Tiling on the ceiling.

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Tiling on the ceiling.

Discuss Tiling on the ceiling. in the UK Tiling Forum area at TilersForums.com.

G

Gracer

Firstly to all those who just flat out said No! Well thanks for your imput & concern, but as you can see others have done it before & really anythings possible if you open your mind a little. There is always a solution.

I've been thinking the mechanical fixing is the way to go....don't really want to try that myself.More a stone masons area I reckon.

But a big thanks to Rob Z....this is exactly what I am looking for. Yes we have Laticrete products here, I will call them & inquire on your recommendations. Nice looking work in the photos btw.

All the prep will be done in a proper manner...the client is a civil engineer running his own company, which also incorporates the builder I am working for on this project. No expense is being spared. They will also be fixed to cement sheeting. I should also add this ceiling is high...around 6 metres from the bottom step.

Highlander, I am interested to know about the straps you used to hold up the tile while setting...do you recall what they were & how they were used?

I'll be sure to take some photos & post them here as it takes shape.
 
G

Gracer

cornish_crofter said:
Have you thought anymore about fixing them in place before the ceiling goes up?

I'm sure the client could get access to hoists etc, sounds like you could get one in that house no probs!
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Yeah c.c. That was one of my first thoughts and still may be an option. The gyprock plasterer on site has said I could use his hoists. The only problem being I have to line up with two side walls and these tiles are to be laid in a kind of ashlar pattern.I can see problems in getting them to align,if I go down this route.
 
R

Rob Z

Hi Gracer

I'm glad that you can get this stuff. I was told by a Laticrete rep that Laticrete developed that epoxy product specifically to replace the more tedious and traditional method of using wires to tie off stone. There are some limits to where and how the product can be used but they are more on commercial types of projects so I didn't learn what they are.

Let me post some prices for these products so you can get a feel for what they cost. These are in US dollars of course....I don't know what they would be in Australian or British currency.

The 255 is ~$35 per 40 lb. bag.

The epoxy is sold in large tubs, although I have never bought it that way. I know it is less expensive per unit quantity of the epoxy, but then you have to factor in labor for the mixing of each batch of the material.

We use the epoxy in the cartridge sets ...each tube is about the size of a standard tube of caulking, and a set has two tubes together. One set of tubes is a bit less that $20, and the mixing nozzle is $5. If you are using the rapid set version, the tube with clog up quickly and you might go through one mixing tube per set of cartridges. When using the slow set version, one mixing tube might last us all day because we keep pushing new material through it while mixing more.

The mixing gun and battery/charger costs $500-$600. I lucked out because my Laticrete rep gave me one free when I bought a bunch of the product! :hurray:
 
R

Rob Z

Hi Gracer,

Glad to help...I also should add for purposes of comparison, I pay ~$15 for a 50 lb bag of Laticrete 253 thinset, which is a medium grade of modified mortar. So you can see that the 255 is some expensive stuff (but worth it when you need it).

Sometimes, we use a combo technique of the 310 epoxy and the 255 thinset....we will make a ring of 255 around the edge of the tile, and dot the 310 epoxy inside that ring. Whne the tile is pushed onto the ceiling properly, there is a a quief of air that lets us know that the suction effect is in place and will hold the tile. The epoxy of course cures and provides a bond that is maybe 100 times stronger than any thinset mortar could provide.

Good luck with your project!
 
G

Gracer

R Montgomery said:
Check with the Australian Tile Institute ( whatever they are called ) and all the applicable codes.The procedures that you will need to follow will all be in there.It doesn't sound unusual at all you just have to find out the local requirements.How's your mud work and where is the waterproofing going.
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There isn't any need for any mudwork or waterproofing.....it's an entry ceiling not a wet area.:smash:
 
D

doug boardley

Rob Z said:
Hi Gracer,

Glad to help...I also should add for purposes of comparison, I pay ~$15 for a 50 lb bag of Laticrete 253 thinset, which is a medium grade of modified mortar. So you can see that the 255 is some expensive stuff (but worth it when you need it).

Sometimes, we use a combo technique of the 310 epoxy and the 255 thinset....we will make a ring of 255 around the edge of the tile, and dot the 310 epoxy inside that ring. Whne the tile is pushed onto the ceiling properly, there is a a quief of air that lets us know that the suction effect is in place and will hold the tile. The epoxy of course cures and provides a bond that is maybe 100 times stronger than any thinset mortar could provide.

Good luck with your project!
Click to expand...
wow!:punk::punk:
 
C

Colour Republic

I've read this thread a little bit late but I must say I'm really surprised at some of the comments on this topic.

From the very first post it was clear that this was no ordinary job, so the standard answers of 'don't attempt it' do not apply. I think it was clear the budget is not the important factor on this one. These types of jobs really excite me. Not just in tiling but any project.

Tiler: "You want to do WHAT?!"
Architect: "Yes that's right, tile the ceiling in tiles that will cause certain death if they end up in the clients head"
Tiler: "Can't be done"
Architect: "It HAS to otherwise it will mess with the chi... Ok, look I’m an architect and I couldn't help myself, so I’ve already told him it can be done"
Tiler: "It's going to be expensive"
Architect: "huh... it's my job to design the most outlandish, ridiculously, expensive ideas"
Tiler: "let's do it"

I love jobs like this, ones that push the boundaries. Granted some architects do come up with some stupid ideas sometimes. e.g. A few years back I was turning some 15th century potting sheds into swimming pool shower rooms on a 60 acre manor house (Secret walled gardens, 250ft! fresh water well, the lot) . The architect wanted me to clad the walls in MDF T&G. Now bearing in mind this building had no DPC, no heating, ledge and brace doors at the entrance and it was to be full of piping hot steam showers and he wanted me to clad it in MDF! The mind boggles :dizzy2:... but I digress...

Gracer should be congratulated on undertaking a job like this not discouraged. As I’m sure some of you may be aware by now I'm not a 'professional' tiler per sae, I multi trade but I can guarantee you that my finish is on a par with yours (Leatherface excluded), as my attention to detail is second to none. Where I can't hope to compete is on product knowledge, you guys do this day in, day out. This is why I'm a member of this forum; I want your help and advice. If you don't know how to do something, say "I can't help you" don't tell someone it can't be done, nothing is impossible (well dependant on budget).

I'm half Italian, half English and I love both cultures dearly, but I'm starting to think that the 'Never say die' British attitude is starting to DIE!

 
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R

Rob Z

Hi Doug,

I might have been exaggerating a bit with my figures there, but I recall reading something in one of Laticrete's tech data sheets about the compressive strength of some their epoxies, and it was something like 30-40,000 PSI...I remember thinking that a decent slab of concrete might test out to ~4000 PSI. :yikes: So, the epoxy will pull the surface off of the concrete before the epoxy fails. For that matter, the tile itself will fail before the epoxy. I don't recall the shear strength numbers, but they were similarly impressive.

When Laticrete debuted this rapid set stuff that I mentioned, they did it a trade show in Las Vegas. There is a photo somewhere of the laticrete rep, hanging from a steel I-beam from his hard hat. They epoxied the hard hat to the steel beam, waited 15 minutes, and then he hung from the hard hat---full support of his wieght with the small spot of epoxy on top of the hard hat!!

If I can find that photo on the Laticrete site, I'll post it here.
 
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R

Rob Z

I can't find the infamous photo of the Laticrete employee hanging from the spot of epoxy off of the steel beam....but here is a picture I just took of one of cartridge sets for the 310 epoxy. The nozzle has a corkscrew arrangement inside inside that mixes the A and B together as it is pushed out through the tube. This is the slowset version and has about 45 minutes working time.

Note the use of the metric tape measure for my friends in the UK. :smilewinkgrin:
 
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