Method for laying tiles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for laying tiles (2) on a laying substrate, in which, initially, tile adhesive (8) is applied to the laying substrate and the tiles (2) are subsequently laid in the tile adhesive (8), characterized in that, before applying the tile adhesive (8) to the laying surface, leveling strips (5) of the same height are affixed so that the top faces of the leveling strips (5) lie in a common reference plane, and in that the tile adhesive (8) is applied between the leveling strips (5) with some protrusion which is then, using a screeding board (9) guided along the top faces of the leveling strips (5), removed down to the level of the reference plane, generating a flat tile adhesive layer (11).

Claims

1. A method of laying tiles (2) on a laying substrate, comprising: affixing leveling strips (5) having a common height to the laying substrate such that top faces of the leveling strips (5) lie in a common reference plane, the leveling strips (5) having a height (H) in the range of 1 to 3 mm; applying tile adhesive (8) between the leveling strips (5); removing adhesive to the level of the common reference plane using a screeding board (9; 13) guided along the top faces of the leveling strips (5); and laying the tiles (2) in the tile adhesive (8).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tile adhesive (8) is hydraulically-setting, thin-bed mortar or a reactive (two-pack) adhesive.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting the tile adhesive (8) such that it forms a sealing layer and/or a chemically-resistant layer in the set state.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising attaching the leveling strips (5) to the laying substrate with adhesive or silicone spots (7) and/or adhesive or silicone beads that are applied to the leveling strips (5) and/or the laying substrate, affixed to the laying substrate, and aligned with the top faces of the leveling strips flush with each other.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the leveling strips (5) are made of plastic or a corrosion-resistant metal alloy.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the leveling strips (5) have a width (B) in the range of 10 to 30 mm and/or a length (L) of 1,000 to 3,000 mm.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the leveling strips (5) have a rectangular, T-shaped, N-shaped, or M-shaped cross-section.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the screeding board (9; 13) is rigid and formed of aluminum, and/or the screeding board (9; 13) has a beveled, straight-extending screeding edge (10; 14) with which the tile adhesive (8) is removed down to the level of the reference plane to generate a flat tile adhesive layer (11).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the screeding board (9; 13) includes a serrated screeding edge (14), wherein toothing of the serrated screeding edge corresponds to a notched trowel with dimensions in the range of 1 to 3 mm, and wherein the step of removing adhesive further comprises removing adhesive with the serrated screeding edge down to the level of the reference plane to generate a layer of tile adhesive which is ribbed in a manner corresponding to the serrated screeding edge.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein laying the tiles further comprises tapping the tiles (2) into a tile adhesive layer (11) and/or pressing the tiles (2) into the tile adhesive layer (11) using a vibration-generating device.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying a contact layer (12) to the rear sides of the tiles (2) before the tiles (2) are laid in a tile adhesive layer (11), wherein the contact layer (12) is formed from the same material as the tile adhesive layer (11), or is made of a liquid material, compatible with the tile adhesive.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein applying the contact layer (12) to the rear sides of the tiles (2) before the tiles (2) are laid in a tile adhesive layer (11) further comprises applying the contact layer with a layer thickness in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein applying the contact layer (12) to the rear sides of the tiles (2) before the tiles (2) are laid in a tile adhesive layer (11) further comprises applying the contact layer with a layer thickness in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the laying substrate is formed by one or more decoupling mats or by support panels.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tiles (2) have an edge length of at least 500 mm.

Description

(1) Other features and advantages of the present invention will become clear on the basis of the following description of an embodiment of a method according to the invention, with reference to the enclosed drawing. Here,

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic, perspectival view of a wall structure with leveling strips arranged on it;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic, perspectival view of part of a leveling strip with spots of adhesive arranged on it;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a view of the wall structure, shown in FIG. 1, to which a layer of tile adhesive has been applied;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a view of the wall structure, shown in FIG. 3, where the tile adhesive layer has been screeded;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic, perspectival view of part of a screeding board;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a schematic, perspectival view of a tile provided with a contact layer;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a view of the wall structure, shown in FIG. 4, in which tiles are attached to the screeded layer of tile adhesive shown in FIG. 6;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a sectional view along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a sectional view of an alternative wall structure in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

(11) FIG. 10 shows a schematic, perspectival view of part of a screeding board in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

(12) FIG. 1 shows a wall structure 1, which is to be covered with tiles 2. The wall structure consists of a wall 3 and support panels 4 mounted thereon. In the present case, the support panels 4 comprise a core layer of foamed insulating material that is coated on its front and back in each case with a reinforcing layer and a fleece layer. The support panels 4 can be bolted or dowelled to the wall 3. Alternatively, they can even be glued to the wall 3for example, using a tile adhesive. In the latter case, the fleece layer on the back of the support panel 4 can serve as an adhesive surface.

(13) To fasten tiles 2 to the front faces of the support panels 4 that define a level laying substrate, in a first step of an embodiment of the method according to the invention, leveling strips 5 are affixed to the support panels 4 with approximately even spacing and essentially parallel to each other. The leveling strips 5 shown in FIG. 2 are made of plastic and have a constant, rectangular cross-section over their length L. The length L of the leveling strips, as delivered, is 3,000 mm, the height H 2 mm, and the width B 20 mm. The leveling strips 5 are equipped with a plurality of through-holes 6, which in the present case have a trapezoidal cross-section, but other cross-sections are also conceivable. To fasten the leveling strips 5 to the support panels 4, they are shortened in a first step to match them to the height of the wall 3. In a further step, adhesive spots 7 are arranged on the back of the leveling strips 5, whereupon the leveling strips 5 are pressed with their backs to the support panels 4. The individual leveling strips 5 are attached in such a way that they are essentially parallel to one another. In addition, the leveling strips 5 are, by being pressed onto the adhesive spots 7, aligned with each other in such a way that their top faces lie in a common reference plane (see FIG. 1). At this point, it should be noted that, instead of adhesive spots, spots of silicone can be usedas also adhesive or silicone beadsto fasten the leveling strips 5 to the support panels 4. In addition, the spots of adhesive or silicone, or the beads of adhesive or silicone, can also be applied to the support panels.

(14) In a further step, as shown in FIG. 3, a tile adhesive 8, which in this case is a hydraulically-setting, thin-bed mortar, is applied over the full area between the leveling strips 5 and projects above the top faces of the leveling strips 5. Alternatively, a reactive (two-pack) adhesive can also be used instead of the hydraulically-setting, thin-bed mortar.

(15) Now, the tile adhesive 8 is screeded down to the level of the reference plane by means of a screeding board 9 pulled over the top faces of the leveling strips 5, as shown schematically in FIG. 4. The screeding board 9 shown in FIG. 5 is made of metalin this case, of aluminumto give the right stiffness, has a length which is at least greater than the distance between two adjacent leveling strips 5, and has a beveled screeding edge 10, which, during screeding, is moved at an angle of approximately 45 over the surfaces of the leveling strips 5. In this way, an entirely flat tile adhesive layer 11 is achieved.

(16) In a further step, as shown in FIG. 6, a contact layer 12 is applied to the backs of the tiles 2 which is made of the same material as the tile adhesive 8, the tiles as delivered having, in the present case, dimensions of 6001,2008 mm. For this purpose, the tile adhesive is spread evenly over the back of the tile 2 using, for example, a smoothing trowel or a very finely serrated, notched trowel in such a way that the contact layer has a thickness of 1.0 mm. At this point, it should be noted that, in principle, tiles with other dimensions can be used. Also, the contact layer 12 may consist of a different material than the tile adhesive 8, so long as the material is compatible with the tile adhesive 8. Accordingly, a higher quality, hydraulically-setting, thin-bed mortar, for example, can be used. In addition, a different thickness can be selected for the contact layer 12for example, a thickness of 0.5 or 2.0 mm. A liquid contact layer can also be very thinfor example, in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm.

(17) In a following step, the tile 2 according to FIG. 7 is pressed with its back in its intended positionwhere applicable, with the contact layer 12 firstonto the tile adhesive layer 11 and lightly tapped using a rubber hammer. Next, the rubberized surface of an orbital sander is moved over the entire surface of the tile 2 under pressure, so that the contact layer and the tile adhesive layer 11 connect to each other without cavities.

(18) The steps described above are repeated until the entire wall structure is covered with tiles 2, which is not further illustrated in the figures. In this way, the structure shown in FIG. 8 is achieved.

(19) A significant advantage of the method according to the invention is that, after screeding, a completely flat tile adhesive layer 11 is produced by the application of tile adhesive using the leveling strips 5, onto which the tiles 2 can be laid. On the one hand, this results in it being possible to ensure void-free tile-laying, which means that a very secure fastening and load-bearing capacity of the tiles 2 is achieved, which is why the method according to the invention is particularly well suited for the laying of large-format tiles. On the other hand, with a suitable choice of the height H of the leveling strips 5, only very little tile adhesive 8 is required for attaching the tiles 2 to the laying substrate, which is advantageous in terms of the cost of tile-laying.

(20) FIG. 9 shows a wall structure according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, wherein the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the previous figures. The wall structure shown in FIG. 9 differs from the wall structure described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 8 only in that a decoupling mat 13 is affixed directly on the wall 3, using a tile adhesive 8, and forms the laying substrate for the tiles 2. Such decoupling mats 13 are known from prior art and, in the present case, serve to decouple the tiles 2 from the wall 3, so that shear forces acting within the tile plane and the wall plane cannot be transferred from the wall 3 to the tiles 2, or vice versa. As an example of such a decoupling mat 13, the product, DITRA, from Schlter-Systems KG may be mentioned, but of course other decoupling mats can be used as well.

(21) FIG. 10 shows a screeding board 13 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, which is made of metalin this case, of aluminumto give the right stiffness. The screeding board 13 has a length great enough to bridge the distance between adjacently-arranged leveling strips 5. The length of the screeding board 13 is at least 50 cmin particular, at least 100 cm. The screeding board 13 has a mainly T-shaped cross-section, wherein a first free end of the T-shaped cross-section defines a first beveled, straight-extending screeding edge 14, a second free end of the T-shaped cross-section defines a second screeding edge 15 provided with teeth, and a third free end of the T-shaped cross-section defines a grip area 16. The teeth have a size between 1 to 3 mm. The grip area 16 is ergonomically shaped so that it can be easily gripped, and may be made of a different material from the remainder of the screeding board 13, such as plastic or wood. The method described above can be carried out with the screeding board 13 using the straight screeding edge 14, in a manner analogous to that of the screeding board 9. Alternatively, however, the tile adhesive 8 can also be removed down to the level of the reference plane with the serrated second screeding edge 15, producing a ribbed layer of tile adhesive corresponding to the serration.

(22) Although the invention has been further illustrated and described in detail via a preferred embodiment, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples, and variations other than wall, floor, or ceiling constructions with tile coverings can be deduced therefrom by those skilled in the art, without departing from the protected scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(23) 1 Wall structure 2 Tile 3 Wall 4 Support panel 5 Leveling strip 6 Through-hole 7 Spot of adhesive 8 Tile adhesive 9 Screeding board 10 Screeding edge 11 Tile adhesive layer 12 Contact layer 13 Screeding board 14 First screeding edge 15 Second screeding edge 16 Grip area