Because of temperature variations and the freeze-thaw cycles, balcony installations are exposed to constant material and structural movements. Each element of the floor assembly, such as the concrete, mortar, grout and the tile have different physical properties and each expand and contract differently during the movements. The picture to the right illustrates of a bond failure, followed by a tile delamination. These situations could be the result of a combination of elements, such as a poor adhesive coverage, use of inappropriate mortars, water infiltration, excess substrate moisture, absence of movement joints, or just the normal expansion and contraction of the floor assembly. The vast majority of outdoor tile installations are still done directly over concrete with just tile mortar. However, these types of installations also suffer from efflorescence problems and end their life prematurely in a bond failure. A successful outdoor tile installation is the result of a system of several components that work together to protect the tile integrity. As such, a careful preparation of the surfaces and the work place, the right installation mortars, the implementation of movement joints, the tile quality, as well as the usage of waterproofing, drainage and uncoupling membranes will all influence the life expectancy of tile assembly. Such a type of installation system comes at a higher price tag than bonding directly over concrete. However, in extreme weather conditions, its long term cost is substantially cheaper when compared to the continuous maintenance costs and short life expectancy of standard installations. The following are some examples of our balcony installations projects:
Balcony – round shape
Balcony – Tiled backyard
Balcony – Tile carpet
Balcony – Tile over wood