After the purchase of a terracotta floor, the biggest doubts and perplexities arise at the time of installation, how to do it, what precautions to take and why it is ideal to rely on an expert.
The laying of the handmade terracotta floor is not a complicated thing in itself, however there are rules to be respected in order not to compromise the aesthetic and functional performance of this artifact and the experts in the sector know this well.
There are mainly two ways of laying handmade terracotta: Laying it with glue and laying it fresh.
The first one, that is the glue installation, consists in fitting the terracotta tile to the screed already positioned thanks to the special adhesives, which are easily found at various building retailers.
As for the fresh laying, also known as “traditional laying” or “sand and cement laying”, the procedure, coming from ancient times, is completely different and in some respects widely used by experts in the sector.
The “wet laying” or “sand and cement” begins with the installer who prepares the mixture for the laying bed by mixing sand, water and cement to obtain a compact consistency that is easy to handle and work with. Subsequently, the cement mixture is spread and leveled on the substrate. With the substrate still wet, the expert will sprinkle the surface with cement and lime powder, wet it slightly and gently lay the tiles.
After laying, the terracotta tiles will be beaten individually one by one in order to make them adhere to the laying bed, allowing the cement crystals to penetrate inside the tile. For the perfect success of this installation, the hands and the knowledge of an expert are essential since it is necessary to know how to scrupulously respect the laying times for each step. After approximately 72 hours after laying the sand and cement, you can proceed with grouting, which is the operation that allows the sealing of the joints between one tile and another.
Laying with glue or laying fresh? Pros and cons compared.
The cost.
The wet laying is significantly cheaper than the glue one due to the absence of the cost of the latter, while with the wet laying there is also the possibility of directly creating the screed and laying the tiles at the same time.
The running time.
Also for this reason, the wet installation has the best over the glue installation since its installation is immediate and there is no need to wait for the drying times to proceed, thus saving 20/30 days of work.
Laying outdoors.
The laying of outdoor floors, for obvious reasons, requires greater care than an indoor installation, in fact, since the handmade terracotta floor is constantly exposed to atmospheric agents it is continually stressed by changes in temperature, water and from frost.
For this situation, considerable flexibility is required that only the knowledge of experts and the use of modern glues can be synonymous with a guarantee.
The fresh laying for outdoor environments is therefore strongly discouraged as the irregularities of the surface of the terracotta tile given by the incorrect adhesion to the screed create air gaps, which, with the infiltration of water and frost, can lead to detachment of the terracotta tiles.
The installation of large-sized handmade terracotta tiles.
Large tiles are not suitable for traditional laying but are better combined with the most modern techniques and with the aid of glues.
In fact, due to the natural concavity that forms in the center of the tile, it is extremely difficult to make it adhere perfectly and evenly to the laying bed, thus risking creating air gaps.
Installation on a radiant system.
Increasingly widespread and a very high-tech choice for the most modern and sophisticated homes, underfloor heating is today a very cutting-edge solution increasingly used.
The correct functioning of this system, however, requires a floor capable of absorbing the expansions and contractions to which it is subjected during the year.
Therefore, the wet laying procedure cannot coexist with a radiant system while the glue laying on the screed adapts perfectly to the elasticity requirements of the case.
Handmade terracotta has a high thermal conductivity which makes it the most used material in the covering of floors with radiant systems.
In conclusion, having visualized the pros and cons of each installation and assuming that the visit and the advice of an expert is essential, among the two montages displayed so far, the one that seems to best satisfy the needs of today’s world and innovations is certainly that of laying with glue on screed.
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