Expert Advice from Sourceceramics

Routine Cleaning 
Regular cleaning is essential to maintain the appearance and hygiene of your tiles. Here are some tips:

• Mild Detergents: Use mild, non-acidic detergents to clean your tiles. 
• Soft Tools: Opt for soft brushes or cloths to avoid scratching the tile surface.

Deep Cleaning

• Stain Removal: For tough stains, use a specialized tile cleaner and follow the instructions carefully. 
• Grout Care: Keep grout lines clean by using a grout-safe cleaner and a small brush.

We off er an in-house cleaning program, whether a one off clean to get your area ready for the summer or maybe even an event, and also, a regular cleaning service in which our team will not only transform the area from clean one, but maintain the area on an ongoing service contract.

Preparation

• Measurement: Accurately measure the area to ensure you purchase the correct amount of tiles.
• Layout Planning: Plan your tile layout before starting to minimise cuts and waste.

Installation

How do I lay porcelain?

Laying porcelain paving is slightly diff erent to laying natural stone paving. See our expert advice below 

Step 1 - Prepare the site by digging out the site as usual, checking levels and drainage as you would for a natural stone patio. 

Step 2 - Lay a sub base of compressed scalpings to create a firm and level foundation on which to lay the porcelain paving. We recommend 100mm depth. This will create a free-draining sub base which is always necessary if you are using our jointing compound. 

Step 3 - Prepare a mortar mix of at least 6:1 mixed sand to cement, which is to be laid as a full bed. More accuracy is required here than you might ordinarily need with a natural stone patio, as in the next step you will not have as much leeway for tamping down slabs to achieve their perfect level. 

Step 4 - Due to the non-porous nature of porcelain paving, it is necessary to create a bonding bridge, so that the slabs will adhere to the base. If you omit this step, your paving will fail quite quickly after laying. 

Before starting to lay the porcelain slabs it is necessary to prime the back surface of each slab. Paint the reverse side of each slab with either a ‘slurry mix’- a wet cement mix, or a proprietary resin based primer. The slurry mix is the cheaper method, but can be messy, whereas the pre-prepared primer is easier to use, but costs a lot more. 

Step 5 - Lay the primed porcelain pavers on the full bed of mortar of 40-50mm thick.

N.B. We often receive queries regarding this point, as some experienced landscapers will lay porcelain slabs on ‘pedestals’ (ie several 50mm high blobs of mortar- at each corner and in the centre) or work over the top of an existing patio or hard surface. Neither of these methods are wrong. However, they are not foolproof methods. To ensure a good finished result that has longevity, a solid sub-base must be created. Any movement beneath the patio will cause cracking eventually on the patio surface. Its your call! Furthermore, when working over an existing surface, it is very important to ensure that the increased height does not breach the damp proof course on any adjacent buildings.

Therefore we prefer to recommend the full mortar bed method.

Pavers will require tamping into position. Although porcelain pavers are strong, they will not withstand excessive hammering, therefore careful effi cient tamping down is required. In order to get a strong bond between the mortar bed and the underside of the slab it is necessary to ensure at least 70% of the paver is in contact with the mortar bed.

The strength of the completed surface relies on the bond between the mortar and the slab, therefore this stage is the most important.

Step 6 - As the pavers are laid, joints of 5mm should be left, using spacers to ensure an even jointing space throughout.

See our expert advice below

1. Prepare the site - Dig out the area to be paved, ensuring adequate fall is allowed for drainage away from any abutting buildings, to ensure water does not stand on paved area 
after rain. A fall of about 1:100 should suit most situations.

2. Lay the sub base - When using our recommended jointing compound, it is imperative that a firm, but FREE DRAINING sub base is prepared before laying slabs. 
This should be 75-100mm of Type 1 Sub Base compacted We recommend that to cover an area with 75mm depth of sub base you will need 1 tonne of material for every 9 sqm. Once laid , compress the sub base into position using a plate-wacker, ensuring a good firm surface is achieved. Failure to do so will result in trapped water underneath the patio resulting in cracking and subsidence. 

3. Some paving should be sealed before laying - Very pale paving, particularly our products such as Ivory mint, cotswold buff sandstone and York stone benefits from being sealed 
before the paving is laid.

4. Which way up? When laying our stone you will notice that there is a graded tapered edge, making one surface larger than the other. For a more uniform surface, it is recommended that these slabs should be laid with the more even, larger surface uppermost. When using ourSawn Paving, the edges are straight, but the underside is calibrated making it obvious which way is meant to be uppermost. 

5. How to lay the paving slabs - We recommend slabs be laid on a full bed of wet mortar as this enables you to adjust individual slabs allowing for any variations in thickness. We 
recommend wet mortar is made using mixed soft sand – a 50/50 mix of soft and sharp sand, and cement at a ratio of 5:1 with adequate water to create a firm but wet rather than damp mortar. We advise using this particular sand mix to create the ideal medium for your natural stone slabs to be laid on. We advise this as 100% soft sand, used by some builders, can create problems, as the wet mix doesn’t have the strength to support the pavers whilst wet.

6. Tamping natural stone slabs into position - After placement of paving slabs onto the wet mortar bed, they should be tamped into position using a rubber mallet, tapping firmly on 
each corner whilst checking the level in each direction as you go. The wet mortar is quite forgiving at this stage, and this helps the placement of the slabs in the perfect position. If you 
are laying very light coloured paving, it is advisable to use a white rubber mallet to avoid unnecessary marking.

7. Jointing gaps between laid paving slabs - As you position slabs, leave pointing gaps of 10- 15mm between each slab. The graded edge becomes an important part of the final strength of the structure. As the mortar sets around the slab. With Sawn Paving it is possible to reduce the pointing gap to 3-5mm. For laying patterns or inspiration talk with our team today!

PersonaliSed Consultation

Sourceceramics off ers personalised consultation visits to help you select the best materials for your project. During these visits, our experts will:

• Assess Your Space: Evaluate the area where tiles will be installed. 
• Provide Recommendations: Suggest suitable materials based on your needs and preferences. 
• Answer Questions: Address any concerns or queries you may have about the selection process.

By following these expert tips and advice, you can ensure your tiling project is successful and meets your aesthetic and functional requirements. For further assistance, feel free to contact Sourceceramics for more personalised support.