Various conditions that occur with ceramic tiles after decoration are often related to improper operations during paving. Ceramic tiles are hollow, cracked, smelly, peeling off... These common troublesome problems may be caused by soaking in water, an operation before paving.
Friends who have experienced decoration must have seen the master workers soaking the tiles in water before laying them. Many people are curious about this phenomenon. No matter what the brand of the tiles is, how good or bad the tiles are, what is the porcelain tiles? The sheets definitely need to be soaked in water before paving. So what is the purpose of soaking ceramic tiles in water? Let’s learn about the consequences of not soaking the tiles in water, insufficient soaking in water or even incorrect soaking in water, as well as the precautions for soaking the tiles in water.
Tiles absorb mud moisture - tiles hollow
The tiles are not immersed in water or soaked for insufficient time before paving. If the brick body is not humid enough and the water is not saturated, the moisture in the cement mortar will be absorbed prematurely after paving, and the bonding strength of the cement mortar after being absorbed will decrease. decline, resulting in hollowing of the tiles.
Under normal circumstances, ceramic tiles (especially porcelain tiles) should be soaked in water for more than 2 hours before laying to allow the tiles to fully absorb water.
Shrinkage of water-absorbed mortar - cracking of ceramic tiles
If ceramic tiles with a certain water absorption rate are not soaked in water before being laid, the tiles will absorb the water during the cement mortar setting and strength increase after the laying, and the brick surface will crack due to the tensile force of the cement mortar. Cracks in tiles caused by insufficient soaking in water usually appear soon after the paving is completed.
The mortar moisture is not clean - the tiles smell
If unclean water or dirt is accidentally added to the cement mortar when mixing, the ceramic tiles that do not absorb enough water will absorb the unclean water or dirt from the mortar, and the unclean water will remain inside the ceramic tiles, which may cause odor problems.
In addition, if the tiles are not soaked in water and have become hollow, water accumulation inside the floor will breed bacteria, and subsequent odor problems will easily occur.
The hollowing continues to worsen - the tiles fall off
If the hollowing of wall tiles is not discovered or isIf treated over time, the range of the hollow drum will gradually expand, eventually leading to falling off.
Precautions for soaking ceramic tiles in water
01. The correct way to soak ceramic tiles in water
Since it is said to be "soaked in water", the ceramic tiles must all be immersed in water. Generally, the builder will prepare a large basin. However, there are also some irresponsible construction teams who stack the tiles on top of each other and pour water on them with water pipes. This will only soak the tiles, but will not fully "drink" the tiles. Various problems are likely to occur after paving.
When placing ceramic tiles into the basin, the glaze side must be facing up and the ceramic side facing down. If the glaze is facing down and the corners of the tiles bump into each other, the porcelain will easily fall off. When the tiles are taken out of the pot, the floor should be covered with packaging cartons. The tiles should also be placed against the wall with the glaze facing up. If it is reversed, the sharp corners of the glaze will touch the ground, because the corners of the ceramic tiles are very brittle and can easily knock off the porcelain.
02. Which type of tiles need to be soaked in water?
Water soaking of ceramic tiles requires dividing the water absorption rate of the tiles. If the water absorption rate is <0.5%, there is no need to soak it in water during paving. However, the water absorption rate of glazed wall tiles and floor tiles used in kitchens and bathrooms is generally greater than 10%. It is necessary to soak in water when paving (if it is a porcelain wall tile, the water absorption rate is less than 0.5%, of course there is no need to soak it in water). As the consumer asked this morning, the following answer can be given: The water absorption rate of polished tiles is below 0.5%, which can be ignored as not absorbing water. Soaking will wash away the antifouling wax on the surface. If it is not properly protected during construction, it will Contaminate or scratch the brick surface.
03. How long does it take to soak the tiles?
Since different ceramic tiles have different water absorption rates, there is no specific standard. But the final result is that the tiles have to "drink up" the water until it no longer bubbles. The ones with high water absorption will need to be soaked longer. In the rainy season, because the air is humid, the time should be shortened accordingly; in the hot summer, when the weather is dry, the time should be lengthened accordingly.
04. Will the ceramic tiles change color after being soaked in water?
Generally, the color of tiles after soaking will become darker, and light-colored tiles are more obvious. This is a normal phenomenon, so don't panic. In addition, because the color of ceramic tiles will darken, everyone is soaking porcelainWhen making bricks, soak them a little bit, because the soaked tiles cannot be removed. Even if they are dried, the color of the tiles soaked for the first time will be different from the tiles soaked for the second time.
05. How long does it take to apply it after soaking in water?
After the tiles are "full of water", take them out and dry them. When there are no watermarks on the surface of the tiles, they can be laid.
For some reasons, the tiles cannot be pasted in time after being soaked in water. They need to be left for a few days. Because the drying time is too long, the water in the bricks will evaporate, so they need to be soaked again before paving. If left for too long, it will cause color difference problems and even cracking after paving, so it is best to pave the tiles in time after being soaked in water.
