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Discuss Quartz or similar and UFH. Can Someone explain why not in the Tiling News; Tile News area at TilersForums. USA and UK Tiling Forum

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I know the two should not be put together but do not know the technical reasons why?
 
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DHTiling

Some of the cheap resin agglomerates jeff have high resin content to qaurtz chippings etc and these cheaper resin when subjected to heat can soften and cause the tiles to curl..
 
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Concrete guy

Ask the manufacturer (not the supplier), some say yes some say no. It doesn't really matter where they come from, only one company (Breton) make the machine that produces this product. So the only thing that can differ is the constituent products put into that machine.

Dave highlights a common misconception with Quartz about the resin content.

The most expensive component in the manufacturing of quartz tile and slab is actually the resin and pigment (basically anything oil based) that generally makes up around 7% of the total content of a "starlight" type quartz. The other 93% being made up of quartz grains of varying sizes and glass chipping that give the mirror effect.

The more pure the colour the higher the resin content. So a Pure white could be as much as 15% resin. That's why the pure colours are so expensive when combined with the number that are rejected due to colour contamination during production.

The higher the resin content, the more expensive the product. Think of Corian and other solid surfaces which are substantially more expensive again than Quartz.

If anything, the cheaper products will have less resin, not more as that reduced production costs. It's the resin that binds the structure together, think if like the egg when you're making pastry. Too much or too little egg and your mixture is all wrong.

As a floor tile I rate granite above quartz by a country mile. As a decorative product, quartz is outstanding.

I used to manufacture quartz slab, the list of disclaimers you're required to give with this product would make you wonder where it could be used at all. Couldn't be stored outside, had to be stored away from UV light, cannot be used externally, not frost proof etc etc etc

However, it's down to each manufacturer if their product is suitable for UFH. I know Technistone say theirs is. I've not kept up with the others lately.

Silestone is the market leader worldwide in Quartz products, they are generally accepted as the best quality producer.

Reading the terms of their 10 year guarantee is an eyeopener.

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DHTiling

Sound info Alan but it is also when CHEAP resin's are used that problems occur , i know some types are fine with heated floors and some cheaper versions are not.. and also wrong adhesives used.

Quartz worktops do seem to be better manufactured than mass produced cheapo tiles :)
 

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Thanks to this forum this is something that I've learnt today about quartz, more importantly I've a client that's possibly buying quartz for her new build 127m2 going onto ufh , will have to run over these problems to them , would ditra matting make any difference to the problem?
 
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Concrete guy

Thanks to this forum this is something that I've learnt today about quartz, more importantly I've a client that's possibly buying quartz for her new build 127m2 going onto ufh , will have to run over these problems to them , would ditra matting make any difference to the problem?

Ditra wouldn't make any difference. The question is more about the chemical structure of the product as opposed a decoupling issue.
 
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DHTiling

As Alan say's it is down to the tile quality it's self .. always check with supplier/manufacturer for suitability .
 
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Spud

Does the tile thickness come in to play? I was told that a quartz tile should be a minimum thickness of 15mm thick where as a lot of the stuff sold in the uk is only 12mm
 
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DHTiling

I read that somewhere as well Gary ... will check my latest TTA tile with agglomerate tiles , i think it was in there..? .. keeping up with latest standards is a mare :lol:
 
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DHTiling

Ok just checked and it does not state min thickness , it does however say that normal tile thickness will be 10mm to 12mm and thicker for heavy duty applications.

it does also state that ( and i have said this Many times ) that the main issue with resin agglomerate tiles is when fixing with the wrong https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ .

They can curl from moisture sensitivity by differential expansion and a 2 part polymer https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ should be used or an https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ designed for use with resin agglomerate tiles , this is fully explained in BS5385-3:2009 clause 11.2.1 .

It is important that all water is rapidly hydrated , so the https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ bed hardens/cures as quick as possible to prevent curling..

hope this helps other readers of this thread and as always if in doubt, seek advice from tile manufacturer or supplier of the agglomerate tiles and your chosen https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ manufacturers tech line.
 
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DHTiling

Also , i see that Tilemasters Ultimate https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ is suitable for resin agglomerate tiles , so that is good news as it is at a great price.. :):)
 
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trevortine

Great info, was aware of the curling and correct https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ but so much more depth gone into by Ats.
 
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Concrete guy

I think the 15mm minimum thickness is a TCNA recommendation rather than a UK one

We used to recommend a minimum 15mm thickness for flooring. That was really only for product stability.

Anything above a 600x600 it would be sensible to go to 20mm.
 

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