Aga Ranges Fired Earth User Manual

Floor Tiling

Installation Guide

Ancillary Products

A full range of high quality fixing and sealing products, researched and developed to
meet Fired Earth standards, are available for both professional and DIY use.

Read the instructions on the packaging of Adhesives, Grouts and Sealants very carefully.

Website- www.firedearth.com

All our installation guides are available to download from our website: Wall Tiling,
Underfloor Heating, Wood Flooring and Waterproofing Showers and Bathrooms.

Useful Numbers

UK Sales 0845 366 0400
Export Sales [phone]
Installations 01295 814310
Technical 01295 814271
Home Deliveries 01295 814313
Customer Care 01295 814396

Disclaimer

The specifications and technical information given in this publication are intended for guidance and
although they are to the best of our knowledge correct, they are given without warranty.

We cannot accept any responsibility for reliance placed upon the advice contained herein since practical
expertise and site conditions are outside of our control. Neither do we accept liability for the performance
of the product arising from such use. This does not affect your statutory rights.

Fired Earth is a trading name of Aga Consumer Products Limited. Registered in England
and Wales under Registered Number 3872754. Registered Office Address - 4 Arleston Way,
Shirley, Solihull B90 4LH.

Fired Earth, Twyford Mill, Oxford Road, Adderbury, OX17 3SX

Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] www.firedearth.com

© Aga Consumer Products Limited trading as Fired Earth. August 2008

Floor Tiling

Installation Guide

Contents

Substrates 4

Planning 6

Fixing 7

Cutting 8

Sealing 9

Grouting 10

Terracotta Tiles 11

Presealed Terracotta, Geometric,
Roman Mosaic and Encaustic Tiles 13

Slate and Lubelska Bricks 14

Natural Stone Tiles and Mosaics 15

Porcelain and Glass Tiles 16

External Floor Tiling 16

Glossary 16

Product Selector 1 18
(Adhesives, Grouts and Additives)

Product Selector 2 22
(Sealing, Finishing and Maintenance)

The purpose of this booklet is to outline the basic
principles of installing Fired Earth floor tiles. For more
detailed technical information, refer to British Standard
BS 5385 Wall and Floor Tiling.

Important Notes:

Prior to installation please ensure the tiles purchased
are suitable for the application. All tiles must be
thoroughly inspected prior to installation. Ensure your
tiler is aware of the expected finish of the tiles and there
are sufficient tiles for the area. The tiles must be well
shuffled by drawing tiles from all the boxes. Dry lay an
area in suitable light as a final check before installation.

No complaints regarding the appearance of the product
will be accepted by the company once the tiles have
been installed.

For further information or if any doubt exists, please
telephone our Technical Department for advice prior to
commencing any tiling.

Fired Earth have tested our range of adhesives, grouts and
sealants to ensure compatibility with all our tiles (see our
Product Selector on page 18-23). Read the instructions on
the packaging of Adhesives, Grouts and Sealants very
carefully. Keep everything meticulously clean and orderly
as work progresses.

5

Substrates

If your tiling is to last, it is essential that
the surface onto which the tiles are to be
laid is sound. Careful consideration must be
given to the floor surface to confirm that
the surface is level, clean, dry, free of dust,
grease and any loose material.

Your tiler must confirm the suitability of
the subfloor before tiling.

Sand and cement screeds

When tiling onto a new screed, a minimum
period of one week for each 25mm of new
screed should elapse to allow the screed to
be suitably dry. Further time may be
necessary, depending on weather and site
conditions. We do not recommend tiling
onto anhydrite or fast setting screeds
without careful consideration - please
contact our Technical Department for
further advice.

A new screed may shrink as it dries, and
this may result in cracks across the screed.
If cracking does occur it is likely to appear
across any tiles that are fixed to the screed.
Ensure that the screed is suitably dry and
stable before any tiling is started.

Any movement or day joints in the screed
must be carried through into the tiled
surface. Day joints or construction joints
must not be tiled over without the
inclusion of an expansion joint.

Bumps and hollows
in screeded floors

Minor irregularities can be overcome with
up to 5mm of Fired Earth Universal

Levelling Compound* or Fired Earth Thick
Bed Adhesive*. If the floor is very uneven,
with undulations of more than 5mm, Fired
Earth Universal Levelling Compound*

should be used in conjunction with clean
granite chippings.

Suspended timber floors/
Floating insulated floors

Suspended timber floors/floating insulated
floors (polystyrene with water resistant
chip board over) should be rigid, non­flexing and stable enough to bear the
additional load. In order to minimise the
damaging effect of lateral movement in the
floor surface, it is recommended that the
floor is prepared using Fired Earth
Fleximat*. Our Sales Team will be happy to
provide our separate information sheet.

If the suspended timber floor is subject to
vertical movement, the floor must be
stiffened. Remove flexing by fixing a
minimum 18mm, WBP plywood over the
existing timber, screwed down at 150mm
centres. If the floating insulted floor is
subject to vertical movement the floor
must be braced by screwing and gluing
WPB plywood to its surface, or removing

4

some of the boards so 'bearers' can be
fitted below to provide further support.

Seal all the surfaces of the plywood boards
with Fired Earth Universal Bonding Agent*

Other types of floors

Fired Earth would recommend that all
existing floor covering and residue adhesive
are removed before tiling. However it is
possible to tile over existing tiles provided
the surface is completely sound, secure and
thoroughly cleaned to remove all
contaminants such as oil, wax and grease,
using an appropriate cleaner.

Cork and woodblock floors must be
removed and any bitumen left on the
subfloor should be scraped away and all
loose material removed.

Vinyl tiles must be primed with Fired Earth

Universal Bonding Agent*.

Damp

Prior to fixing tiles, damp of any nature
should be rectified. Consult a specialist if
any doubt exists.

Finished floor level

The finished level of an existing floor will
be raised by the maximum thickness of the
tile plus approximately 3–4mm adhesive
bed. Any resultant discrepancy with the
levels of adjoining rooms can be minimised
with the use of threshold/reducer strips.

Underfloor heating

Fired Earth floor tiles can be used over most
underfloor heating systems. The heating

should be correctly commissioned prior to
tiling and switched off during tiling. There
must be no cracks in the screed otherwise
any floor tiles fitted on top will crack.

Fired Earth Fleximat* can be used as an
anti-fracture membrane over Fired Earth
Underfloor Heating. Our Sales Team will
be happy to provide our separate
information sheet.

Always use flexible adhesive and grout and
provide an expansion gap around all
perimeters and abutments. As a general
guide, do not tile continuously over areas
with a length of over 6 metres, fit an
expansion gap to prevent stress building up
in the floor. Always fit expansion joints in
doorways of adjoining tiled rooms.

DO NOT switch the heating on for at least
two weeks after tiling, then, starting from
ambient temperature, do not increase the
temperature by more than 5°C in a 24
hour period until the normal working
temperature is reached.

'Wet' floors

Please refer to our Waterproofing Showers
and Bathrooms Installation Guide for

further advice.

Walls

When tiling onto walls with floor tiles,
consideration must be given to the weight
of the tile and suitability of the substrate.
Our Sales Team will be happy to confirm the
weight of any of our tiles.

Step 4. When tiling commences you should
start at point ‘X’, so check that the lines you
have marked make a perfect right angle and
the side line runs parallel to the centre line.

Grout joints

The width of grout joints will vary between
3–12mm. Large joints will be necessary on
rustic tiles such as terracotta and slate.
Please refer to the Fired Earth price list for
recommended grout joints.

Roman Mosaic tiles should be butt jointed
(no allowance made for a grout joint)
except when used in a shower where a
narrow but impervious grout joint will
be necessary.

When fitting random sized tiles an area
should be 'dry laid' first to establish the
optimum joint width. Joint sizes may vary
from 2mm-10mm across the floor
depending on the mixture of tile sizes
used and the pattern.

Mosaic tiles - Ensure that the sheets of
mosaic tiles are spaced so that once
grouted, no individual sheets can be
distinguished.

Particular care is required when blending
individual sheets of mosaics, to ensure a
subtle blend of colour is achieved.

Damp Tiles

Damp tiles should be stored on end in a
well ventilated area to dry thoroughly
before fixing. This may particularly apply
to Natural Stone, Lubelska Brick and
Reclaimed Terracotta and Encaustic tiles.

In general, the following weights apply to
the list of substrates, provided they are fixed
correctly and sound and stable;

Plaster - 20 kg/m2: Plasterboard - 32 kg/m

2

Brick/block/render - 40 kg/m2+
Tile Backer board/wbp plywood - 40 kg/m2 +

76

Planning

Take the time to study the room and plan
your work. Tiling usually commences in the
corner furthest from the door. If there is
more than one door, it will be necessary to
decide which is the primary entrance.

Consider how cuts will look against fixed
furniture etc. and through doorways.
Adjustments may be required to achieve
the best results.

Please note: Where tiles have variable depths
e.g. Reclaimed Terracotta the thickest tile
including the adhesive should be taken as the
approximate floor height increase.

Step 1. Mark the centre line of the room
from the wall of the primary entrance to the
far end. You will need to measure and mark
the midpoints of walls A to B and C to D.
Join these two points with a taught chalk
line and mark.

Step 2. Mark the midpoint of the room by
measuring the centre of the line. From this
point, lay down tiles (without fixing them)
alongside the centre line, allowing for joints,
to see where the last whole tile will end.
Mark (with string or chalk) a line 1 to 2 at a
right angle alongside this last whole tile.

Step 3. Locate starting point ‘X’ by laying
down tiles along the new line 1 to 2 in the
same way as before, to see where the last
whole tile will end. Now mark your side line
3 to 4 at a right angle alongside this last
whole tile.

Fixing

Before commencing tiling please ensure
you are familiar with the important notes
on page 3.

It is important to establish which way the
tiles are to be laid before any tiling is
started. Make sure the person fitting the
tiles knows what the tiles should look like.
‘Shuffle’ the batch to ensure that any
colour and tonal variations are well mixed.
Minor chips and blemishes should be

expected and are best used for cuts or well
mixed into the floor.

Some of our tiles vary considerably in depth.
Where this is applicable, it is important to
grade the tiles before installation.

Some of our tiles require careful sealing
prior to installation. (See page 9 onwards)

Be certain that the tiles are suitable for the
application.

midpoint

centre line

A

B

C

D

4

3

X

first tile position

1

2