CTIOA


CERAMIC TILE INSTITUTE OF AMERICA, INC.

12061 Jefferson Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230-6219





CTI FIELD REPORT 79-1-2 (R-85)

SUBJECT: Water! A Magic Aid When Installing And Grouting Tile

  • Introduction

    1. Water is truly one of God's greatest gifts to man.

      • Drinking it gives life to man and animals.
      • Life in it gives food to man and animals.
      • In the form of rain, it gives life to plants and trees from which almost everything comes.

    2. Rain and snow flow into rivers where water becomes nature's mightiest eroding agent. In a river's upper course, water is a powerful cutting tool, chewing off and carrying away countless tons of rock and dirt.

    3. The power of water is beyond imagination. Rains and the Colorado River created the Grand Canyon. Coney Island was built by the sea from material it wore off the coast. Even underground, water is an erosive force. In the limestone region of Kentucky, water has dissolved minerals and widened cracks to produce caves whose total length approaches 100,000 miles.

    4. The use of water in the installation of tile, and the grouting of tile, may not seem as dramatic as the above items but it can result in some almost magic results when used in the following circumstances.

      • On a tiled surface to be grouted.
      • On a tiled surface to be acid cleaned.
      • On a concrete slab prior to bonding tile to it with
        dry-set portland cement mortar or latex portland cement mortar.
      • For wetting soft absorptive tile prior to bonding it with
        dry-set portland cement mortar or latex portland cement mortar.
      • For wetting an installation prior to damp covercuring it for
        a minimum of 72 hours.
      • For wetting an installation after grouting prior to
        damp covercuring it for a minimum of 72 hours.


  • Discussion

    1. The purpose of this report is to discuss those places where water is not always used and if used would provide its magic.

    2. Not only will water be beneficial but it is one of the most economical materials available compared to admixes.

    3. When grouting tile always wet the surface prior to placing the grout on the tile. The grouting of a wet surface is easier, and the finished tile will be much cleaner, compared to placing the grout on a dry surface.


    4. When acid cleaning always saturate the grout joints with clean water and have a film of water over the tile. If acid solution is placed on a dry tile installation the results will often be an acid burn, which is then most difficult and almost impossible to remove. An acid burn can be determined by a whitish film adhering to the surface, especially on the grout joints.

    5. When bonding tile directly to a concrete slab, with dry-set portland cement mortar or latex portland cement mortar, wetting the slab with water will, as if by magic, increase the bond strength of the mortar to the slab. It may be possible to obtain a bond to the dry slab but not as strong as when the slab is wet.

    6. When installing soft absorptive tile, with dry-set portland cement mortar or latex portland cement mortar, wetting the tile will again, as if by magic, increase the bond strength of the mortar to the tile. The bond strength will be dramatically increased compared with bonding of tile that is dry.

    7. In damp-curing an installation, as required in ANSI Reference Specifications, water will increase the strength and the bond strength of mortar. This is true of the mortar when tile is installed in the mortar method. It is also true of dry-set mortar and latex mortar when using the thin-set method.

    8. In damp-curing the grout, as required in ANSI Reference Specifications, with the grout just as visible as the finished tile, wetting it and damp cover-curing it is most important. Dampcuring will hydrate the portland cement/ sand grout to its maximum hardness. This provides a dense and easy to clean installation, which includes the grout joints. Grout joints left unmoistened, and not damp-cured, are comparatively soft and difficult to clean.

  • Conclusion

    1. When grouting, wet the surface of the tile first.

    2. When acid cleaning, saturate the grout joints and wet the tile surface first.

    3. When bonding directly to a concrete slab, wet the slab surface first.

    4. When thin-setting soft absorptive tile, wet them first

    5. After tile is installed, wet it and damp cover-cure the installation for a minimum of 72 hours.

    6. After grouting is completed, wet it and damp cover-cure the installation for a minimum of 72 hours.

    7. Let water be a magic and economical force for you in your tile work.