Advice on Thin tiles

The annual Bologna Tile Fair of 2009 fist saw the launch of new “wafer thin” ceramic tiles promoted as an easy way to give rooms a face lift by tiling over tile.  Ranges of tiles from 3mm to 5 mm thick are available from several top European manufacturers.

The Tile Association has alerted members to a number of important technical issues:

At present there is no Standard for thin tiles.  BS EN 14411 does not include any definition of or reference to thin tiles in its remit.  This means that there is no standardised testing in place to test thin tiles for dimensions or characteristics.
The *International Standards Committee, TC67, have begun work on drafting a document which will relate to thin tiles, however it will take some time before this work is published as an International, European or British Standard.
There are different methods of producing thin tiles, so it is important to seek advice on the choice of adhesive and fixing methods.  This information should be available from the tile manufacturer.
For the time being we would advise members to use thin tiles on walls only.

The Tile Association has representatives on International, European and British standards committees and is wholly funded by the subscriptions of its members.   

For further information: www.tiles.org.uk

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