A successful commercial tiling job starts long before the first tile is laid. Careful assessment and preparation of the background, including the selection of a suitable decoupling mat (if required), is essential to create the foundations for a durable installation. For contractors, time spent getting the background right is not an optional extra – it is fundamental to delivering a successful project. All decoupling mats are designed for lateral movement, not vertical. If deflection is present in a substrate, this will require sufficient bracing to ensure the floor can withstand the weightloading of the tiled floor, especially in high traffic or load bearing areas.
While attention tends to be focused on tile selection, adhesives, grout and workmanship, background preparation is just as important, and decoupling mats have an important job to play in achieving a reliable, long-lasting tiled finish.
This is especially true in commercial buildings, which can present particularly demanding conditions. Floors may be subject to heavy foot traffic, wheeled loads, vibration, movement and fluctuations in temperature and humidity. At the same time, substrates such as concrete, screeds, timber and existing floors can experience movement or shrinkage. This is particularly true in the case of floors where under-floor heating has been installed. If these stresses are transferred directly into the tiled surface, cracking, debonding or grout failure can result.
A decoupling mat, such as PALACE EASI-MAT, is designed to help manage lateral movement by creating a separation layer between the substrate and the tiled finish, providing an isolating and protective layer to facilitate floor tiling. By providing tension reduction underneath the tiling installation, the transfer of shear, tensile and lateral stresses from the substrate to the tiled surface above. This means that stresses in the substrate are not transferred directly to the tiles.
For a tiling contractor working in a commercial environment, installing a decoupling mat will offer an important additional level of protection, complementing, but not taking the place of, other aspects of good surface preparation.
Any substrate still needs to be structurally sound, suitably clean and appropriately prepared for the system being installed. Levels, moisture content, surface contamination, cracks and existing movement all need to be assessed before work begins.
Correct specification is equally important. Not every mat is suitable for every substrate or application, as the requirements of a busy commercial environment will probably be considerably greater than those of a domestic installation. The different types are decoupling/uncoupling mats, anti-fracture mats and underfloor heating carrier mats. All types are designed to provide a cushion between the sub-floor and the tiles. With regard to specification, the best advice, as always, is to follow manufacturer’s guidance.