Some restoration projects involve collapsed masonry elements that require repair of both the joints and the masonry elements. In a process called grouting, a cementitious waterproofing material is applied by brush and scraper into the joints and onto the surface of the masonry. The excess mortar is then brushed off just before setting is complete.
Products based on cement and sand with waterproofing additives and adhesives are used as a solution. Some materials contain metallic additives that can change the color of the substrate when oxidized. Information provided by the manufacturer should be reviewed to determine the suitability of the product for a particular application.
Bag grouting is a method in which a jute cloth bag is used to remove the grout after application to the wall. The slurry is used to fill pores, cracks and grooves in both joints and masonry, providing waterproofing to the entire façade. The grout does not change the color or appearance of the wall surface, nor does it change the breathability facing materials. Grout, however, gives the walls a uniform color or shading; the effects depend on the grout color chosen. Trial areas should be tested to analyze the effectiveness and acceptability of the treatment.
Grouting is a very labor-intensive processing method, so the workers performing it must be qualified and have experience in applying such systems. If the mortar is removed too early, the material will be removed from the pores of the masonry and sufficient waterproofing will not be provided. On the other hand, if the solution dries completely, then the excess will be almost impossible to remove, which will worsen appearance basics.
The time for applying and removing the solution depends on weather conditions, the condition of the base (smooth, glossy or porous) and the composition of the material. Workers must have sufficient experience to know when to begin grout removal, as the process is dependent on certain operating conditions, including weather.
Grouting order
To ensure adhesion of the mortar to the masonry, it is necessary to completely clean the surface of the masonry, removing all contaminants, including previously applied waterproofing coatings and sealants that may interfere with adhesion. Before application, you need to fill all damaged seams with the solution.
The application solution is supplied as a dry mixture with acrylic or organic binding agents. Dry substances are mixed with clean water in certain proportions, depending on existing conditions.
The liquid mortar is applied in a circular motion to the entire surface of the wall, which must be constantly and uniformly damp to prevent the mortar from hardening before removal. The grout should be applied evenly and fill all voids, pores and cracks.
At a certain time, depending on the operating conditions, the removal of the solution begins. This is done using hard hair brushes, linen bags or other effective methods. After correct removal There should be no mortar remaining on the wall surface, discoloration or streaking occurring.
No primer is required, although surfaces must remain damp. Do not apply materials to weak or defective substrates or seams. The ambient temperature must remain above freezing throughout the entire process.
Seam alignment
Seam leveling involves applying liquid cement mortar to all surfaces of existing masonry joints. At the same time, all elements of the masonry are hidden and masked (for example, covered with film). This protects them from the filling getting onto the surface of the masonry elements. The same materials and surface preparation methods are used as for grouting, only the application method differs.
The cement grouting material is applied to the surface of the joint using a brush; it should fill all cavities and cracks without getting on the cladding. During the leveling process, the buried joints are completely filled.
This method effectively unstitches seams without requiring them to be cut out. However, as with all other seam repair systems, old mortar Severely damaged joints should be removed and properly filled with repair compound before alignment.
Alignment order
If there are seams with a small recess (3 mm or less), the masonry elements are covered, and the liquid mortar is applied so as to fill all the seams flush with the facade. The materials that cover the masonry are removed before the mortar is completely dry so that the nicks can be removed before final setting without damaging the integrity of the waterproofing.
This system is not intended to replace the procedure for opening severely damaged seams. As with other methods, material tests should be carried out on several sections of the wall to analyze the effectiveness of the system under specific operating conditions.
Materials should be mixed in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. Materials are applied to cracks and voids using a brush or trowel to completely fill the grooves of the seams.
No primer is required, although all joints must be kept damp during application. Materials should not be applied to frozen surfaces or at freezing temperatures.
After completing the tiling work in the bathroom, the tile joints must be grouted. This is the final stage, which allows you to give the finished surface a finished look. A correctly performed procedure will hide all defects and irregularities, but an inappropriate approach to this process can only worsen the situation.
Where to start?
The grout selection process plays an important role. Experienced craftsmen work equally well with any material, but doing such work with your own hands will be more difficult.
In particular, some types of mastics dry out faster and are more difficult to remove. It is difficult to advise what is best to choose from these materials. The main task here is proper organization the whole process, but more on that later.
Types of material
Today there are two types of grout mixture:
- On cement based. It is presented in the form of a dry mixture, which must be diluted with liquid latex, but can also be diluted with ordinary water. There are also ready-made solutions, but they are more expensive.
- Epoxy based grout. It is used in trading and production premises. It is more difficult to work with due to its viscous consistency.
You can choose any type of mixture for your home, but before grouting the tiles, purchase required quantity material. Mixture consumption per square meter A sales assistant working in the store will help you calculate. Or you can read the recommendations on the packaging yourself.
Today, manufacturers offer putties of various colors. You can choose it to match the tone of your tile, as is usually done, or, conversely, its bright opposite. Material consumption does not change depending on color.
Stages of work
Jointing or grouting
The entire grouting process is carried out in several stages:
- Calculation of mixture consumption.
- Preparation of material. After the first mixing of the solution, you need to wait a certain time and mix it again to give the mixture the required consistency.
- Distribution of mortar along the seams.
- Removing excess material.
Necessary tool
To do all the work inside and out with your own hands, you need to take care of the availability of tools. To work you will need:
- Rubber gloves.
- Safety glasses.
- Roller and scraper.
- Small capacity.
- Rubber spatula.
- Wooden sharpened stick for cutting seams.
- A small brush, preferably a paint brush.
Grouting joints ceramic tiles carried out after preparing all the tools, mixture and workplace. In particular, it is better to remove all debris from the seams and sweep it out with a brush. If this is not done, the mixture may subsequently simply fall out of the seam.
Let's get to work - applying grout
First stage of work
You can place a small amount of the mixture directly on the floor surface and immediately distribute it along the seams. Or you can use a regular metal spatula, which you need to take a certain amount of the mixture from the container. Then take small portions from it with a rubber spatula and rub the mixture into the seams.
There is no need to use a metal spatula to apply grout to the tiles, so as not to scratch its surface. It is only necessary to take the grout mass and clean the rubber spatula from grout residues.
The spatula with grout should be held at an angle of 30 degrees relative to the floor surface. Uniform distribution and pressing of the grout into the joints is carried out by diagonal movements of the hand with a spatula. In some places the seams may be deeper. In this case, it is better to perform such manipulations several times, but the consumption of the mixture will increase significantly. You can save grout if you pre-treat the seams with remaining glue.
When applying grout to the tiles of the floor or walls in the bathroom, you need to apply a little pressure on the spatula so that the mixture fits more tightly into the joint.
When you do something with your own hands, you want to finish the work faster, but in this case you can’t rush. It is better to start grouting from a test area and first treat 1m2. This is necessary to check the setting time of the mixture. When working with a small area, it will be easier to clean dried material that has not yet had time to set.
Dry cleaning of seams
When you have filled all the seams, you will need to remove excess mixture and clean the surface. To do this, use a grater and a rubber spatula. Move the tool along the seam, keeping it at a right angle.
It is necessary to clean the entire surface to prepare it for the second stage of work. Remember to stir the grout from time to time to prevent it from thickening.
Wet cleaning
Wet cleaning of tiles with a sponge
When using the dry surface cleaning method, a significant part of the dried grout is removed. But in any case, you will need to additionally remove excess material with a damp cloth or sponge.
In practice, some craftsmen use various options such cleaning, and some of them may even seem absurd. For example, the use of sawdust. They are poured along all the seams on the bathroom floor. Allegedly, they will absorb excess moisture from the material.
It is better not to resort to such methods. They can weaken the consistency of the grout, which will cause the joints to fail. Eventually you will have to clean them again, buy new material, and this is an additional cost of money and time.
To clean tile grout using the wet method, you will need clean water and a sponge. Pre-moisten it and begin wiping the surface of the tile in a circular motion. In this case, particles of the solution will remain in the pores, and to prevent them from scratching the gloss of the tile, the sponge must be washed frequently.
Seam alignment
After wet cleaning, inspect the treated areas for unevenness. If there are any, then they need to be leveled to give the surface a finished look. It’s better to do it yourself and immediately after wet cleaning. If you leave everything as is, then over time the seams between the floor tiles may become cracked, and you will have to do everything all over again. And this again is a waste of money and time.
First, smooth and level the seams with wood jointing. Then use a damp sponge to smooth out the chipped areas. Afterwards, wearing rubber gloves (preferably choose medical ones), take a small part of the putty with your finger and carefully fill the seam.
These manipulations must be done in all places where the grout is uneven. First you need to remove its remains, then clean the seam and fill the recesses with a thin layer of grout. When leveling, it is very important to choose the optimal depth and width of the joint so that it looks the same on the entire surface of the tile in the bathroom. If necessary, treat the seams with a spatula.
Final cleaning
Chord cleaning of tiles
Any work done with your own hands requires a careful approach and logical conclusion. Once the mixture in the joints is completely dry, take a damp sponge and run along the seam from top to bottom, moving your hand as smoothly as possible. Then turn the sponge over to the clean side and go over that seam again to get it perfectly even. It is necessary to select such a force of pressure so as not to push through the solution. Thus, you need to clean all visible uneven joints between the tiles.
Sometimes grout is difficult to clean from the seams of floor tiles or from bathroom walls. The reason is usually the strong setting of the grout due to an excess of acrylic or latex additives in it. Here you will have to use a spatula. Be careful not to scratch the tile surface. If this is your first time doing this kind of work with your own hands, then it is better to choose cement grout. It is easier to clean after drying.
If you decide to choose specialized solutions for cleaning the coating, then remember that the grout must set completely. Only after this can you begin working with such compositions.
Conclusion
Grouting ceramic tiles is a tedious process that requires care and patience. You also need to choose high-quality material for the work. However, if you started it with your own hands, then there is no need to stop. And the result of your efforts will be your real reward. Smooth seams on floor tiles or bathroom walls will give a finished look to the surface, making it more attractive.
Publications on the topic
Troubles such as the formation of gaps between floor slabs on the ceiling, or simply the appearance of seams that were once not entirely successfully sealed, are very often found in panel high-rise buildings. Therefore, at the first signs of such phenomena, measures must be taken. And for this you need to have information on how to seal the seams between the panels on the ceiling yourself, without resorting to calling specialist finishers.
If the apartment is located on the last, top floor, and there is a gap in the ceiling between the slabs, then it is possible that it will soon begin to drip from it, which means that a persistent smell of dampness and stains of mold or mildew may appear in the rooms, and in addition , the heat will quickly leave the room. These circumstances are especially unpleasant during the cold months of the year. Therefore, in such a case, repairs must begin with an inspection of the roof, since if you cannot cope with the defects of the roofing, then sealing the cracks from the inside and leveling the ceiling is wasted work.
If an inspection of the roof suggests that everything is in order with the roof, then you can safely begin repairing the ceiling. In the case when it is discovered that the waterproofing roofing material is damaged, then first you need to take steps its repair, for example, replacing sheets of roofing felt, which are usually used to cover the roof in multi-storey buildings with a flat “soft” roof.
However, seams can crack not only on the upper floors, but also on any others. This is a common consequence home shrinkage processes.
So, having made sure that no external factors won't spoil it T labor-intensive work of sealing the seams of the ceiling, you can begin repair work inside the apartment.
Seal the seam on the ceiling
If a small crack has formed between the plates, then you should start by widening it. It often happens that the process of cutting even a small crack or crevice suddenly opens up “large horizons” of work. Therefore, once we get around to this repair event, it needs to be done immediately conscientiously, in full, so as not to return to this issue for a long time.
If you want to solve two issues at once - sealing the seam and leveling the ceiling, you need to clean the entire seam of old concrete. Usually, this is not difficult to do, since when building houses, they use not very strong material for sealing joints. cement mortar.
Materials and tools
In order not to repeat the mistakes of the craftsmen who, when building a house, worked on the seams of the ceilings without due diligence, you need to purchase quality materials and all the tools necessary for work. You have to not just cover it up, but carefully open the seam and carefully seal it when sealing.
So, starting work you need to purchase:
1. The tools you will need are a medium, wide and narrow spatula, a spray bottle, a narrow metal brush, a wide brush, a container for mixing the solution, construction knife and a drill with a hammer drill.
2. You can seal cracks using different materials, and it’s worth listing everything that might be useful.
- Primer for deep penetration concrete - necessary for better adhesion of the surface and the material that will be used to seal the joint between the slabs.
- NC, which is designed for sealing deep seams. This material tends to expand when hardening, tightly filling the entire space of seams and joints.
- If you find a wide seam that requires sealing, you must purchase dense insulating materials made from polyurethane or polyethylene foam. Polyurethane foam can be used instead.
- You will need latex elastic putty.
- Reinforcing is required. Its width will depend on the width of the seam - the tape should extend beyond its borders by 40 ÷ 50 mm on both sides.
- For final finishing you will need primary and finishing putty for the entire ceiling area.
Prices for mixtures for leveling walls and ceilings
Mixtures for leveling walls and ceilings
How to seal the seams between the panels on the ceiling - we do it ourselves
Repairing the seams between the floor slabs will necessarily entail putting the entire ceiling in order, so it’s worth starting by completely clearing the surface of paint, whitewash and, possibly, plaster.
- Using a spray bottle, the ceiling is sprayed with water. Better spraying do not carry out the entire ceiling at once, but in parts. The well-moistened area is left for 10 ÷ 15 minutes to soak, and then the old coating is removed using wide and medium spatulas. After this you can proceed to next section, on which you need to carry out the entire procedure from the beginning. Such work is carried out until the entire surface of the ceiling is completely cleaned.
- Having removed all the old covering, the owner will immediately see the scope of the upcoming work. Usually there are two or three joints of floor slabs per room. Sometimes they are sealed very sloppily and appear as ugly humps. These bulges need to be eliminated and the ceiling made perfectly flat.
To do this, you need to take a hammer drill, install the desired nozzle on it, switch to impact mode without rotation, and step by step free the joint from the old frozen mortar.
The joint and the slab around it must be completely cleaned, and the gap itself must be recessed by at least 50 mm.
- Next, you need to take a narrow iron brush or a wide brush and thoroughly clean the gap from dust and small pieces of concrete.
- The next step is to treat the crack with a primer in several layers, each of which must dry. The primer will strengthen the frozen solution remaining inside the joint, will not allow dampness and fungus to form in it, and will ensure good contact with the repair crew, which will be applied later.
- If the gap between the joints is wide enough and amounts to more than 30 ÷ 35 mm, then you first need to fill it with polyurethane foam. It will adhere well to the primed surface and, expanding, will fill the entire opening.
As the foam hardens, it will come out of the seam, and when it is completely dry, it is carefully cut off so that at the junction of the slabs in the foam there is a groove, 30 ÷ 50 mm deep, tapering inward, like a triangle.
- If, during cleaning, a joint is found to be deep, but at the same time narrow, then you should proceed as follows.
Choosing a polyethylene foam seal required thickness, on him On the one side apply a strip of sealant and tuck it into the cleaned and primed joint using a spatula, leaving space to fill with concrete.
- Next, the joint is sealed with a solution of expanding concrete, but it is necessary to leave a small depression in the joint for the expansion of the solution and decorative plaster.
- After the solution has dried or prepared a groove in the dried polyurethane foam, an elastic latex-based material is applied to the joint. It is better to carry out the work using two spatulas - wide and medium or narrow. Use a wide spatula to scoop up the solution from a container, and use a narrow spatula to apply it to the joint between the plates, compacting it into the seam and leveling it to the level of the ceiling surface, while simultaneously removing excess putty.
- After 2 hours, which will be required for drying, they begin to reinforce the seams. To do this, apply a thin layer of putty to the seam and the ceiling next to it in a strip of 50 ÷ 60 mm with a spatula, attach a sickle mesh to it, pressing it into the solution and removing its excess with a spatula.
- After the seams have dried, the entire ceiling is treated with a primer, applying it using a roller. It is better to cover the surface with two layers of the composition.
- When the ceiling is dry, you can start painting it. First, a thin layer of primary plaster is applied, and after it dries, a finishing smooth layer is applied. It is applied with a wide spatula and at the same time leveled to perfection.
- After the finishing layer has dried, you can apply paint, whitewash or wallpaper to the ceiling.
Video: repairing seams between floor slabs
Seal a hole in the ceiling
Sometimes it happens that when cleaning a seam from old mortar, not just a narrow gap opens, but a large hole - a defect in the floor slab. In this case, this hole can be sealed in two ways.
Sometimes such a “surprise” may appear on the ceiling when cutting seams.In any case, the first thing to do is to thoroughly clean inner part the resulting hole. This process is best done with a narrow brush.
1. Having freed the inside of the hole from dirt, it should be well sprayed with primer. After waiting for the first layer to dry, you need to apply the second.
- Next, the hole is filled with foam.
- Then, after it dries and expands, the excess is cut off, and a cone is cut out from inside the hole, at the base the size of the hole and 40 ÷ 50 mm high.
- This cutout is necessary to secure the cement mortar in it, which is applied in the next step. It is leveled with a spatula and left until completely dry.
- Then putty is applied to the place where there was a hole and around it 50 ÷ 70 mm, and a sickle mesh is glued onto it, which is pressed into the applied layer of mortar, smoothed out and left to dry.
- Further work proceeds in the same way as when sealing seams.
2. Another method of sealing differs from the first, and it is used if a large void is found in the ceiling.
- In this case, you will need a piece of plywood (you can use laminate scraps) approximately 100 mm larger than the dimensions of the hole.
- Then, it is necessary to strengthen a wire grid in the hole, which must be secured to the sealant or cement mortar inside the hole. After the solution has dried, the wire must be securely fastened inside the opening. The grid will serve as a reinforcement for the repair mortar, with which they will create a unique stove.
- The mixed concrete is laid out on the prepared plywood; it should be uniform and not overly thick.
- The plywood platform with the solution is lifted and pressed tightly against the hole so that the solution completely fills the remaining cavity. We will have to come up with a reliable support for this kind of formwork that will hold it until the repair composition dries completely. A thick branch, a block or a pyramid of a table and chairs is suitable for this.
- After the solution dries in the opening, you will get a perfectly flat ceiling surface.
- Next, you can begin work on tidying up the entire surface of the ceiling.
Video: sealing a volumetric hole in a floor slab
It should be noted that it is quite possible to update the joint between the plates yourself. But complete is enough difficult work, so it is better to entrust it to an experienced finishing craftsman. However, if you have the desire and confidence in your abilities, this is a completely doable task.
Sometimes cleaning and washing the seams between tiles he simply cannot save the situation. For example, in certain parts of my bathroom (mostly directly next to the bathtub), the grout in some places completely disappeared. The water getting into the tile joints (and my child really likes to splash:) simply washed away the entire grout solution.
It makes sense to re-grout the seams if there is a distance of at least 2 millimeters between the tiles, otherwise the grout will not be able to adhere. If you just want to re-grout the seams, just buy a special seam-rubbing tool at a hardware store. There are even special solutions to soften the seams.
Since it was useless to save the seams, I bought grout for the seams.
The grout dries very quickly. Follow the manufacturer's instructions. Dry grout is diluted with just plain water. In order for the grout to adhere better and not have time to dry out during the process, the solution should turn out to be even slightly liquid.
We rub it using a special tool. If the grout contains cement, it is recommended to use a respirator. Grout the grout at an angle of 30-45 degrees. Don’t just cover the seams with grout, but try to rub it into the seams so that the seams are completely filled with grout.
After applying the grout, wait the required amount of time (for KIILTO 20-30 minutes), after which the tile itself must be cleaned of the grout. Since I used a small spatula to apply the grout, I did not need to dry remove the grout.
To wash the tile itself from grout residues, walk over its entire surface with a well-wrung out sponge.
Level and smooth the seams using a jointer, a wooden stick with a sharpened end, or the end of a toothbrush. A special stick is included with KIILTO grout. Then smooth the edges of the seam with a sponge. Don't forget to rinse the sponge.
To prevent the tiles on the floor from cracking and to last longer, it is recommended to cover the tiles directly on top with an additional means to protect the seams, for example, like this:
 |
| seam protection product Sea, KIILTO |
1. At the root gar- // gor- under the accent the letter a is written, without stress - the letter o: zagar a r, ug a r; tanned, tanned.
Exceptions: vyg a rki, izg a r, prig a r (special and dialect words), etc.
2. At the root zar- // zor- under the stress a vowel is written in accordance with the pronunciation, without stress - the letter a: z a revo, z o rka; brightness, brightness.
Exception: cry.
3. In the root kas-//kos(n) - the letter o is written, if followed by n, in other cases the letter a is written: to dream, to touch; pang, pang.
4. In the root clan-//clone-, a vowel is written under stress in accordance with the pronunciation, without stress - the letter o: bow, bow; bow down, bow down.
5. In the root lag-//lozh- without stress, the letter a is written before g, and the letter o is written before g: offer a gát, adj a adjective; proposal about living, region.
Exception: pol o g (this word is no longer associated with the root lag-//false-).
6. The root mak- is contained in verbs meaning ‘Immerse in liquid’ and derivative words: m a roll crackers into tea; exchange A dip the pen into the ink; m and chanting.
The root mok- is contained in verbs meaning ‘to let liquid through’ and derivative words: vym o whip in the rain; prom O whip what is written, prom O rolling paper, non-industrial Oh damn cloak.
7. The root is floating - the words have the following words: plavat, plavat vuchet, plavat vok, etc.
Root pilaf - have words swimmer, sneeze swimmer.
The root is ply- - in the terminological word ply vuny.
8. The root is equal - words with the meaning ‘equal, identical, on a par’: level, compare, time to take heed (‘to become equal’).
Root even - have words meaning ‘even, straight, smooth’: zar about heed, age, s about heed, level.
Wed: pod and heed (‘make equal’) - pod about heed (‘make equal’); vyr a vnen (‘made equal’) - vyr o vnen (‘made equal’).
9. At the root rast-/ros- before st (also before sch) the letter a is written; in other cases the letter o is written: grow, increase; grown up, grown up, since then.
Exceptions: industry, rostok, vyrostok, moneylender, Rostov, etc.
10. In the root skak-//skoch- without emphasis, the letter a is written before the k, and the letter o is written before the h: podsk a kat, speed up a kat, podsk about chit, zask about chit.
Exceptions: jump, jump.
11. In the root tvar-//tvor-, a vowel is written under stress in accordance with the pronunciation, without stress - the letter o: tv a r, tv o ́ rchestvo; tv about rit, tv about rets.
Exception: utv a r (this word is no longer associated with the root tvar-//tvor-).
12. In the roots ber- // bir- , der- // dir- , mer- // mir- , per- // pir- , ter- // tyr- , shine- // blist- , burn- // zhig-, stel- // stil-, chet- // chit- the letter and is written without accent, if there is a suffix -a: sob and rat, ass and rat, zam and rat, lock and raq, erase, bl and become, burn, spread, subtract; in other cases, the letter e is written: beru, deru, die, lock, erase, shine, burn, spread, subtract.
Exceptions: combine, combination.
13. In roots with alternation a(ya) // im, a(ya) // in without accent, they are written im and in, if there is a suffix -a-, szhat’ - szh and mother, pony i’ - pon and mother , start - start and begin. Wed: attentive, close and close, remind and close, acknowledge and etc.
In derivative forms it is preserved by it, even if there is no suffix -a- in the word: sn and mu, sn and mi, lift and mu, lift and mi, etc.