Efflorescence on Tiles

[AWS 6]

5 minutes ago, snoozee said:

I think one way to mitigate is to use stone sealer for the granite and also apply waterproofing membrane on the concrete before applying screed and laying of tiles/marble/granite.

my builder had laid plastic sheets on the soil before pouring lean concrete and then casting the first storey slab. later on, water proofing membrane was applied to the concrete floor slab before laying the screed and marble.

I think the plastic sheets are more for the purpose of termites treatment. The specialist will apply a product like Bayer Premise on the soil and then cover with plastic sheets and thereafter apply lean concrete. 
For the waterproofing membrane to be used before laying of stones, they will need to be specified in the tender/contract documents. Additional cost will apply. Proper treatment will be like wise to toilet floor treatment to prevent water seepage downwards to lower floor. Now, it’s to prevent water moisture from the water table from coming up through the gaps and pores of the stones. However if the water table is low enough, normally ways of laying most probably will not cause issues.

[snoozee 98]

4 minutes ago, AWS said:

I think the plastic sheets are more for the purpose of termites treatment. The specialist will apply a product like Bayer Premise on the soil and then cover with plastic sheets and thereafter apply lean concrete. 
For the waterproofing membrane to be used before laying of stones, they will need to be specified in the tender/contract documents. Additional cost will apply. Proper treatment will be like wise to toilet floor treatment to prevent water seepage downwards to lower floor. Now, it’s to prevent water moisture from the water table from coming up through the gaps and pores of the stones. However if the water table is low enough, normally ways of laying most probably will not cause issues.

yup. termite treatment, plastic sheets then lean concrete. i think it also helps on the waterproofing to a certain extent.

lucky my water table level is 1.3m below my platform level. but my neighbour not so lucky. as my house is higher than his, when it rains very heavily water seeps from my side garden through the ground and party wall. so end up my builder helped him to do up a scupper drain to channel the water instead of having the water flow everywhere

[snoozee 98]

27 minutes ago, Topline said:

I have been told my place has a high water table. So I’m thinking of alternatives to marble for the first floor since marble is more porous... I’m considering those tiles that look like marble but are not. Think they are just homogeneous tiles... that should deal with the high water table issue, I hope.

For my patio and car park porch, I was considering the grey tiles in the photo of the car porch above. But with a high water table, I don’t know... any suggestions?

what is your platform level and water table level?

for homogenous tiles. do note that the recommended gap between tiles is 3mm to 5mm. many contractors lay the tiles with minimal gap to look nicer but end up having the tiles popping years down the road. my concern was also on tiles popping which is why i decided to spend a bit more on marble for my first storey.

your photo grey tiles look like granite. i have that same colour granite for my driveway. do also note that tiles are not waterproof at the bottom. only the top glazed surface is waterproof. for driveway, heavy duty tiles are recommended to prevent cracking due to the weight of the car. there are 20mm thick porcelain tiles which look like granite. but the price difference for these tiles and granite is just 50 percent cheaper I got actual granite instead. another option for you is to lay granite cobblestones for your driveway

[AWS 6]

Yes, homogeneous tiles popping can be a issue. Clobber stones may not be a bad idea as the size is smaller (usually 100 x100mm)compared to typical 300x600mm size granites. When there is framing due water issues, the smaller foot print of 100x100mm clobber stone may not show obvious framing issues. 
Just an advice, get the more rough textured surface tiles/stones to avoid slippery when wet. For granites, opt for flamed finish with one time brushing. It’s more comfortable to walk on when dry and not slippery when wet. 

[yoongf 11]

1 hour ago, Topline said:

I have been told my place has a high water table. So I’m thinking of alternatives to marble for the first floor since marble is more porous... I’m considering those tiles that look like marble but are not. Think they are just homogeneous tiles... that should deal with the high water table issue, I hope.

For my patio and car park porch, I was considering the grey tiles in the photo of the car porch above. But with a high water table, I don’t know... any suggestions?

Are u doing rebuilding or a&a?

High water table is not a trival matter. Casted the ground slab?

[Topline 1]

15 minutes ago, yoongf said:

Are u doing rebuilding or a&a?

High water table is not a trival matter. Casted the ground slab?

Still planning but intending to do a recon. How can I find out the actual water table measurement?

[Topline 1]

1 hour ago, snoozee said:

what is your platform level and water table level?

for homogenous tiles. do note that the recommended gap between tiles is 3mm to 5mm. many contractors lay the tiles with minimal gap to look nicer but end up having the tiles popping years down the road. my concern was also on tiles popping which is why i decided to spend a bit more on marble for my first storey.

your photo grey tiles look like granite. i have that same colour granite for my driveway. do also note that tiles are not waterproof at the bottom. only the top glazed surface is waterproof. for driveway, heavy duty tiles are recommended to prevent cracking due to the weight of the car. there are 20mm thick porcelain tiles which look like granite. but the price difference for these tiles and granite is just 50 percent cheaper I got actual granite instead. another option for you is to lay granite cobblestones for your driveway

Hi Snoozee, which tile/ granite is your photo showing?

[snoozee 98]

24 minutes ago, Topline said:

Still planning but intending to do a recon. How can I find out the actual water table measurement?

need to do soil investigation. check with the previous owners if they have soil investigation report? or ask around neighbours who had rebuilt in recent years? unless you need to do your own soil investigation due to extensions, it is unlikely you will do soil investigation for your house

Edited April 20, 2021 by snoozee

[snoozee 98]

20 minutes ago, Topline said:

Hi Snoozee, which tile/ granite is your photo showing?

they are 20mm thick 654 flamed granite.

[yoongf 11]

If planning a recon, i suggest this method of construction.

The normal method is to dig a trench to lay the formwork for the ground beams. Then use the soil + vapour barrier plastic as the rough formwork for the bottom of ground slab. Avoid soil touching the ground slab. Leave a void between soil and ground slab by using bondek formwork. Many traditional tropical houses are built on stilts for similar reasons. Avoid termites and moisture issues.

[Topline 1]

5 hours ago, snoozee said:

for homogenous tiles. do note that the recommended gap between tiles is 3mm to 5mm. many contractors lay the tiles with minimal gap to look nicer but end up having the tiles popping years down the road. my concern was also on tiles popping which is why i decided to spend a bit more on marble for my first storey.

 

Was told that marble gum can be used for the gaps between the homogeneous tiles so the gaps can hardly been seen. Anyone seen that before?

Would tiles be more like to pop in a landed house ground floor? Many condos use tiles and I think are ok?

[snoozee 98]

2 hours ago, Topline said:

Was told that marble gum can be used for the gaps between the homogeneous tiles so the gaps can hardly been seen. Anyone seen that before?

Would tiles be more like to pop in a landed house ground floor? Many condos use tiles and I think are ok?

yes, nowadays people use marble gum to fill the gaps and grind down. but if the tiles are not laid to the recommended 3mm to 5mm wide, the possibility of tiles popping doesn't change. also do note that if you use marble gum on 3mm to 5mm wide gaps, it is not going to look good if you have marble patterned tiles due to the veins. it will not be that bad if the marble gum is used on single coloured tiles as the marble gum can be colour matched to the tile. marble is normally laid with a 1mm  or lesser gap and marble gum is used to fill the gaps.
my concern was the temperature fluctuations for the ground floor of a landed house is much more than a high rise apartment and cause tiles popping when insufficient gap is provided. 

[greeeen 0]

On 4/20/2021 at 9:18 AM, AWS said:

I think the plastic sheets are more for the purpose of termites treatment. The specialist will apply a product like Bayer Premise on the soil and then cover with plastic sheets and thereafter apply lean concrete. 
For the waterproofing membrane to be used before laying of stones, they will need to be specified in the tender/contract documents. Additional cost will apply. Proper treatment will be like wise to toilet floor treatment to prevent water seepage downwards to lower floor. Now, it’s to prevent water moisture from the water table from coming up through the gaps and pores of the stones. However if the water table is low enough, normally ways of laying most probably will not cause issues.

Good to know, thanks for the knowledge