|
Installation of Rough Joint Grout
1. Clean the joint
Use brush and iron stick to clean the joints; it is the first step to ensure the mortar strongly sticks to the joint surface.
2. Mix Materials
Proportion between water and grout powder is 17 : 83 subject to weather.
Add grout powder slowly into water and mix them simultaneously.
3. Grout the joint
Put the mortar into plastic bag with a hole, and squeeze the mortar into the joint from the hole.
4. Press the grout
To shape the grout and make it more stick to the joint, press the mortar gently when the mortar becomes a little hard, it is about 10-30 minutes in summer and 30-60 minutes in winter after grouting, water content of the grout at this time is about 13%.
Note:
If you press the mortar too late when it is hardened, it is easy to make it drop when pressing and it¡¯s impossible for the shape it. If you press it too early when it is too wet, it will lose shape and make the stone dirty. You need to control the pressing time very well.
5. Texture
The mortar will be further hardened in 40-90 minutes in summer, 60-180 minutes in winter; water content at this time is about 8%. Use wire ball or other suitable tools to wipe the grout surface to get a rough texture.
6. Clean
Clean the grout by brush and clean the stone by sponge. If the stone is dirty, wipe it clean with wet towel.
7. Maintenance
Do not expose the wall under direct sunshine before the grout is completely dry. In natural condition, the grout needs 24 hours to be hardened. In these 24 hours, you should moisten the grout to enhance its strength. For further maintenance, we suggest moistening the wall once a week in the coming several weeks.
Notice:
(1) Joint grout color will change subject to environment, weather, water quality and applying method, so test is necessary before installation.
(2) Don¡¯t grout the joint immediately after installing the tile, please refer to timetable below.
|
Temperature |
Optimal applying time |
|
Above 26¡æ |
3 days later |
|
18~26¡æ |
3~7 days later |
|
Below 18¡æ |
7 days later |
(3) Before grouting, make sure the tiles are sound and dry, the surface and edge are free of latex and water.
(4) We suggest you use plastic tools instead of iron tools.
(5) Stop installation when the temperature is lower than 3¡æ, or it is rainy or blustery and there is no shelter.
|
