bed of

glue without any empty spaces that can lead to

breakage due to bending or impact.

In any case, it is good practice to follow the

instructions of the producers of the materials for

screeds and adhesives and remember that the

installation with cementitious adhesives must be

carried out at ambient temperatures between +5°C

and 35°C.

It is a good idea – especially for materials with a V2

shading index and above – to pick the tiles from

several boxes at the same time.

Especially for lapped materials, it is advisable not to

mark cuts using indelible felt pens or graphite pencils.

LAYING OF LARGE TILES

In addition to the general suggestions above for laying

porcelain stoneware, further care is required when

working with large format tiles (120×278, 120×120,

75×150, 25×150, 60×120 cm) as the instructions for

the materials of "normal" format become more strict

for large slabs.

- It is essential to verify the perfect flatness of the

substrate. If the substrate is not flat, it is necessary to

use a self-levelling mortar

- The laying must be done with double buttering of the

glues, both on the tiles and on the screed. In certain

situations it may be necessary to use glues with

extended open time (E) and high resistance to vertical

slipping (T).

- Single-coating installations can also be carried out if

glues with high wettability are used.

- For rectangular formats, layouts with staggering

above 25%-30% are strongly discouraged

- The use of self-levelling systems for tiles is

recommended

- It is recommended to use two people to handle and

lay tiles measuring 120×278, 120×120, 75×150 and

above and employ adequate transport for moving the

slabs in the work site.

- Expansion joints – (perimeter and fractioning) – must

be used

- Lay with a minimum joint of 2 mm in order to

compensate for any dimensional imperfections in

terms of flatness and lower the modulus of elasticity

of the floor/wall system.

IMPORTANT: the boxes include information on the

tiles and laying instructions that you should read

before laying.

For installation on façades, especially outdoors, it

is advisable to prepare installation specifications

together with companies specialised in the sector

(see, for example: KERAKOLL, MAPEI)

JOINTS AND GROUT

Rectifying has made it possible to produce extremely

precise tiles that can be considered similar to a

"standard size", so final consumers often ask for a

"minimum joint" or even without any joint at all.

Refin prescribes a minimum joint of 2 mm for the

laying of rectified porcelain stoneware tiles in order

to compensate the working tolerances in the tile, the

screed and the laying.

Natural (unrectified) materials are subject to larger

dimensional tolerances, and the respective

measurements are shown on the size table on the

boxes, so the size of the joints must be at least 5 mm.

Refin does not accept claims for laying of rectified

materials with a joint of less than 2 mm.

It is possible to use grout with coloured pigments but

it is best – especially for rustic products, with rough

and lapped surfaces – to perform a preliminary

cleaning test. In any case, it is necessary to clean the

floor immediately after grouting.

It is not recommended to use grouts with coloured

pigments that contrast with the colour of the tiles

(example: white floor with brown or dark grey joint) in

natural floors, while this should absolutely be avoided

with lapped floors.

The use of temporary waterproofing before the

grouting operation (like ISOL FUGA) is recommended

during the grouting of polished products.

For large surfaces, expansion joints are required every

25 square metres for indoor installation and 20 square

metres for outdoor installation, and the screed

expansion joints must always be respected.

The perimeter joint between walls and floors is

necessary for any surface.

In the case of floors subjected to high loads (industrial)

or foot traffic (commercial) it is advisable to use

reinforced prefabricated joints.

OUT2.0:

Instructions for

project engineers

and customers

For further details on the 20 mm product

and the installation systems, in particular for

recommendations, restrictions of use, and

precautions during installation, please refer to

our website www.refin.com and to the OUT2.0

catalogue.

Ordinary and

extraordinary

maintenance

END-OF-JOB CLEANING

For cleaning when the installation is finished, it is not

sufficient to wash the floor with water alone, and it is

absolutely inadvisable to use substances like fuel oil,

vinegar, etc.

Instead, it is necessary to clean using specific acid-

based detergents to remove the chalky and grout

residues that capture the dirt and are able to retain it

forming a film on the surface that distorts the

appearance of the tiles and rings in water (droplet

effect) or food substances that react with it.

The ideal situation, after a first rough cleaning, is to

wait for the grout to harden and apply specific

detergents following the manufacturer's instructions.

After cleaning with buffered acid, rinse thoroughly to

remove any residual acid detergent that may leave

greasiness on the surface (if necessary use a

degreasing detergent) or damage the surface.

However, it is advisable to carry out a test on a sample

of the surface and then, if the result is positive,

proceed with the entire floor.

The aforementioned expedient is necessary for

polished and lapped surfaces, on which non-abrasive

cloths or tools should be used.

For the purpose of cleaning the newly installed

surfaces at the end of installation it is suggested to

use specific detergents based on the type of grout

used in the joints, as shown in table on page 338-339.

Ordinary and

extraordinary

cleaning

GENERAL ADVICE

Refin tiles are produced in compliance with ISO

10545, EN14411, ISO13006 standards, so they are

resistant to stains as per ISO 10545-14 (see technical

specifications) which provides resistance to some

representative substances and for a certain period of

permanence of the stain. It is therefore advisable to

clean the tiles as soon as possible, especially

particular stains (ink, vomit, urine, paints, etc.) and

stains not included in the ISO test substances, like

rubber (shoe heel), metals, blood etc.

In any case, REFIN does not accept any responsibility

for stains, guaranteeing only compliance with ISO

10545-14 (RESISTANCE TO STAINS) and ISO 10545-

13 (RESISTANCE TO ACIDS AND BASES) standards.

The surface of REFIN porcelain stoneware is

completely glazed and compact. Surface absorption

is at minimum levels (below 0.2%) so aggressive

detergents can be used without particular problems if

the manufacturer's instructions are followed.

Any treatments that should be carried out after laying

must be preceded by a test since, as mentioned,

porcelain stoneware does not require any actions after

installation.

Refin assumes no responsibility for treatments

made after installation.

Precautions and cleaning accuracy must be greater in

high traffic environments.

ORDINARY MAINTENANCE

It is essential to make sure that the installer has

cleaned using specific products for the removal of

laying residues.

For routine maintenance, no special operation is

required other than the use of water and mild

detergents. Avoid the use of additives (perfumes,

waxes, surfactants, chemical treatments, etc.) that can

remain on the surface and therefore alter both the

appearance and the performance of the surface,

making cleaning more difficult or altering the anti-slip

properties.

For particularly visible or difficult stains you can use

more aggressive detergents, more or less diluted,

depending on the type of dirt to be removed.

However, it is good practice to remember that

products based on fluoridic acid (HF) and its

derivatives irreparably damage the ceramic

surface.

Updated installation and maintenance manuals are available on www.refin.com