Bedrock Tiles Talk

Bedrock tiles visited to deliver a presentation about tiles and textiles. it was very informative and useful.

Bedrock believes sustainability is the key approach for modern buildings in today's market place.

They source commercial floor and wall tiles in either porcelain or ceramic options which are produced, using various recycling techniques such as:

Pre Production - The manufacturer removes any tiles that are chipped, scratched or not aesthetically or technically suitable from any stage before the tile goes into the firing process. The material is then recycled into re-usable material to be included in the production process.

Post Production - The tile has gone through the firing process but isn't at the required quality levels for distribution. The material is milled down into re-usable products to be used in making new products.

Post Consumer - The material has been used or consumed after production. The best example we can offer is to mention that the glass from cathode screens in old television sets is now being crushed and used in porcelain and ceramic tile production.

LEED Rating, SKA Rating and BREEAM - is also leading design and assessment method for sustainable buildings that bedrock certifies through to give clients assurance, which gives good market recognition.

These are some samples bought by Bedrock Tiles. They are a variety of designs, textures, shapes and finishes.

Movement Joints in Floor and Wall Tiles

There are a number of reasons we use movement joints and the most common are:

• Changes in the moisture content of some of the materials used in the construction of building.

• Changes in temperature

• Deformation and deflections within the structure as the building accommodates the weight of the materials which are being supported.

Some of the movement that could and should be considered before tiling would be:

1. Drying Shrinkage

2. Thermal Movement

3. Structural Movement

Slip Resistance

Slip resistance is essential when it comes to tiles and flooring to prevent accidents and it acts as a safety hazard. The test is designed to replicate a pedestrian heel strike, the point at which most slips occur.

There are two main ways of measuring levels of slip resistance:

1.Pendulum Test: The pendulum machine tests the tile and gives you a reading of the PT values.

• 0 - 24 pt value = high slip potential

• 25 - 35 pt value = moderate slip potential

• 36 + = low slip potential

2. DIN (European Law Ramp Test): European flooring manufacturers use ramp-type tests to classify the slipperiness of their products before sale. Such tests are generally carried out using German National Standard test methods (DIN 51097:19924 and DIN 51130:20045).

DIN 51097 involves the use of barefoot operators with a soap solution as the contaminant, and DIN 51130 uses heavily-cleated EN:ISO 20345 safety boots with motor oil contamination

I thought the talk was very helpful to recognise the differences of tiles and the way flooring works such as conducting tests throughout the process of construction.