Ceramic tiles are perhaps the most convenient and practical flooring option for the kitchen, bathroom or hallway. From the whole variety of shapes, sizes, textures and colors, you can always choose the option that will allow you to decorate the interior of the room in your preferred style. More recently, a seamless tile has appeared that imitates a wooden floor in texture, having the dimensions of parquet planks. Such a coating will organically fit into any style of interior, suitable for various premises, including residential ones.

Differences between seamless ceramic tiles and ordinary

Plain ceramic tile has small roundings around the perimeter. It is they who contribute to the formation of the seam during laying, no matter how tightly the tiles are located in relation to one another. The seam in any case will be clearly visible. When facing, a pronounced tiled pattern is formed.

To obtain a rectified tile for seamless laying, during production, all its edges are cut using special equipment that ensures strict straightness of the edges of this facing material.

As a result, it becomes possible to lay tiles with a minimum seam (0.5-1.5 mm). The question arises: why the "seamless" tile? The answer is simple: seamless is not the complete absence of a tile joint in the cladding, but the visual effect of its absence. As a result, the tiled floor looks like a single canvas without noticeable seams.

Worth paying attention!
The use of a seamless laying method requires high qualifications, since even a slight deformation or shift can lead to the destruction and chipping of the ceramic surface. Deciding to independently perform such work, you need to soberly weigh your capabilities and abilities.

How to prepare the base for laying

The surface of the base, on which seamless tiles are laid, requires careful preparation. It is necessary to bring it to a perfectly even state. No protrusions, cracks or gaps are allowed. All this must be eliminated. For proper preparation of the base and its alignment, it should be taken into account that:

• the sand used for the cement-sand mortar must be sieved, without coarse fractions;
• when buying cement, you need to pay attention to the date of production. It is worth acquiring only "fresh" material. Over time, cement loses some of its inherent properties, and if brickwork does not suffer from this, then for the quality performance of a seamless tile coating this is a very important point.

It must be remembered that seamless ceramic tiles should not be used in rooms where there are sudden temperature changes. It is also not suitable for the installation of a "warm floor" system under it. Tiles, between which there is a meager distance, simply deform and crack from significant temperature fluctuations.

Laying seamless tiles requires a high degree of skill and precision, so it is best if an experienced specialist does it.

A wooden base is not suitable for such a tile. It is removed and made concrete screed. By the way, it is an ideal option for this flooring. unsuitability wooden surfaces in this case, due to their high sensitivity to any humidity fluctuations. When wooden elements dry out or get too wet, the adhesive layer deforms, which leads to the same result and the laid tiles, which eventually crack.

Technology of laying seamless ceramic tiles

We found out that only tiles that do not have chamfers along the edges are suitable for seamless installation. The main difficulty lies in maintaining the mirror evenness of the surface of the laid tiles. Even a difference of 1-2 millimeters can spoil appearance coatings.

In principle, the seamless tile flooring method is not much different from the more common tiling with seams. Before you glue a seamless tile, you should take care of the selection of a tool for the job. You will need:

• level;
• notched trowel;
• drill with a nozzle;
• Master OK;
• sponge;
• rubber mallet;
• knee pads (when laying, you have to kneel for a long time and a lot).

We list the main stages of laying seamless tiles, which are performed after the preparation of the base:

• The surface for laying is marked, the place where the first tile will be laid is selected.
• Glue is being prepared (strict adherence to the attached instructions is mandatory).
• Then the adhesive is applied to the concrete base and spread evenly over the surface using a notched trowel.
• Lay the tiles, after applying a thin layer of glue on it. It is important to ensure that it lays down evenly, without voids. Pressing it firmly to the base, it is lightly tapped with a rubber mallet, which allows you to achieve the necessary evenness of the surface of the cladding.
• The laid tile is checked by level. Then, close to the first, the second is placed. Check the level again. This algorithm is followed until all tile flooring is completed.

Worth paying attention!

It is important to ensure that there are no areas under the tiles where there is no adhesive. Condensation accumulates in such voids, which will subsequently lead to the fact that the tiles on the floor will crack. You can avoid such problems if it is strong when facing, and at the same time gently press down the tile.

When the glue dries, it is recommended to process the seams on the floors with tile grout. The flooring involves wet cleaning, therefore, it is advisable to do this to protect against moisture from getting under the tile. The grout is selected in the color of the coating. It is better to use one that is resistant to mold. It is applied with a spatula to the surface of the tile and rubbed with a sponge. After filling the joints with grout, the excess mass is removed with a sponge moistened with water.

Advantages and disadvantages of seamless installation

Advantages: without the presence of visible seams on the floor surface, this installation looks very attractive. In addition, this circumstance prevents the accumulation of dirt, moisture and fungus at the junction of the tiles.

Disadvantages: given that the production of tiles is serial, sometimes it is necessary to adjust the tiles by grinding the edges to ensure even laying. And that can take a lot of time and work.

To obtain an ideal result, taking into account all the pros and cons, in the process of laying seamless ceramic tiles, strict adherence to technology is required.

Using the method of seamless tiling for flooring, you can create, without exaggeration, masterpieces, embody any design ideas.

There are 2 methods of laying tiles - seamless and with seams. The article deals with the first. Laying seamless tiles is the most practical, beautiful and durable method. Accuracy and patience when laying tiles are the main aspects of the job. Tiles must be perfectly sized for maximum laying density.

Seamless tile laying is performed on a perfectly flat surface for an impeccable appearance and durability of the material.

Laying seamless tiles prevents the collection of dirt, fungus and moisture at the joints. This makes it easier to take care of her.

Back to index

Pros and cons of this method

Pros: Seamless tiles are the most attractive. This laying of tiles prevents the collection of dirt, fungus and moisture in the joints. This makes it easier to take care of her. The advantage is also an easier installation process.

Cons: laying tiled products in this way is undesirable in new homes, as the house tends to sag, thereby causing tiles to fall off. This may not occur in a separate part, but over the entire surface. It is important to match the tiles to one for perfect symmetry, which takes a lot of time and effort. Seamless laying should be carried out in full accordance with the technologies.

Back to index

Materials and tools

Seamless tiling does not mean that there will be no seams at all. But with a properly selected grout, this type of installation will look like a single whole.

• Tiles (it is better to choose an expensive one, for example, Italian or Spanish production).
• Glue for tiles (the composition must be suitable for the selected tile).
• Grout (cement-based, silicone or epoxy).
• Silicone (liquid sealant and sealant).
• Tile cutter (better with forced water supply to avoid chips).
• Roulette.
• Level (small and medium).
• Spatula (notched, rubber).
• Rubber mallet.
• Solution container.

Back to index

The base must be level, dry, clean and have good bearing capacity. First you need to putty cracks and irregularities with a trowel or trowel.

The substrate surface must be carefully prepared. It is necessary to perfectly level the base until there are no cracks, bumps or depressions. The flooring should be without offsets and at the same level. For a longer service life of this type of laying, it is better to use a concrete screed, which is suitable for any tiled products. The wooden base is not suitable due to fluctuations in humidity and drying, which further leads to a change in the adhesive layer and cracking of the tile coating.

It is worth taking seriously the choice of cement and sand. The sand must be well sifted, all large particles must be removed from it. Cement should be taken from a recent release date, otherwise the laying is threatened with a short service life due to the loss of its qualities by the cement. If the cement is of high quality, then it is homogeneous and pours freely.

If porcelain stoneware is laid with high quality, then it looks good. No flaws will be noticeable. And proper grouting will hide their visibility, and they will not be so conspicuous. Laying ceramic granite end-to-end is possible only if a certain technology is observed. It is different from the technology used to lay ceramic tiles.

What porcelain stoneware can be laid without seams?

One of the options - . Laying without seams is not difficult, only it will take time and effort. Therefore, we can say that such a task is feasible for any person armed with desire and patience. The first thing to do is to buy rectified porcelain stoneware of the same caliber, for example, . There are more options, see the website catalog website. The second is to make the base perfectly flat. Thirdly, take responsibility, since no ceramics can be laid seamlessly. Any Construction Materials can expand and contract under the influence of environment. If the products are laid tightly end-to-end, then they simply have nowhere to expand, as a result, the floor can become a “stake”. But, in order to reduce such risks, thermal seams are made around the perimeter of the room, which will allow the floor to move.

Porcelain stoneware installation process

Facing is carried out using special tools, as well as using standard materials with the help of which ceramic tiles are laid.

Before you start working with porcelain stoneware, you need to draw up a laying plan. From the many existing schemes, you must choose the one you like the most. Some choose regular rows, others choose a mosaic layout. Many laying methods are carried out in such a way that there must be seams between the plates. And there are ways where seams are not provided. When buying porcelain stoneware, you must follow the recommendation - it should be purchased more than required. If you buy it from different batches, then the material will differ in tone, so it is purchased from one batch. The choice of ceramic granite is based on its purpose. The bathroom is usually tiled with a rough surface. If water gets on the surface of such ceramics, then the floor will not be slippery, and you will be protected from falling.

Before you start laying the goods, you need to do a thorough preparation of the base. The base on which it is planned to glue the ceramics must be even and not contain any flaws. In the case of applying the material on an uneven surface, an uneven distribution of the load on the floor will occur. Which will lead to the formation of cracks. And besides, the ideal flooring with Italon porcelain stoneware, which has a poorly prepared base, is unlikely to be possible.

How to make the seams small when facing with porcelain stoneware

Seamless cladding has its own new technology. Therefore, professional advice should be strictly followed:

• Plates are laid on the floor, which has a flat surface.
• The size of the product used should not be too small. When using a large tile, the seams will be much smaller.
• porcelain stoneware finishing is carried out if the temperature is not more than 30 degrees and not less than 5.
• You should also use the appropriate brand of adhesive for the particular type of tile.

• If the tile has a symmetrical pattern, the decoration starts from the central point of the room.
• Alignment of special glue is carried out in a small area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room with a spatula. And plates are placed on the surface with applied glue.
• Using the building level, make sure that the surface is laid out evenly.
• If seamless technology is used for gluing, then porcelain stoneware tiles should be located at a distance of one millimeter from each other.
• After completion of the work, the floor dries in three days. Then the seams begin. Usually, the grout is chosen according to the color that the tile has.

Valery asked a question:

I was advised by friends in the living room with warm floors put seamless porcelain stoneware on the floor. I was interested in their offer for many reasons. Firstly, I wanted a coating with good thermal conductivity, durable and beautiful. Porcelain stoneware suited me very well. The only thing that bothered me was the presence of seams. They create a look of some kind of tiled coating at the cladding. This is quite acceptable in the bathroom, but in the main room with an expensive interior, I would like something more impressive. Can you tell me what is the general seamless laying of porcelain stoneware? How is it made? Will such a coating be durable and how much will this pleasure cost me?

Tiler answer:

Indeed, I already had experience when I happened to lay tiles without seams. But, I’ll tell you right away that not every material I laid was suitable for it to be mounted without seams. A couple of decades ago, you could only buy ordinary tiles. This material has a high coefficient of thermal expansion. Therefore, if it is laid without a technological gap, then when it expands from heating, it will chip off each other from the surface. Therefore, a simple ceramic tile for this type of cladding is not suitable. All you need is more durable porcelain stoneware.

But this material also needs a special one - with very good calibration and cut edges. They are cut just in order to get rectangular ends that can join each other almost imperceptibly. Such porcelain stoneware is called rectified. In ordinary tiles, the edges are slightly rounded. This happens during firing and cannot be avoided. Moreover, at high temperatures, the composition of the ceramic mass is also slightly deformed. In different parties with the same composition, there may be, albeit a little, but different sizes. This is another reason why finished products are trimmed. After this treatment, the tile has almost perfect sizes and edges that, when in contact, can create the illusion of a monolithic surface.

I want to draw your attention to the fact that laying porcelain stoneware without joints, even from rectified ones, will also require a responsible approach. Not every manufacturer makes such high-quality products that there will be no seams at all. You still need to be prepared for the fact that the contact point of the coating elements will be noticeable. The surface on which the rectified porcelain stoneware will be glued must be smooth and even. Smoothing out surface imperfections adhesive composition this type of installation is unacceptable.

But don't worry, I can do the job properly, leaving the floor without a single gap. This is good not only from the aesthetic side. With seam installation, the grout becomes dirty over time or, even worse, spills out of the seams. This requires, albeit rare, but regular cleaning of the seams and their restoration. With seamless installation, there will be nowhere for dirt and moisture to get stuck. And the material itself is rectified only of elite varieties. Accordingly, its price will be much higher not only for the cost of processing, but also because of the high cost of the tile itself.

To save a little, I recommend buying a small amount of products in order to place such a coating in the very center of the room, where it will be visible. Such a plot is usually a maximum of 5-6 square meters. m.. The rest of the coating can be laid from a type of tile that is close in shade and texture, or you can create a contrast not only with the seams that have appeared, but also with a completely different type of paving and texture. In general, it will be spectacular, especially since furniture and other interior items will almost completely absorb the appearance of an unrectified coating.

Second important point why you should listen to this council, there is a warm floor. Although porcelain stoneware has a low degree of expansion, this factor is still present. On small areas, the values ​​by which the coating will increase when heated will be minimal and will not cause the tiles to peel off, and the seams that are supposed to be hidden by the interior will help to avoid unpleasant situations during the entire life of the floor. After all, for sure, the temperature of the floor will be unstable. Perhaps, even, due to a breakdown of the boiler or in order to save money, you will want to turn off the heat supply to the warm floor for a while during the cold period, and then turn it on. Such fluctuations always create a certain risk.

For seamless laying, I will also have to ask you more, since such work requires more time, responsibility and experience.

The method of laying tiles without seams is used less often than the traditional one, but this does not mean that it is unsuccessful. The reason for such limited use lies in other factors. Let's look at the rules for such a finish.

Seamless installation means there are no gaps

Advantages and disadvantages

The essence of the method is that between adjacent fragments the distance allotted for seams is absent or reduced to a minimum. Thus, it is possible to achieve not only a decorative effect, but also some other positive aspects.

In the presence of temperature fluctuations, laying with no seams is not possible. In this case, leave gaps to compensate for the dynamics of the coating.

Let's highlight some of the main advantages of seamless tiling:

• It is possible to create the effect of a monolithic surface.
• Due to the absence of gaps, contamination of the joints is prevented, and the risk of moisture accumulation is also reduced.
• After the main part of the facing work, no grout is required, which saves money and time.
• In the future, it is easier to care for the surface, you do not have to clean out clogged dirt and change the grout.

Seamless laying technology allows you to create a spectacular monolithic surface

disadvantage this method is that it is not suitable in every case:

• lack of compensatory gaps;
• stringent requirements for the materials used and the surface to be coated;
• difficulty at work.

Tile Requirements

In order for the new cladding to look perfect, it is important to choose suitable material. Not every tile is suitable. The most important selection criterion is the quality of the edge cuts of the elements. For perfect joining, the tile must have clear and even edges, the same dimensions to the nearest millimeter. If a bias is detected, reject such a tile, otherwise it will lead to the formation of a gap and ruin further masonry.

When using a seamless technique, a perfectly even tile of the same size is required

Keep in mind that the tiles should not have roundings. It's not just about corners. To achieve a spectacular surface look, select a material with a cut without defects. The ideal option is porcelain stoneware. Its seamless laying is possible thanks to a smooth edge. Due to the low-porosity structure, the material is immune to temperature and humidity fluctuations, which is important.

Regarding colors and textures, it is better to give preference to matte models. Such a tile in itself attracts less attention to flaws. Minor errors are masked by a grout matched strictly to the tone of the coating.

When using seamless technology, give preference to matte products

Surface preparation

The presence of the slightest distortions will not allow to completely combine adjacent fragments, which will lead to the formation of seams, and in this case it is almost impossible to compensate for differences with glue. Therefore, before starting facing work, it is required to level the surface.

Use cement screed- the mixture will independently fill the problem areas and bring the floor to the desired level. With vertical and inclined surfaces, things are more complicated. The working area is carefully plastered here. In the presence of serious defects, the construction of an additional box, for example, from drywall, is required. For better fixation in the future, a metal mesh is attached to the walls.

Seamless fastening of tiles is possible only on a perfectly flat plane

Laying process

In order not to disturb the visual perception of the surface, it is best to select a layout scheme that completely excludes the presence of threaded elements or minimizes them. The optimal solution is laying from the center of the room.