Due to its physical characteristics, Il Palagio Terracotta requires particularly quick, easy treatment; if one takes special care, one is certain to obtain exceptional, long-lasting results.

 

WASHING

Wash only once the floor is completely dry (roughly 20-30 days after laying with mortar and 5-10 days after applying with glue, depending on the weather conditions and season).

1) Wet with water and then wash and rub the floor with Buffered Acid for several minutes applying 1 litre to 5 m2. Take care to remove any trace of lime, cement or glue from the tiles.

2) Rinse well until the water remains clear before the floor dries after being cleaned with acid.

 

TREATMENT

The treatment should be started once the floor is dry (it is advisable to let air circulate in the room also in winter to facilitate evaporation of humidity). Proceed as follows:

1) With a sponge or flat brush spread the basic product (1 litre = 20 m2) which serves to impregnate and level.

2) After 24 hours, apply a coat creamy wax (neutral or antiquated) uniformly (1 litre = 8-10 m2). The treatment can be done with neutral wax to obtain a warm colour similar to the original colour of the product or with antiquated wax to obtain a brownish shade reminiscent of old-fashioned leather.
Brush immediately afterwards to spread the product and make it absorb, possibly with a brush polisher.

3) After 48 hours, apply a second protective, anti-dust wax coat. Brush with polisher.

N. B. When applying the Base or Wax, it is advisable to suspend the treatment along the joins (that is, do not leave parts of tiles untreated).

 

MAINTENANCE

The floor then requires no further treatment; periodically, depending on wear, one can use maintenance wax on the market.
For routine cleaning, simply wash with water.
Every 3-4 weeks, one can pass a brush polisher over the floor once it has been cleaned, giving it new life and enhancing its beauty.

 

 

 

Guide to Treatment and Suggestions for laying (PDF)

We must say that the floor, since the part in sight, reveals all the defects that may also be caused by layers below. It is, therefore that any anomalies submitted by our tiles are discovered and reported before laying it.

For two reasons:
1. The current legislation provides that any disputes on the material take place before laying;
2. The remedial measures providing for the replacement of material are extremely expensive and difficult accepted by the final customer.
For these reasons there will not be taken into account complaints on material already installed.

The Galestro clay of Impruneta area’s that Il Palagio’s uses to produce their tiles is completely natural and so the product may presents color shades, even in the products "Trattato a Majolica" and "Trattato a Galestro".
Therefore we recommend a pose mixed by picking packs of several pallets and tiles from different packs.

It is also a characteristic of this product a possible variation in the sizes for which the installation must be carried out with a joint between the tiles; The joints may have a width varies, depending on the taste of the user.
The tiles must be layed all in the same direction that the grooves run on the underside of the plate into the same direction Special means must be taken to the outdoor floors as the environmental conditions under which they are subjected may be extremely hard and can cause damage to any type of tile.
The main stresses that must be neutralised are due to infiltration of water, and to the expansions and contractions caused by temperature variations.
In order to counteract an icing in the low layers, it will avoid that the moisture, that can seep through the joints and lengthening-joints, can accumulate under the ground.
Therefore, it must be planned an inclination and a waterproofing as well.
As example serves the following drawing:

In order to avoid that expansion and shrinkage of the material caused damages, the material must be layed with< elastic expansion-joints, involving in depth not only the tiles but also the under-concrete-block.
According to expected temperature-fluctuations, the expansion joints boxes can have a side-length of two to three meters. However the joints must interest around the perimeter of the floor. An example for the order of the expansion-joints is given in the following illustration:

For standards and more detailed advice on installation of a tile refer to a specific manuals.
A good source is formed from the publications about ASSOPIASTRELLE, or CENTRO CERAMICO DI BOLOGNA
(tel. +39.051.534015 - fax +39.051.530085)