Well designed and correctly filled joints can help extend the service life of ceramic tiling.

Mapei offers a range of products to meet the aforesaid objectives.

Joints are an essential feature of what is defined by many standards as ceramic tiling. They are important for both aesthetic and technical reasons which play a part in achieving the final result. We consider the technical aspects of joints to be the priority because they increase the durability of ceramic tiling by reducing the risk of problems such as detached tiles, cracking and out-of-flatness, all of which have a direct effect on the expected service life of the ceramic covering itself. Well designed and correctly filled joints can help extend the service life of ceramic tiling.

How do joints do this?

Joints are basically a way of maintaining the continuity of a tiled surface and modify its modulus of elasticity, making the entire tile or grout line system more “deformable” and, as a result, able to withstand the dimensional stresses it will be subjected to during its service life.

An area of ceramic tiling with no joints has a modulus of elasticity almost the same as a single, large ceramic tile. As a result, the surface will be extremely rigid and be more likely to break or detach from the substrate than an area of tiling with joints, due to dimensional instability in the substrate caused mainly by the hygrometric shrinkage of the substrate, expansion or contraction in the substrate or tiling, the deformability of the installation surface, vibrations, settling, etc.

To summarise, a covering with a lower modulus of elasticity will be better at absorbing these effects and reducing the risk of breakages and/or detachment. It means that joints are very important to safeguard the integrity and durability of ceramic tiling.

The most suitable grout for each type of joint

Which material to use depends on the performance properties required and on the area of use. Epoxy grouts are preferable when you require a product with no absorption, high resistance to chemicals and a high level of hygiene, such as in industrial floors and kitchens, likely to break or detach from the substrate than an area of tiling with joints.

The jewel in the crown

Ultracolor Plus is a high performance, polymer-modified, anti-efflorescence, rapid-setting and drying mortar with water-repellent DropEffect® and mould-resistant BioBlock® technology for joints from 2-20 mm wide. It is a class CG2 WA product compliant with UNI EN13888 standard and is available in 34 different colours.

Epoxy grouts

Keracolor SF pre-blended, high-performance, polymer-modified cementitious mortar for grouting joints up to 4-mm wide, class CG2 according to EN 13888/ISO13007.

Kerapoxy two-component, acid-resistant epoxy mortar available in 26 different colours for joints at least 3-mm wide, class RG according to EN 13888/ISO 13007.

(Communication by the management of the company)