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Techniques and Tips for a Good Handmade Tile Installation

• Follow the tile and mortar manufacturer’s recommenda tions to the letter. • Sealing the tile prior to installation is an excellent practice. Doing so will help with cleanup of the tile after installation. It also prevents mortar and grout from lodging in glaze crazing or fissures. • Many times, these tiles are boxed directly from the kiln without blending the inherent color variations. Prior to in stallation, blend tiles from multiple boxes for a more even distribution of color. Skipping this critical step may result in “blocks” of colors on the wall which may not be accept able. • While blending the boxes, check for any obvious defects or imperfections which should be set aside. • The unique nature of handmade tile will require additional time to install. To extend the open time of the improved dry-set cement mortar, apply a liquid-applied or sheet membrane to the substrate to slow the initial set time which allows more time to make adjustments to the tile. • Some tiles, such as Zellige, may require soaking in water prior to installation. Always check with and follow the man ufacturer’s recommendations. • Using a mortar with a longer open time is helpful for making alignment adjustments. • Instead of leveling every course, try leveling 2-3 courses at a time as that allows for tile size variation. This process will allow adjustments to be made in the installation as needed. • Using wedge or roto-wedge type spacers can be helpful as they have the flexibility to accommodate size variation. • Rather than using plastic spacers, try using string or nylon rope in different thicknesses to space the tiles. Use either a woven or braided string/rope. NOTE: Do not use twisted twine, sisal, or jute as these materials have fibers that will remain in mortar after the string is removed from the joints, which can be tedious to clean up. Also, do not use this method on tiles that are hand chiseled where the tile body is beveled toward the back of the tile such as Zellige tiles. Dip the string/rope in water prior to placing it on top of a tile course, add the next 2 or 3 courses of tile using string/rope between each course. Using a straight edge or level, gently compress the tile to level the tile courses. The string will compress with a larger tile but will not compress under the smaller tile. The string/rope can be removed the next day. One advantage of using string /rope is that when pulled out, the grout joints are clean and free of mortar. • To prevent chipping crackle glazes when cutting, using a glass saw blade may help. • When installing a custom project where all the tiles are to be installed with no cuts; however, a cut piece or two may be needed to make the layout work, the tilemaker may be able to re-glaze the cut edge. Otherwise, use paint or felt tipped markers on cut edges after smoothing with a rub

stone on the cut edge.

• Use a modified dry-set cement mortar as the adhesive in stead of mastic (organic adhesive). Due to the variations in the tile thickness, back troweling may be needed. • If a mosaic is paper face-mounted, the paper is to be soaked and removed after the tile has initially set. Once the paper is removed, adjust the tiles for alignment. • If tiles have a relief surface or have raised areas, tape these areas before grouting so grout does not get into all the crev ices of the relief. Cleaning grout residue from the tile face can be very time consuming. Taping does take time, but the grout cleanup goes much quicker and uses less water in the process. (Note: If tiles will be taped for grouting, presealing the tiles makes it difficult to tape the tiles. Before preseal ing all the tiles, decide if taping is needed.) • The application of a grout release may aid in the grout clean up. • Electrical outlets can be challenging with handmade tiles due to warped or molded relief profiles. Using tiles with the least amount of warpage at these locations can be helpful. • Handmade tiles require additional time to install – bid the job accordingly. • Handmade tile installations require more allowance for waste which means more tile needs to be ordered initially. Additional tile may not be available in the same dye lot. • Templating sections of the installation may be helpful but adds more labor. Determine if the site will provide enough space for templating the tile. • Apply a better-quality mortar using a trowel notch that yields adequate mortar coverage and transfer to the back of the tile. • Handmade tile installations require more time to complete than other tile installations (sorting, pre-sealing, educating the client, etc) – charge accordingly. • Be a Certified Tile Installer (CTI).

Photo courtesy of Clay Squared to Infinity

NTCA Reference Manual | 2024 / 2025

Chapter 5 | Material Specific Products and Installation

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