On the island of Usedom on the Baltic coast of Germany, a housing development with residential and holiday flats was constructed in 2016 very near to the beach in the elegant seaside resort of Heringsdorf. In one of the flats, Italian slabs with a size of 300 x 150 cm were laid on a floor area of about 110 m². In the bathrooms, large wall tiles with a size of 33 x 100 cm were installed over an area of about 40 m². Following intensive preparation of the substrate, the exclusive floor covering was laid professionally and securely using PCI Flexmörtel S1 Flott, a special tile adhesive for large floor tiles. The exposure of the floor covering to strong sunlight through the large windows and the resulting risk of stress in the covering had to be taken into consideration. In addition, large tiles had to be adapted to the shape of the rooms. PCI adviser Mathias Fründt, PCI applications technician Wolfgang Dehmel and PCI service technician Uwe Heinrich were all available to provide advice to the tilers on site.

The challenge of the substrate

The craftsmen from the tiling contractor, Reinke Fliesenfach-gesellschaft mbH, started by priming the cement screed with PCI Gisogrund 404 special primer. The high bonding strength of the primer ensured a firm bond with the levelling compound, PCI Periplan Fein, selected especially for this substrate. “When you are laying such large slabs, it is essential to have an absolutely level substrate,” PCI adviser Mathias Fründt explains. “Even slight irregularities in the surface can lead to protruding edges or voids.” PCI Periplan Fein is self-levelling, hardens quickly and creates an even surface with very few pores. At the specified installation conditions of 23°C and 50% relative humidity, the levelling compound can already be walked on and covered with ceramic tiles after three hours.

In all areas not exposed to moisture, the craftsmen then installed PCI Pecilastic E. This deformable isolating membrane, which can absorb stress, has a crack-bridging effect and ensures a secure covering even if cracks later develop in the substrate. Its ambient and impact sound reduction properties are a further benefit. In the bathroom, PCI Pecilastic U waterproofing and insulating membrane was used to ensure reliable protection for moisture-sensitive substrates. The membranes were bonded in place using PCI Flexmörtel S1 Flott flexible tile adhesive. Joints, transition areas and connections were sealed with tapes from the PCI Pecitape range.

An adhesive for really large tiles

The very large fully vitrified floor tiles were laid using PCI Flexmörtel S1 Flott: this tile adhesive provides a firm bed which prevents large, heavy slabs from sinking in. In addition, the flexible properties of the adhesive mean that it can compensate for temperature fluctuations and stress in the substrate. The tiles were laid by the buttering and floating method to prevent voids to the greatest extent possible. In practice, it is not possible to push such large slabs into position. “I like to work with PCI Flexmörtel S1 Flott. The adhesive is very convenient to use and allows rapid progress on site,” Gerald Beutler, the Managing Director of Reinke, reports. “Despite its long working time of three hours, the adhesive sets fast. After six hours, we can already grout the joints with PCI Nanofug Premium.“

Professional installation of wall tiles in bathrooms

In the bathrooms, the tilers installed the 33 x 100 cm wall tiles using the anti-sag adhesive PCI FT Flex and grouted them with PCI Nanofug Premium. PCI Gisogrund was used for priming the substrate, followed by two coats of PCI Lastogum for waterproofing. The tiling work was completed to schedule, to the entire satisfaction of the client. “We mastered the challenges on this site successfully,” says master tiler Gerald Beutler. “The outstanding advice provided by PCI and the company’s quality products were a great help.”