Clinker tiles were invented in the first half of the 19th century and are tiles in the form ceramic stone. It is made from baked clay, and its first production was established in Holland.
The tile turned out to be quite durable and began to be used as a building material in those countries where the extraction of natural stone was insufficient to satisfy the need. They began to use it to pave roads and sidewalks, to use it in the construction of houses, as well as for their decoration.
Currently, clinker tiles are made from special slate clay, which has a high melting point. In addition, impurities such as salt and carbonate must be completely removed from the clay. To color it or give it additional properties, various metal oxides are added to the composition.
Process heat treatment occurs over 36 to 48 hours, maintaining a temperature of more than 1300 degrees. But the result is excellent. The tile is baked completely and evenly. In addition, it acquires water-repellent properties, it is very durable, does not change its color under the influence of UV, is resistant to aggressive environments, and, very importantly, it is environmentally friendly. Naturally, these properties of the tile make it very popular. building material.
The use of clinker tiles in house construction and landscaping It is used to line swimming pools, house facades, sidewalks and roads, and much more. For example, building a house from face brick is very expensive. You can even use used brick and cover it with brick-like clinker tiles.
This material is used for both exterior and interior works. Used as cladding in the bathroom has the advantage that the foot practically does not slip on a wet floor. It has also proven itself well for lining fireplaces and stoves.
Work on laying clinker tiles
For the beauty of this material to fully reveal itself, it must be laid correctly. It is very important to achieve beautiful and even seams. No matter how beautiful the material is, if it is laid ineptly, it does not create the appropriate appearance.
The use of grout or whatever it is also called - fugue, moreover, aims not only to improve appearance, but also to provide protection from moisture getting under the coating, while preventing the growth and spread of mold. This applies to indoor work.
If the tiles are laid outdoors, it is important to protect them from moisture so that when they freeze, the tiles will not swell after the “freezing-thawing” process.
Of course, there is also a purely aesthetic purpose - you can choose different colors grout so that the color of the tiles looks advantageous. There are also situations when you need to align the edges of tiles, which sometimes have slight unevenness. A fugue can help hide this.
For work, special tools are used for grouting tile joints. They come in two types: a tool for grouting clinker tiles and a tool for removing grout from tile joints.
Tile grouting tool The first tools are needed to apply the mixture between the tiles and compact it well. The quality of the work depends on how tight the seam is. For a tool such as mason jointing, a semi-dry grout is used. It is used for working with brick-shaped tiles, since with this tool a seam with a slightly rough structure is obtained, as it should be with real brickwork.
Use narrow thin spatulas to level the seams and a spatula or trowel made of either plywood or metal sheet.
Grouting tool - a special trowel for applying semi-dry mixtures Of course, only competent and experienced specialists use this method. Another drawback is that you can only get two colors of grout - gray and beige.
There is also this type of grout application - this is the application of a composition that has the thickness of store-bought sour cream, which is then leveled and compacted with a special grater with a rubber sole. After drying, the residues are removed or special tool to remove grout from tile joints or with a special sponge, placing it on the edge at an angle of 45 degrees. Usually, if the grout good quality, it can be easily removed from the tiles. If the grout is of poor quality or was not removed on time, use special means to clean the tiles from dirt.
Process of working with liquid composition grout. Of course, the price for such a composition is high, especially taking into account the waste, but it is quite versatile and durable to use.
Finally, a gun is used on the wall masonry to apply the compound, diluted to a paste. At the same time, excess composition does not stain the tiles, which is especially important when applied vertically.
Applying the composition using a gun Then aged certain time which is indicated in the instructions. We must remember that each manufacturer gives its own recommendations for using grout. After the specified time, the excess is removed, and the seam is leveled with a special tool for grouting clinker tile joints.
Aligning a seam using a tool Yet again, high-quality composition leaves no streaks. True, special substances are added to the composition that make the grout more flexible and convenient when using a gun, which increases its cost, but there are many shades for application and it is easy to work with such a composition.
To perform all this work you need good tool, which it is advisable not to make from improvised materials, but to buy in specialized stores.
To buy a tool for grouting tiles, you need to know what composition you will be using. If this is a composition for continuous application, then you only need a grater, which has a rubber sponge at the bottom, and the body can be made of plastic or wood.
For example, it could be like this:
It’s easy to buy a set of tools for grouting clinker tiles; the main thing is to make sure that they will work well. To do this, it is better to buy the instrument in person, and not through an online store, if possible. It is better to take Polish trowels themselves for leveling and filling seams - the quality is good and the price is not exorbitant. True, for a pistol you will have to pay an amount of 3,500 rubles. But the cost of the work will quickly pay for the cost of a good tool.
Grout gun Work with laying corrugated tiles
In addition to the long-known clinker tiles, which have big advantage before other species ceramic tiles, designers together with technologists have released such a type of cladding as porcelain tiles with special surface, having the appearance of convexities and concavities in the form of a pattern.
Applications of corrugated tiles When laying, a single pattern is obtained, and during the manufacture of such tiles, the edges are leveled and polished, so the seams remain practically invisible. In addition, it is very convenient for laying on the floor in the bathroom or kitchen, since the ridges prevent slipping. After additives were invented that prevent dirt from remaining in the tile pattern, its use received a new round.
Laying corrugated tiles After laying the tiles on the surface, they need to stand for a day. This optimal time, since there is still some moisture left under the tile, which will work well for better adhesion of the fugue to the tile. Since the composition does not need to be used in a creamy state, it is better to use grout in the form of a semi-dry and paste mixture.
The best tool for grouting grooved tiles is either a gun or a spatula, it depends on the size of the surface being treated.
Applying a fugue to the seams when laying corrugated tiles After which all seams are coated with a special soft cloth or a special grater with a sponge bottom (not to be confused with foam rubber, this is different).
The next step, without waiting for complete drying, using a tool for removing grout from the tile joints, remove all excess, wipe it. This tool is called a grout remover and is used specifically for these purposes.
Tool for removing grout from seams. You can simply do without this tool, just use cardboard for cleaning as you work, then a soft cloth and rinse after a while.
If you need to update the grout to provide additional antifungal properties, you can use various electrical accessories, for example, Dremel.
Removing old grout using a Dremel. We clean the work area with a brush and rag and apply the desired new composition.
Online store site offers to buy a tool for grouting tiles special compounds based epoxy resins, which have become widespread due to their unique set of operational characteristics. Mixtures of this type, Unlike cement mortars, retain color for a long time, ensure tightness, exhibit high stability to temperature changes, ultraviolet radiation and other negative impacts. An excellent selection of tools is presented in our catalog.
Our range
- Spatulas. Grout tool flat shape with a rubber sole and a rigid handle helps to apply the mixture and fill joints as quickly as possible. This is important given the short pot life of grouts.
- Combined sponges. The structure of the product differs from the usual foam rubber: it is specially adapted for working with epoxy mixtures. Using a sponge, you can get tight, even seams in one pass.
- Spatulas with soles made of synthetic fiber . The product is used to remove grout and perfectly removes excess mixture from both tiles and mosaics.
To buy a tool for grouting, call the company website or leave a request in the form on the website.
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The final stage of tiling the base is filling (grouting) the joints special mixtures to ensure solidity finishing coating and the aesthetics of the cladding, part of which is the correctly selected configuration, width and color of the tile joints. Filling tile joints with grout mixture is most often done with a rubber spatula.
When choosing an angle spatula, make sure it has perpendicular sides
If the seams are wide and deep, they are filled using a construction syringe, but evenly and smooth surface The joints are then still formed with a rubber spatula. The quality of this operation largely depends on the tool used. Let's look at what it is rubber spatula for grouting joints, what requirements it must meet, and in general everything you need to know about it simple adaptation.
What is a rubber spatula
This tool consists of a working part - a flexible but sufficiently elastic plate 3-5 mm thick, and a handle made of rigid material. On small products used in hard to reach places, the handle is also flexible. Elastic spatulas differ from each other by the following characteristics:
- appointment;
- form;
- size;
- working part material;
- handle design.
The main factor here is the purpose, which determines all other characteristics of the tool, so we will consider the division by purpose with a description characteristic properties each group.
Types and purposes
There are three types of rubber spatulas based on their intended purpose:
- soft planning;
- painting;
- grout;
- jointing
Soft planning
This tool is made of a strip of soft rubber or caoutchouc, secured along its entire length in a rigid handle. The working edge of such a product has a thickness of 3-5 mm, a length of 25-60 cm and a chamfer at an angle of 45 degrees on one side along the entire length. The format of the spatula with a handle is rectangle or trapezoid.
The spatula for grouting joints is most often made of hard rubber.
A planning spatula is used for smoothing wallpaper and grouting seams of large-format tiles and mosaics using mixtures on cement based. The working side of the rubber sheet is the one on which the chamfer is removed. Such soft instrument can be made from high-quality latex, but the price of this variety is much higher, and use can be limited to one cycle.
Painting rubber
Tool for painting works it is also made from sheet rubber or rubber 3-5 mm thick, but the length of its working edge is 10-25 cm. The chamfer is removed from both sides of the blade, which allows you to work on both sides.
The blade of the paint spatula can be black or white. The color of the canvas indicates the material of manufacture and the degree of its rigidity. The black canvas is made of rubber and has greater rigidity compared to white rubber. The rubber sheet, due to its greater rigidity, allows the joints to be filled more tightly with grout. In addition, rubber sheets are more resistant to oxides contained in grout and cracking, which means they are more durable.
A paint spatula will help apply the plaster and give it its original shape.
The handle of a paint spatula is made of wood or plastic and resembles the shape of a brush handle. In combination with the flexible part, the product format can be triangular or trapezoidal, the handle to the working edge is located perpendicularly or at an angle of 45 degrees.
An elastic spatula can be used to fill oval surfaces and grout complex mosaic-lined substrates. Its medium size makes it a universal device, that is, convenient and productive both when grouting the surface of mosaic columns and when filling tile joints on flat bases.
For filling tile joints
The dimensions of the working edge of this tool vary from 5 to 10 cm, the format of the tool is triangle or trapezoid. The soft part can be tucked into a handle made of wood or plastic. Small-sized spatulas used in hard-to-reach places can be made from whole piece elastic material without using a rigid handle. The working edge may have a chamfer, or the cross-section of the product may be made in the shape of a wedge. The color of the flexible part of the tool also indicates the material of manufacture - rubber or caoutchouc.
Rubber spatula for grouting joints
This tool is mainly used for arranging seams in ceramics, although it can also be used to fill deep cracks and joints of various joints. finishing materials. The size of the device is selected based on the dimensions of the tile, and the rigidity is selected based on the depth of the joints to be filled. Small-sized spatulas are often sold in sets of 3-5 pieces, differing in format, length of the rubber edge and elasticity of the working part of the tool.
Jointing spatula
This type of tool performs the same function as a mason's steel jointer in production. brickwork– formation of grout on the surface at tile joints decorative profile a certain configuration. That is, the joints of the tiles are first filled with a grouting compound using another device, after which their profile is shaped using rubber jointing definite form with simultaneous compaction of the mixture in the joints.
How to choose the right one
The price of this device varies, depending on the size and area of application, from 10 to 600 rubles. When purchasing, you should proceed, first of all, from the tasks that will need to be solved and the amount of work. If the amount of work is small, the surface to be tiled is simple, and grouting joints is not your regular activity, then you should not purchase expensive tools from well-known brands.
In most cases, you should choose a spatula designed specifically for filling tile joints with a working edge length of 5 to 10 cm. If the tile thickness exceeds 4 mm, then to better fill the joints, you should choose a more rigid tool.
Rubber spatula is designed for sealing small cracks
To grout the mosaic, you need to purchase a painting rubber spatula with a working edge of 10 to 25 cm. The rigidity of the flexible part in this case does not play a big role, since the mosaic chips have a thickness of no more than 4 mm, which is not difficult to fill with the correct consistency of the grouting composition.
The comfort of the handle is determined individually, and its size or presence depends on the accessibility of the seams to be filled. It is believed that a wooden handle is inferior in durability to a plastic one, but wood rubs your hands less and in any case will outlive the elastic part of the tool.
When purchasing a rubber spatula, you need to carefully inspect its elastic part. Rubber or caoutchouc, when bent, should not have microcracks or holes, since during the first use they will be filled with grout, deform the working edge and soon lead to separation of the flexible part. After bending, the elastic part should immediately restore its shape without changes.
If necessary, select quality instrument It is advisable to purchase products from the domestic company Zubr or foreign companies STAYER, SPARTA or FIT, which have proven themselves well in the Russian market.
Rubber spatula, white “ZUBR”
Instrument care
The main requirement for ensuring the durability of an elastic spatula is to use it for its intended purpose and wash it after finishing work.
A rubber tool cannot be used for puttying plastered or other abrasive surfaces - this will ruin the flexible working edge after the first few movements. Do not use a rubber spatula for grouting with epoxy resins.
After finishing the work, the spatula must be thoroughly washed from the grouting compound with water and dried. Do not scrape to clean rubber. After drying, the rubber part of the instrument is rubbed with talcum powder or chalk.
It remains to analyze in detail what tool is needed for this.
Tools for stirring grout.
The easiest option is to mix the grout in buckets, in which grout mixture with hydrophobic properties is sold. IN paper bags regular one for sale.
You can stir by hand using a trowel. The spatula should be long and rectangular. With this shape of the tool it is easier to stir and remove from the bottom. A narrow metal spatula is less productive.
Mixing the grout manually with a trowel.
Videos often show stirring grout with a drill or screwdriver.
Possibly at low speeds. But this is another one additional tool. Which needs to be washed, stored, purchased, transported. The time gain is small. Except when grouting tiles on a supermarket floor.
At this stage another one is needed important tool– a brush for washing the trowel and bucket.
If you leave it without washing (there are many such advisers) and then simply tap it so that it sprinkles, then everything will not fly off. The new grout (and a different color) will contain pieces of old dry grout from the bucket.
Cleaning grout tools with a brush and water.
Tool for applying grout between seams.
Spatulas for grouting joints were reviewed separately. Turned out to be the best for grouting epoxy grout Litokol. It crushes the mixture perfectly. They are comfortable to work in corners due to their sharp edges. This is the opinion of the majority who have tried it at work. Those who did not do this are still rubbed with a narrow piece of rubber.
Tool for applying grout to seams.
Tools for removing grout and cleaning tiles.
For this stage of work you need to have two tools:
Spatula for removing grout from tiles and a piece soft foam rubber. The beauty of the seam depends on these tools.
The professional spatula is made of high-quality plastic and porous cellulose. Another such tool may be called a “rubber-coated plaster float.”
There are many analogues. There is no other way to call them. The problem with the designers of such devices is that they do not grout the tiles and do not understand the main property of this tool. Having copied externally, they want the product to be a success.
Spatula for removing grout from tiles.
The main difference between such spatulas ( in photos 1-3 ) – soft foam rubber at the base. Often with small pores. It does not collect the dried grout well and quickly becomes clogged with the mixture.
Also, foam rubber is quickly erased, but often it doesn’t get that far because it falls off the handle. If you buy such a tool, then the whole technology is perceived as nonsense.
Not everything is simple with a piece of foam rubber either. If you take the first one you come across, it will last for 2-3 working days. It quickly crumples and turns into a rag. To erode the grout on the tiles with such foam rubber, you have to apply more pressure. This causes depressions on the seam.
I felt the difference by accident when I bought a piece of pink foam rubber at the market. It is more expensive.
Pink furniture foam rubber.
The whole trick is in the density and rigidity of this material.
Foam rubber is made for various needs. The cheapest is packaging or soundproofing. This is the one that is most often used for blurring. It quickly clumps and does not absorb water.
It is necessary to use furniture foam Pink colour. It has more density and rigidity. It does not wrinkle after repeated squeezing. This material lasts for a year without loss of quality.
The thickness also varies. From 20 mm to 100 mm.
Optimal – 40 mm. With greater thickness, it is necessary to rinse more often and thoroughly. The grout remains in the middle of a thick piece and hardens. With a smaller thickness, it does not collect water well.
Pink foam rubber 40 mm thick.
Available in furniture production denser foam - of blue color. I had no such work experience.
Below is information about the classification of foam rubber for furniture. There is a detailed explanation of why packaging material loses its elasticity:
If you pick the right tools and use them correctly, there is no need for a round spatula to form the seam. The latter has the disadvantage of smearing grains of paint along the seam (for some grouts).
Tools for cleaning tiles from plaque.
This final stage in grouting works. It must be removed from the lined surface white coating which appears after the cement grout has dried.
You can use a simple dry cloth. It will work. But if you imagine the evolution of this instrument for me, then there will be such a chain.
Work gloves > burlap > piece of towel > felt mitten.
The last option turned out to be the most effective. These gloves are used in welding work. Sometimes they are called “welder’s gloves”. The pile removes plaque well and will never scratch the tiles. One mitten lasts a long time.
You can also use a more rigid option. Scotch Brite sanding sheets for hand sanding. This material has many embodiments. It is necessary to use products that do not contain abrasive material.
They are good for removing hardened grout in pits and deep patterns on tiles.
Felt mittens.
Cleaning of plaque should be carried out after the seam has completely dried.
Dry tiles after grouting.
In such a state as in the photo, it is too early to wipe off the plaque. The seams are raw. When removing plaque, you spread the grout over the tile again. You can wash it again clean water with foam rubber. The next day there will be less plaque and it will be easier to remove. The more cement grout is diluted with water, the weaker it is.
Epoxy grout tools.
To apply epoxy grout, you can use all of the above tools.
Only in this case, some become disposable. The pores on the wash spatula and foam rubber are clogged with the drying epoxy mixture. They lose their performance. If there are significant volumes, one set is not enough and has to be replaced.
Tiler's bucket - is it necessary for grouting work?
Tiler's bucket.
This tool has recently appeared on the Russian Internet market. He was noticed on Western YouTube about five years ago.
The main advantage of a bucket for grouting tiles (its know-how) is the rollers for cleaning the porous material on a grater from the grout mixture.
This innovation allows you not to get your hands wet and work without rubber gloves. Prevents cement from corroding the skin. There is nothing more useful in that set. There are disadvantages:
- The first drawback is the grater that comes in the set. It is covered with soft foam rubber. This is one of the first three options in the photo above.
- The second inconvenience is the bucket itself. As a container it is convenient and roomy. But this is another container that needs to be moved, stored, purchased. The most balanced review of the grouting bucket is here:
It is not for nothing that attempts are being made to combine the idea of cleaning using rollers with existing containers for working with tiles:
- Use a small bath for cleaning.
- Use a simple roller for rolling wallpaper.
Device for squeezing the grater.
Roller for cleaning rubber floats.
Tools for grouting large areas.
A set of such a tool is shown in the video below:
The mixture used there is somewhat thinner than usual. Due to this and repeated, repeated movements on the tile, filling of the seams is achieved. The grout is also “soft” - it hardens for a long time and is easily washed off with a foam sponge.
Second interesting experience– using a butterfly mop with a mechanical spin when grouting large areas of tiles on the floor. Its advantage is that the foam head is covered with fluffy microfiber, which makes the mop absorb water, but with a hard surface. Flat surface does not wash out the grout in the joints. This mop can be used to clean even quickly hardening mixtures.
TOOLS FOR REMOVAL OF OLD GROUT.
Sometimes the grout is not the right color or is not applied professionally. In such cases, there is a desire to change it. The method for removing old grout from joints depends on the type of grout applied.
If the grout is class “CG2”, with increased abrasion resistance, then it can only be removed mechanically:
Grinder or DREMEL mini drill. The latter is more convenient.
Tools for removing old grout.
When working with a grinder, it is necessary to pass the cutting wheel along the center of the seam, without touching the side edges of the tiles. Residues around the edges can be easily removed with a knife with replaceable blades.
Grouts Ceresit, Sopro are soft. They can be cut with a knife or a special scraper.
If a knife can only scratch the seam, then it is most likely Mapei grout or a similar grade. Disadvantage of the scraper:
- There is a danger of chipping the tile.
- On hard grout it does not last long, and in some cases it is useless.
Disadvantages of the knife:
- Not exactly laid tile, corners may be chipped.
- In some cases it is useless to use.
Below is a collection of videos (playlist) “How to remove old grout”:
The final stage when laying ceramic tiles or artificial stone is grouting joints with a spatula, which gives the surface a finished aesthetic appearance and also protects the joints between separate elements from moisture ingress and the development of harmful microorganisms. 
Modern grouts differ in color, so they can be selected to suit your needs. external design the rest of the surface. Spatula for grouting joints between tiles, will become the right choice, the use of this tool allows for better filling of seams. If you are wondering what tools are used to lay tiles on the floor, then this one will help you.
Why should these tools be chosen correctly?
A spatula for grouting joints is a specialized device, the configuration of which is designed in such a way that this operation can be done quickly and efficiently. Its main difference from the painting analogue is its greater length, so working with it is easier and faster. It comes with plastic or wooden handle, due to which it has a relatively light weight, which also makes it possible to significantly simplify the work. 
Another difference is that its fabric is quite thin, and it has a rounded shape at the end, so you can quickly use it to give the seam a curly shape without using additional accessories for this. Typically, the canvas is made from rubber, but sometimes other materials are used.
Best Spatula Configurations
A tool with this configuration is convenient and practical when grouting joints between tiles. They are convenient for mixing grout, and at the same time, due to its flexibility, the product does not damage the container in which the mixing is carried out. For this reason, the possibility of foreign objects getting into it is minimized. Soft rubber allows you to fill the joints tightly with grout, and ensures that there are no air voids left inside the composition, leading to a decrease in the quality and strength of the joints, and as a result, a reduction in the service life of the tiles.
The most popular types of these tools:
- gear;
- rubber.
Notched spatularepresents auxiliary tool for working with ceramic tiles, decorative stone and others facing materials. Its main purpose is to optimally evenly level the glue over the surface of the floor or wall. It is more advantageous in comparison with the even varieties of these tools, since the geometry of the layer is smooth. Thanks to it, you will be able to avoid future problems such as: the formation of voids between the tiles and areas with an excessive amount of glue, which will be a consequence of poor quality work.
Device of a notched spatula.
At its edges there are cells with a square cross-section. For this reason, the distance between the teeth is always known; it is equal to the height and width of the teeth. It also has a comfortable, streamlined handle, making it easy and pleasant to hold, thereby facilitating the work process.
Serrated tools are classified by tooth length and are available in a wide variety on the market. Buying spatulas with teeth of four to five millimeters will not be very justified, since the adhesive applied to almost any wall is more than six millimeters thick. To level completely crooked walls, use tools with a tooth length of 12 millimeters.
Rubber spatula.
This tool can be of three types: soft, painting and trowel.
Soft rubber spatula.
The material used to make this tool is technical rubber, so it is highly flexible. The work takes place from the chamfer side. The tool has a comfortable handle and is sold sharpened.
The scope of its application is wide, it is Finishing work– smoothing wallpaper, sealing seams between tiles.
Why is a rubber spatula better than its competitors?
Using this tool you can create a smooth arched surface; it is suitable for grouting joints of stone tiles, because when deformed, it does not spoil the material at all.
What is a paint spatula?
As a rule, it has a black color, because the material for its manufacture is canvas of this color. Its main advantage is that it bends perfectly, so it can adapt to any type of surface. Usually it is sold even without a handle, but simply as a piece of rubber of a rectangular or trapezoidal shape.