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Tiling advice for heavy use and commercial areas

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Step 1

Ensure your tiles are suitable.

Only certain tiles are suitable for heavy use areas. When it comes to durability, porcelain, terrazzo, quarry tiles, quartz and granite are particularly durable making them perfect for floor tiling in heavy use areas.

Tiles for heavy use areas must have a high slip resistance – the more the floor is exposed to spills, the higher the need for a slip-resistant option.

Step 2

Background preparation.

Correct substrate preparation is absolutely crucial for heavy use and commercial areas. Ensure that all backgrounds are clean, dry, sound, free from dust and flat – this means the to SR1 surface regularity which is defined as +/- 3mm over a 2m straight edge.

Step 3

Uncoupling systems.

If you are using an uncoupling system, ensure that it is suitable for heavy use and/or commercial floors. Some systems are only designed for lightweight/domestic use.

Step 4

Adhesive selection.

Ensure the adhesive selection is conducive to the substrate you are tiling onto, the tile choice and environment you are tiling in. Consider whether a slow-set or a rapid-setting product is required, and consider the use of a flexible tile adhesive such as BAL PTB Fibre Plus.

BAL PTB Fibre Plus is particularly suitable for commercial areas because of the use of Fibre Strand Technology which creates improved strength and flexibility. It is also pourable, making it easier to tile larger floor areas in one go. Rapid-setting products are particularly suitable where fast track installation is required.

Step 5

Choosing the right grout.

A hard wearing and abrasion free grout is an absolute must for commercial and heavy use areas. BAL Micromax2 is perfect for most commercial jobs as it is strong and flexible, water and frost resistant and contains Microban antimicrobial properties.

For commercial food preparation/storage areas, or chemical/hygiene-critical areas consider the use of an epoxy grout such as BAL Easypoxy AG. Waterproof, Easypoxy AG is suitable for heavily trafficked areas as a durable, abrasion resistant grout.

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