How to Fix Porcelain Cladding

How to fix porcelain cladding: steps

1. The first thing to do is to prepare your surface. Exactly what you will need to do will depend on the surface that you want to fix. For example, if you have cement, sand or even render then you will not need to prime the area before fixing it. For walls, however, you will typically need to re-prime the section.

2. Once your surface is ready you can begin applying the adhesive. You should apply this at the middle point and only go as far as 1-2 meters, as any further than this will begin drying by the time you get to it.

3. Gently twist the porcelain cladding into the adhesive in order to make it as secure as possible.

4. Press the cladding down into the adhesive.

5. If you are using a particular pattern make sure that you use spacers between the tiles to ensure that they are all even.

6. Leave to dry

Types of fixes

When it comes to fixing porcelain cladding there are four main ways to do so.

Open expressed joints

• This can either be a mechanical or chemical process.
• The porcelain cladding is adhered to vertical metal structures. This allows for uniformity as well as structural integrity.
• 10mm open type joints

Closed joint trim

• Again, this can also be either a mechanical or chemical process.
• It is a concealed fix.
• It requires the use of a 7.5mm wide H-profile joiner trim.
6mm expressed joint
• This type of fix calls for a back strip. This is typically used for CFC.
• There needs to be vertical supports to which you can attach the panels horizontally. This will require you to use tape or adhesive to apply the porcelain cladding tiles.

Closed joint

• It will leave roughly a 2mm joint gap.

• This requires adhesive as well as double-sided sticky tape.

Obviously, you should consider the exact nature of the damage that needs to be fixed before deciding which method will work best for you. You should take your time with the repair, allowing enough time for the adhesive to set before attempting to finish up by grouting or polishing.

Before you begin any repair work keep in mind the surface that you are working with as this can seriously affect the effectiveness of your repair. For example, if you are working with walls then the adhesive may be less effective unless you use a primer on the wall first before beginning your repair work.

To sum up

Fixing porcelain cladding does not need to be a problem but you should make sure that you follow all of the steps correctly. This will result in fewer repairs in the future.

Consider the surface, the extent of the damage to be repaired as well as the type of repair and you will be good to go.