Waterproofing or ‘ tanking’  Shower Rooms

When it comes to designing your bathroom and with en-suite facilities becoming ever more popular, a shower or wet room is now a feature which more and more homes are taking advantage of. A Waterproof Shower Room has the advantages of looking good and fitting into any home and can be adapted to fit even the smallest bathroom or en-suite. Waterproof shower rooms or wet rooms, are usually equipped with a walk-in shower.

The room itself becomes the shower enclosure, with the shower drain set into a gently sloped floor which replaces the conventional shower tray. It is essential Waterproof Shower Rooms are properly tanked. Tanking is a waterproofing procedure which is carried out in shower enclosures, wet rooms and bathrooms as well as sauna/steam rooms which protects the building from moisture migration and leaks.

When the floor of a waterproof shower room/wet room is tiled, contrary to popular belief, the tiles, adhesives and grouts are permeable and therefore can allow moisture to leach into the structure over time which can cause mould growth, rot and, in some cases result in structural damage. The impact of water damage leaking from bathrooms/shower rooms is one of the most common insurance claims and you should be aware that:

• All tile adhesives and grouts are permeable to some degree, they are not waterproof but rather they are ‘ stable when wet’


• It takes 2 minutes for water to penetrate grouting


• It takes 5 minutes for the water to get beneath the tiles


• It can take 5 weeks of the resulting damp to dry out

It is therefore essential to create a 100% waterproof tanked shower room and you should take into consideration the following when designing your bathroom/shower room:

• Having the correct flooring and sloping gradient for effective drainage


• Effective waterproofing/Tanking


• Compatible floor drainage


• Total protection of neighbouring rooms from water migration

A Waterproof Shower Room will open up your bathroom giving more space and with its contemporary look will fit well into today’s modern home as well as complimenting more traditional styles. A Waterproof Shower Room works perfectly with underfloor heating, giving the luxury and comfort usually only afforded to exclusive establishments, allowing you to create a lavish addition to your home.

Installing a Waterproof Shower Room with Tanking is a relatively simple procedure but if you consider the damage a leak will cause, you will recognise the importance of ensuring installation is completed professionally and correctly. A tanking system is designed to protect underlying structures, backgrounds and bases from water penetration.

A Waterproof Shower Room with Tanking has a waterproof coating, polyester tape for reinforcement of corners and joints, polyester matting when required for floors and a floor and wall primer. There are many different methods of waterproofing or Tanking a Shower/Wet Room and each room structure plus the choice of flooring and materials used should be taken into consideration when installing a Tanking system.

A correctly Waterproofed or ‘ Tanked ‘ Shower Room will cope with the needs of any busy family and when designed well with the correct floor structure and a comprehensive tanking system will be trouble free, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of a completely waterproof stylish Shower Room which will be trouble free and also add value to your home.

Cleaning & Maintaining Stone Floors

The first point to make here is that a good stone floor should be easy to look after.

You will however need to choose a natural stone which is suitable for the task and make sure it is installed correctly. There are plenty of stone tiles that would perform well on a bathroom wall but have no place in a busy kitchen. Check with the supplier that they are happy with the intended use of the stone.

Similarly any stone flooring or stone tiles need to be installed correctly. Choice of adhesives and grout, observation of correct drying times and proper sealing are all very important to ensuring your stone floor is suitable for the purpose and correctly installed.

If you are considering having natural stone floor or stone tiles in your house make sure you have it installed by someone with experience or if you plan to do this yourself make sure you take good advice and read up on the subject first. There is detailed information elsewhere on this site – Installing Natural stone tiles

Cleaning your Stone floor or tiles

Stone floors should only be cared for with specialist products. Regular floor cleaners can contain fine abrasives and or ammonia, both of which will adversely affect the finish of your stone floor and it will lose its luster and become flat and lifeless.

The correct product for day to day stone floor cleaning is a ‘stone soap’. There are many stone floor soaps on the market but we recommend Lithofin Easy care which is a neutral ph and has a pleasant aroma.

Stone soaps not only clean but actually help protect the face of the stone and in the long run enhance both the natural colour of the stone and increase its resistance to staining.

How does this work? Well, stone tile sealers are ‘impregnators ‘meaning they are absorbed into the face of the stone rather than sitting on the surface. During the sealing process any residual sealer is specifically removed as when left on the surface it looks patch and unsightly. The soap is in fact the first line of defence!

After cleaning your stone floor with stone soap do not rinse the floor. This leaves a slight layer of soap on the stone floor or stone tile. This provides a temporary wear layer – it will dissipate as you walk on the stone floor and replenished each time the floor is washed. Household dirt is trapped in the soap and washed away when you clean the stone floor. 

Correct Method of Cleaning your stone floor or stone tiles

1. First sweep or vacuum to remove grit and excess dust.
2. Add a few squirts of the stone soap into a bucket of warm water and using a well wrung out mop apply the soap to the floor.
3. Rinse the mop in a separate bucket of fresh water or under the tap before putting it back into the soap mix and continuing the cleaning.
4. Rinsing the mop between applications of soap means you won’t spread dirty water around the stone floor. A flat bottomed mop is best for this task.

A correctly maintained stone floor will prove to be resistant to stain due to the surface layer of stone soap which acts as a barrier to stains and your stone floor or stone tiles will maintain an enhanced natural colour and lustre.

If your stone floors or stone tiles are excessively dirty Lithofin Easy Care may prove to be insufficient to move the grime or marks. To remove stubborn stains you will need some stronger action such as Lithofin Power Clean this is great for all stone tiles and stone floors and can be used diluted or concentrated depending upon the condition and degree of dirt to be removed and will not break down the sealer in the floor. It will however remove any residue of the soap but all you have to do is apply the stone soap after you have cleaned the stone to restore its protective layer, colour and lustre.

Maintaining your stone floor is easy when you use the correct material and follow our simple guidelines, if you require any advice please check out our ancillaries page

Mosaic

The use of mosaic can be traced back some 4,000 years or more with terracotta inserts used for decoration.  Pebble pavements were introduced by the eighth century BC with the use of different coloured stones.  The Greeks took this further in the fourth century BC by creating geometric patterns and scenes of people and animals.  By 200 BC materials were manufactured specially for this purpose known as (“tesserae”) sometimes only a few millimetres in size, allowing the artist to create intricate patterns and paintings.  Pompeii has many fine examples of this work.

Glass was often used for wall mosaic, being unsuitable and too delicate for floor art, the glass were often of vivid colours and reflected light giving an ethereal appearance.  Small cubes of marble or other stone, sometimes pottery, such as terracotta or brick in a range of colours were also used. 

With the expansion of the Roman Empire the use of  mosaics expanded further afield, although the quality and skill became less expert, being simpler in design and less intricate.  Typical Roman creations were scenes celebrating their gods, domestic themes and geometric designs.

In the 5th Century and the rise of the Byzantine Empire a new art form emerged with the inclusion of Eastern influences.  Special glass called “smalti” manufactured in northern Italy was made from thick sheets of coloured glass having a rough surface and containing tiny air bubbles and were sometimes backed with reflective silver or gold leaf.  Byzantines specialised in wall coverings and ceilings with the “smarti” left un-grouted allowing light to reflect and refract within the glass 
By the 8th Century  in the west of Europe the Moors brought Islamic mosaic and tile art into the Iberian Peninsula with mainly geometric and mathematical motifs, good examples of this can be seen in Spain at the Great Mosque at Cordoba and the Alhambra Palace.  In Arabic countries a distinctive style called “zillij” mosaic was used, using purpose-made ceramic shapes which were further worked by hand to allow them to fit together perfectly to cover a surface.

In the home today, mosaic tiles have become a popular way of creating a unique and versatile look for bathrooms and kitchens and are the optimum choice for swimming pools, being practical, hardwearing, waterproof, frost proof and colourfast.   The options for working with mosaics today are vast giving the opportunity to create your own work of art or just enhance your home with a look loved for centuries.

Mosaic tiles are sheet backed making an ideal choice for large expanses of wall, flowing curved surfaces and smaller areas and come in a variety of finishes and sizes using Travertine, Limestone and Marble. The natural materials used for mosaic gives the option of many beautiful colours from the cool stone to the dramatic black, being plain or with a natural vein the choices are endless.  With the option of the lovely natural look of the soft tumbled  to the classy highly polished, mosaic tiles will suit every decor and create a look to be loved and envied.