FAQ cement mosaic tiles
The boards have a thickness of 16-18 mm. Add approx. 5 mm of adhesive. The installation height from the top edge of the screed is therefore 23 mm.
VIA boards are mainly laid on cement screeds. The cement screed must have a residual moisture content of less than 2 %. Calcium sulphate or anhydrite screeds are also possible. It must be taken into account that these screeds are sanded with a 16 grit and the surface is applied pure with a primer. The anhydrite screed must have a residual moisture of less than 0.5 % when it is laid. In general, laying on a cement screed is preferable.
Substrates based on special construction solutions must always be clarified in advance with the VIA application engineer.
Laying cement mosaic tiles is no more difficult than laying tiles - just a little different. How to lay them can be seen in VIA's laying video. Essentially, the differences are: laying using the buttering-floating method, no moisture penetration by washing off, small joint width, grouting with trass cement and quartz sand, impregnation. Done!
Theoretically, the panels can be produced in 12mm thickness. Technically, this is not recommended. The slabs are made up of two layers, the facing with the decoration and the core concrete. To cast the facing layer, the mix is mixed with an excess of water. This is not advisable for a "concrete" as a minimum ratio of water to cement (wz-value) must not be exceeded. To re-balance the mix, the second layer is filled in like a blotting paper and pressed together with the first layer under high pressure. This results in a uniform moisture content in the board and the wz-value is again below 0.4. This is the reason for the thickness ratios for a robust board.
Installation on dry screeds is possible in principle. However, it is essential to ensure that the dry screed panels are laid vibration-free. Otherwise this can have a negative effect on the joint pattern (the joint compound can crack and collapse into the joint). This does not represent a defect on the part of the material, but is to be justified accordingly with the chosen structure.
The tiler calculates the geometric dimension (i.e. length times width). He adds an extra 5 % as waste to this. A parts list can also be created with the help of the VIA installation planner.
We have a stock of several 10,000 square metres. The manufacturing range includes over 1000 different patterns and items. Because of this, some items may be low on stock, so panels are made especially for you. To be on the safe side, it is best to enquire about stock levels directly. By phone or by Mail.
Laying VIA tiles is not particularly difficult - just different from laying tiles. There are some differences to consider when laying tiles, which can be viewed in a film on our website. In addition, we offer slab-laying seminars so that anyone can train to become a slab-laying expert.
The tiles are a traditional building material. In the past, the slabs were laid as tightly as possible. This should also be taken into account when laying them today. The joint width should not be more than 2 mm.
For grouting, the mortar is mixed yourself: from two parts trass cement and one part quartz sand. The quartz sand can be ordered from VIA. It has a grain size of 0.065 mm to 0.2 mm. With this, a thin slurry can be mixed with the addition of water, with which even very fine joints can be grouted. When using ready-made flex grout, it is possible that pigments and plastic particles of the ready-made grout rub into the surface. This contamination is very difficult to remove.
VIA tiles are comparable to a natural stone such as marble, Solnhofen tiles or travertine. The care and cleaning of VIA slabs is simple and best done with VIA soft soap or slab soap. Cleaning with a re-greasing soap not only makes the floor clean, it also builds up a beautiful and protective patina. Coarser dirt can be removed from the VIA cement tiles with a "Glitzi" sponge and scouring powder, for example, or with the so-called "cleaning stone". Acidic cleaners such as vinegar cleaner or citric acid should be avoided.
Either the mineral impregnation or the board oil can be used to impregnate the floor. It is important that the floor is dry and that the impregnation can be absorbed deeply into the covering. As it contains very little solvent, increased craftsmanship is required (see installation instructions). The board oil is rolled on with a foam roller - then the excess is removed. By impregnating with oil, the colours are "fired up" or deepened. Mineral impregnation has the advantage that it can be easily wiped up with a floor mop in a criss-cross pattern. The consistency of the mineral impregnation is as thin as water. The impregnation can be walked on after only 1 hour. The water glass causes crystallisation with the floor tiles, i.e. the surface becomes harder.
The mineral impregnation has a yield of 10 m²/litre bottle.
The panel oil has a yield of approximately 30 m²/litre can. How much VIA board adhesive is needed? For the panel adhesive, a coverage of 4 m² per bag of panel adhesive is calculated on average.
For the panel adhesive, a range of 4 m² per bag of panel adhesive is calculated on average.
Similar to natural stone tiles such as marble, limestone, basalt or travertine, terrazzo tiles are made from lime.
This makes the surface sensitive to acids. The effect of the acid is to roughen the surface.
The refraction of light changes the colour. Light surfaces appear darker, dark surfaces appear slightly lighter.
The surface can be protected against the penetration of unwanted liquids by impregnation. Impregnation does not normally protect against acid.
If a chalky surface is to be protected from acid, the acid and the chalky surface must be separated by a coating. A coating is usually applied by rolling it on.
If you are interested in a coating, please let us know. We will see what products are available on the market.
Underfloor heating works particularly well with VIA panels. The screed and the panels are made of the same material. This gives you the same thermal expansion of the screed and the floor covering. For compatibility of the chosen system, please contact the VIA application engineer to clarify the technical requirements in advance.