Planning and design of floor and wall surfaces. Step three

The third step in planning and designing a ceramic tile surface is choosing the installation method. There are two possible ways:

• method using closed seams , the tiles practically touch each other, the distance between the tiles is less than 1 mm;
• laying with open joints , the distance between the tiles is from 5 to 10 mm.

The choice of installation method should be based on the following criteria:

• type of tile . The laying method with open joints is required for extruded tiles (cotto, double extrusion ceramic tiles), since extrusion is usually characterized by dimensional fluctuations.
• expected loads on the lined surface . When laying tiles with open joints (the joints between the tiles are filled with a relatively elastic material), the surface will have some structural flexibility, which will reduce the load on the facing layer. When joining joint to joint - closed seams - the facing surface resembles a monolithic layer. For this reason, this installation method is not recommended in some countries (USA, France) and gaps of at least 2 mm wide are used.
• desired aesthetic effect . Closed joints enhance the impression of a uniform surface, while open joints emphasize the interruption of the surface, giving the appearance of weaving or mesh, thereby influencing the aesthetic properties of the surface.