Whether or not to leave gaps in tile paving has always been a classic debate in the decoration industry. In fact, most owners are not happy with leaving seams in ceramic tiles, because once seams are left, the seams will easily become dirty, yellow, and moldy, making the floors and walls not only unsightly but also difficult to clean. Seamless paving It can make the space look smooth and tidy. If seamless ceramic tile paving is really good in every possible way, why do some people always emphasize that seams must be left?
01
Why do ceramic tiles need to have seams?
On the one hand, ceramic tiles and the cement mortar used to stick them will have thermal expansion and contraction problems. They will expand and contract to a certain extent when the temperature or humidity changes. Failure to leave any seams will cause the ceramic tiles to warp during later use. Drumming or cracking. On the other hand, although today's ceramic tiles are all mechanized production, there are still certain dimensional errors in the production process. Without leaving seams, uneven joints are prone to occur during paving, which affects the appearance of the ceramic tiles.
Paving ceramic tiles with seams can not only prevent hollowing, deformation, cracking, chipping or even falling off of ceramic tiles, but also enriches the methods and effects of paving. It is also more convenient to maintain in the future, and it is more sensitive to errors in manual paving. Be inclusive. To sum it up in one sentence, it is good, fast and economical!
Although the so-called "seamless bricks" have long appeared in the building ceramics industry - referring to ceramic tiles whose surface and sides are at a 90-degree right angle, they are cut or trimmed after firing to make the edges smooth. , the specifications are consistent. However, "seamless tiles" are just a concept. Judging from the physical properties of the tiles themselves, they will still be affected by cement tension and thermal expansion and contraction during paving and use, and cannot truly achieve seamless paving. It can only achieve the effect of reducing gaps during the paving process.
02
How to better deal with tile gaps?
During the ceramic tile paving process, most construction masters will use a special cross positioner to make the ceramic tile joints straight and uniform in size to ensure the paving effect and aesthetics. The width of the cross positioner is 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 5mm, etc., and these sizes are set according to the standards for leaving gaps in various types of ceramic tiles. For example, the paving of antique tiles and matte tiles requires a gap of 3-5mm; the paving of interior wall tiles requires a gap of 2-3mm; the most commonly used fully polished glazed floor tiles can leave a gap of less than 2mm, but the minimum cannot be lower. less than 1 mm.
What to do with the gap left?
Caulking agent, which is widely used in decoration projects, is a necessity for ceramic tile joints. First of all, it has strong adhesion and good sealing properties. It can be waterproof and moisture-proof, keeping the gaps dry at all times, while protecting the tiles from bacteria and extending the service life of the tiles. Secondly, as an epoxy material, it is relatively hard and smooth, not easy to wear and easy to clean.
It is worth noting that if you want to make beautiful seams with ceramic tiles at home, it is best to control the size of the seams during paving to 1.5-3mm. This is because if the seams in the ceramic tiles are too large, it is easy to hide dust, and scale can easily accumulate in humid places, turning them into sanitary blind spots; if the seams in the ceramic tiles are too small, it will be impossible to use a glue gun to seal the seams, which means that the seams will take longer. Costs will increase accordingly.
03
Is it necessary to install ceramic tiles with tight seams?
The concept of tight joint paving has actually appeared in the 1990s and has been widely used in the field of stone. In the field of ceramic tiles, due to limitations in production technology and paving techniques, leaving seams has become the most common choice. With the emergence of the marble tile category, in order to achieve a decoration effect comparable to that of natural stone, sealed paving has become a breakthrough that marble tile manufacturers have been striving for. Craftsmanship.
In 2018, Jianyi marble tiles took the lead in launching the continuous-seam paving technology, and the gaps between the tiles can be within 0.5mm. Also able to reduce ceramic tile gaps to within 0.5mm is Bighorn Deer's super wear-resistant marble tiles. In April this year, its "close-jointed super-wear-resistant diamond glaze paving production technology" was rated as an internationally advanced level. In addition, Tongli marble tiles launched the "0.3mm dense seam paving process", Melco marble tiles introduced the 0.5mm international European standard micro seam paving process service, and Golden Age marble tiles launched the 0.5mm dense seam for large continuous slabs. Craftsmanship...
It is not difficult to see that dense joint paving has become a major development trend in the field of marble tiles. The rise of this dense seam paving process is actually related to the minimalist style that has become popular in recent years. Minimalist style pays attention to spatial integration, and large boards that can meet this point have become popular. Unfortunately, it is difficult to break through the bottlenecks in transportation, processing, paving, etc. Close seam paving + continuous pattern perfectly avoids these disadvantages, not only making the spaceThe effect is more integrated, and the connection of textures can be made more natural and real, making marble tiles that further replace natural marble become the first choice in the high-end decoration market.
04
Is the threshold for sealing joint paving high?
Since the sealing effect of marble tiles is so good, why are there so few tile brands that actually implement this technology?
Tight seam paving has extremely high requirements on the production process of ceramic tiles, including flatness difference, size difference, water absorption, thermal expansion coefficient and other indicators, which all need to be strictly controlled within a very small range. This is the basis for marble tiles to be paved with tight seams.
Product quality is the foundation, and the adhesive material selected for paving is also very critical. The cement mortar used in traditional ceramic tile paving has a high shrinkage rate and can easily cause cracking of the ceramic tiles; when ordinary tile adhesive is used in tight joint paving, it is difficult to guarantee the project quality and service life. Therefore, tight joint paving also requires innovation in auxiliary materials, using higher-grade special tile adhesives with smaller shrinkage and stronger adhesion.
In dense joint paving, the most important and most difficult thing to break through is actually the construction technology of the workers. Zhongtaojun has interviewed many dealers who have launched marble tile brands with close joint paving. As service providers for the delivery of finished products, most of them said that it takes a lot of effort to train a construction master who can make dense joint paving. Not only does the brand headquarters need to provide more training and learning opportunities, but the dealers themselves also need Provide better conditions to retain such talents.
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In order to pursue the effect of dense seam paving, the decoration cost will be much higher than the traditional seam paving method; if the quality of the ceramic tiles paved with close seams at home is to be guaranteed, then the merchants that provide this process must be Reliable and trustworthy.
On the one hand, there is seam paving that is convenient and easy to operate, and on the other hand, there is close seam paving with amazing effects. Which one do you prefer?
