Tiling A Balcony  

Asphalt balcony surfaces

• Do not fix tiles to an asphalt surface without first consulting British Standard BS 5385: Part 3; 14.5. It is not advisable to tile onto external asphalt as it is subject to constant dimensional changes due to varying weather conditions and temperatures, and rigid tiles will not cope with this movement.

Timber balconies

• Timber balconies are not a suitable surface on which to tile due to excessive movement of the substrate.
• To bring a timber balcony up to a suitable level to receive tiling, it should first be laid with a sand cement screed to increase its rigidity.This will then increase the weight of the flooring, which will mean that the joists should be rebraced to bring them up to a flooring support grade.

New build balconies

• For new-build balconies (balconies designed and built for their intended purpose rather than as an addition to an existing construction such as a garage roof ), the ideal surface on which to receive tiles is a sand cement screed or a concrete substrate.
• Falls (drainage channels) should be formed in the substrate to ensure that ponding of water does not occur.These falls should never be formed in the adhesive layer, but always at the design stage in the substrate.

Adhesive application

• The ideal adhesive for use on a concrete or sand cement screed is PCI’s Floorfast 20 Rapidflex. If you’re fixing to any other type of balcony substrate, please call the PCI Technical helpline on 0161 794 7411.

Grouting

• Use a PCI watertight grout such as PCI’s Groutfast 20 Rapidflex or PCI Epoxy Grout water proof grout.

Movement Joints

Please refer to Special Situations Bulletin 1 due to the complexity of this subject.


For more information, contact PCI’s Techincal Services Department on 0161 794 7411