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Yes. Every stone floor tile we sell can be used with either electric matting underfloorheating or piped heating which is part of the central heating system. It is vitally important that the correct specification fixing products are used with underfloorheating and we can usually advise what these are for most common installation situations. For more complex situations we have the full technical back-up of our adhesive supplier Rocatex who can liaise with you & your installer directly.
Yes. Strengthening the floor with plywood, tile backer board or similar is often advisable when fixing natural stone floor tiles. A decoupling mat (also known as an anticrack matting) and an S2grade flexible floor tile adhesive and flexible grout MUST be used to fix floor tiles.
Decoupling mat is a 2 layer breathable membrane that sits sandwiched between your sub-floor and your stone floor tiles. The bottom layer adheres to the sub-floor and the top layer to the stone meaning there is no direct connection between the stone and the sub-floor. This is important when dealing with timber sub-floors and new screeded floors with or without underfloor heating. There will be more flex, contraction and expansion within these sub-floors than just using flexible tile adhesive can cope with. Decoupling mat will absorb this extra movement instead of it being transferred through to the stone floor and is a very sensible investment.
Yes, although minor bumps and hollows can be leveled by applying more or less floor tile adhesive. If you have major bumps and hollows then we would recommend using a floor levelling compound to provide a clean, level surface for tiling onto. A dry level screed is ideal for laying stone flooring. The floor must be clean, dry and grease free before laying any stone floor tiles.
Natural stone is porous, so every time you walk or spill a liquid on a stone tile that hasn't been sealed you run the risk of it staining. All natural stone should be sealed when used internally. Sealing stone floor tiles is part of the installation process and all our stone tiles are supplied unsealed. It is standard practise to seal the stone with at least 2applications of the sealant; once before you grout and once after. There are many different stone sealants on the market and every one will have a different effect on stone and that effect will be different depending on the type of stone. All our displays are fully sealed so you know what the floor will look like when it is completely finished. All photos of interiors on the website are of sealed natural stone floors too so you are getting a good indication of the finished look within the limits of photography. We strongly advise visiting our showrooms to view the stone for real however. We stock 3brands of sealant and all our displays are sealed with one of these. The first brand is a standard solvent based impregnator sealant; this has the general effect of darkening the raw stone by a few shades and also will highlight the inherent characteristics of the stone that can include veining and fossil content. It is recommended for use on denser, less porous stones. The second brand is suitable for use on all stones & will darken and enhance the stone's inherent characteristics to a greater degree than brand 1. The third brand is known as a clearseal; is rapid drying and has a minimal effect on colour & characteristics, again, depending on the stone.
There are different types of adhesives and grouts for different stones and situations. We can normally specify the correct type of product for your natural stone floor - just ask us and we will ensure you get the right product specification. We stock all necessary products for fixing natural stone floors on all common sub-floor types and are happy to add the correct products to any quotation.