General information

Factors for consideration before starting installation of stone floors or walls

1. Stone is a natural material with inherent variations of colour, tonal markings and
   surface textures. It also has pits, marks and fissures which are all part of its unique
   beauty and character. All samples are intended as guides only, therefore inspect as
   many tiles as possible to give the overall appearance of the material chosen.
2. Limestone, Travertine, Slate, Basalt and Marble tiles are often packed in a wet
   condition at the factory and cannot properly dry out until unpacked; they will often
   lighten in colour as they dry. Tiles should be dried prior to installation as any unusual
   markings may be placed in less visible areas or used in cuts.
3. At the point of installation always ensure batches/ pallets of stone are shuffled to
   ensure evenness in distribution of any such variation. It is common practice while
   installation to select the stone carefully so the stones you like are in the more
   prominent areas of the installation
4. Minor damage such as edge chipping is often caused in packing and unpacking tiles
   but it is deemed normal practice for these to be used in cuts during the installation
   process.
5. A wastage factor should be taken into account for each project prior to ordering, this
   is normally 10% to 20% which should depend on size of tile chosen and allowing for
   cuts to walls and any minor imperfections.
6. The dimensions of the stone are nominal as variations in thickness, and size occurs
   with most stone.
7. Prior to installation tiles must be sorted into different thickness. The thicker tiles will
   govern the level of the floor and should be fixed first.
8. All natural tiles are to a greater or lesser degree porous and therefore need to be
   treated. We strongly recommend you read all of our technical information for
   successful fixing and treatment of your stone.

Adhesive bedding considerations

We recommend the use of Cement based rapid setting single part flexible adhesive
for stone tile installations using the solid bed method. Light coloured stones require
fixing with white adhesives to prevent discolouration or shadowing under the surface
of the stone. Dark stone require grey adhesive for the same reason as above. We do
not recommend the use of slow setting adhesive as you may encounter problem
when using these adhesives.

Grouting

We recommend the use of Cement based single part flexible grouts. Stones with
naturally textured surfaces, mostly slate and antiqued stone, tend to have larger joint
widths of 6-10mm, whereas honed and polished stone joints can be 3-5mm.

‘Slurry’ grouting is necessary with the lighter, unfilled travertine and some antiqued
limestone in order to fill their natural pits and crevices as well as the jointing process.

Flexible grout is used when flexible adhesive is required. Colour of grout used will
contribute to the overall effect. All stone tiles must be sealed before you grout.

Movement joints

These are required to avoid stresses that can arise in both floors and walls as a result
of a structural movement, thermal variations, changes in moisture content and deflection
under load. All of these can cause loss of adhesion and may also result in bulging or
cracking to both vertical and horizontal surfaces.

Useful References

British Standards

BS 5385- Wall and Floor Tiling. Code of Practice for design and installation.

BS 8000: part 11- Workmanship on Building Sites. Code of practice for wall and floor tiling.

Natural Stone has versatile applications ranging from the innovative wet room to the
commercial high street shop, but it is imperative to justify the appropriate stone for
the right application. Stone tiles can be a large investment and so proper installation
and treatment is essential for all tiles.