Tips for installing, cleaning and maintenance of Ecostone Tiles

• Never leave the material outdoors since damage to the packaging or acid or lime-scale rain may damage the surface, reduce its shine and cause marks which are difficult to remove.
• It is advisable, once in possession of the material, to proceed as soon as possible with the installation of the material to avoid eventual discoloration or fluorescence, especially in the case of light colours.
• Before the installation of the material, verify that it is defects-free; in this case please interrupt the installation and communicate it immediately at Agglo Baghin S.r.l.
• Every supplied order includes some more tiles free of charges as reserve material.  It is recommended that the customer give a check on the tiles within the day after the installation in order to replace any cracked, fissured or damaged tile (for damages or hits received during transport, handling or installation).
• After the installation of the material, some laid tiles may present lack of colour homogeneity – as for example darker shade in the center of the tile with respect to the edges. This natural phenomenon is related to the natural evaporation process of the humidity absorbed by the tiles from the glue with which these are installed, and it is destined to disappear. To limit this phenomenon, we recommend the continuous installation of the whole quantity of the tiles supplied.
• If the tiles of the same production batch are laid in different periods, these can present lacks of colour homogeneity caused by an oxidation process of the cement which the tiles contain. This characteristic tends to settle down with time.
• SUPREMA RANGE: (which includes glass and mother-of-pearl chips) These elements differ in kind from the stone and for this reason single pieces of glass or mother-of-pearl may come off from the tiles, especially polishing the floor after the installation. In this case, fill on site eventual holes with suitable fillings for natural stone, on sale.
• MARBLE / RETRO STYLE TERRAZZO (composed by marble chips) and VENEZIA RANGE (composed by river pebbles chips). Single pieces of marble chips or river pebbles may come off from the tiles, especially polishing the floor after the installation. In this case, fill on site eventual holes with suitable fillings for natural stone, on sale.
• GRANITE RANGE (composed by granite and basalt natural chips), which might contain some iron and wood inclusions.
• Pay greater attention during the installation of tiles bigger than 40×40 cm, because bigger is the dimension of the tiles, higher is the risk of non-homogeneous planarity among them.

• Prepare the screed or the plaster using cement mortar and wait its ageing until it reaches a residual humidity < 2% (waiting time: about 1 week for each cm of thickness). The screed must be thicker than 5 cm and respect the existing joints.
• Before the laying, check the screed and the plaster suitability. These must be: insulated, dry, stable, solid, compression-resistant, sufficiently flat and free from loose material, dust, greases, oils, waxes, paints, detaching agents and any other items which may reduce adhesion.
• Correct any irregularity with levelling and auto-levelling products, taking care to verify the perfect planarity of the plane which mustn’t have level differences higher than 2 mm.

• Spread the adhesive on the foundation and lay ECOSTONE on the wet adhesive before it forms the superficial pellicle. In case of high temperatures and ventilation, the open time of the adhesives (indicated in the specifications) can notably change. Before the laying, we suggest you to plunge the tiles in clean water for a few seconds and then drip the excess of water away, in order to guarantee a safer grip between the tile and the foundation. Carefully press in order to get a flawless adhesion and level the tiles with care and precision, to avoid differences in level among the tiles.  Any excess adhesive which comes to the surface during laying must be removed immediately with a wet sponge, to prevent damages to the surface.
• We suggest the “double spreading” operation that consist in spreading the adhesive on the laying bed (floating) and “buttering” the tile backing. This technique guarantees a perfect adhesion of the tile even in case of formation of the pellicle. The double spreading allows to cover the entire tile backing with the adhesive.
• The width of the laying joints (grouts) must comply with the European standards (width at least 2 mm, so that the sealant can penetrate to the required depth at all points). In any case, the dimensions of the tiles and the thermal expansion coefficient could determine the choice of joints having a different width, especially for outdoor flooring. Existing expansion joints must coincide with joints in the tiles, and subdivision joints must be provided (for great surface panels of approx. 16 sqm), always following the suggestion of the person in charge for the laying.
• Laying must be carried out using adhesives specially developed for laying stone and cement agglomerates. As an indication, we can suggest the following adhesives: FLEX white, H40RAPID or H40MARMOREX (produced by company KERAKOLL) or other products with equal technical characteristics, to use following the instruction of the supplier company, also in relation to the weather situation.
• The filling of joints must be performed while the adhesive is not yet completely hardened, using professional and coloured fillers like FUGABELLA (KERAKOLL) or similar products with colour as similar as possible to the colour of the tile.  The cleaning of the filler must be done within the right time (while still fresh) by using a sponge and clean water. Pay attention to coloured fillers which may stain the tiles. If necessary, protect the floor before the filling operation.

Important: absolutely avoid covering or protecting the tiled floor with cardboard having coloured writings, magazine pages, plastic, nylon or adhesive tapes.

• To carry out manual works, it is recommended to follow the current safety regulation. It is necessary for each operator to use the specific PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for the required work, according to the local safety regulation in force.  In this case, it is  necessary that the equipment intended for cutting, drilling, etc., works by using water and that the supply of water is enough to avoid the formation of dust during processing.

• For the cleaning of floors without a wax-finish, wash with a neutral detergent (such as FILACLEANER diluted with water); then often rinse the rag in the detergent always making sure it gets squeezed properly.
• For the cleaning of floors having a wax-finish, wash with a neutral detergent (don’t use hot water). In order to restore the tile gloss, wash periodically with the finish wax solution you have used at the beginning (VENEZIANA) diluted with water (2 glasses of wax every bucket of water).

TREATMENT:  On dry and clean surface, you can apply a stain resistant impregnating hydro-repellent protection (such as FILA MP/90) or oil repellent that doesn’t alter the aesthetic appearance of the tiles (such as FILAFOB). In alternative to the highly-protective treatment, it is possible to apply a coat of floor-finishing wax (such as VENEZIANA produced by FILA company) with a brush, or rag or with a suitable applicator.

• Before a highly-protective treatment (recommended for floors exposed to high risk such as bars, rotisseries, restaurants, and in any place where the tiles may be stain with oil or mechanical oil) check that the floor is perfectly cleaned, in the contrary proceed before in cleaning the tiles with a degreasing detergent (such as FILA PS/87 diluted 1:10 with water).