GENERAL CONDITIONS:
Atmospheric conditions, substrate, waterproofing
Any type of tile laying begins verifying the site conditions.
For outside laying it is better to evaluate the possibility of either partial or total covering. The substrate must by correctly aged: normal site practice suggested by adhesive manufactures is to wait 28 days for the underlay and cement based plasters and 90 days for concrete. Anhydrite based substrate allow a maximum of 0,5% residual humidity. It is also very important to take into account the possible effects of temperature on adhesives and materials: at temperatures lower than 10° C, proper drying of the adhesive would be considerably slowed down and could create problems for bonding in the long term; at temperatures over 35° C it is advisable to carry out the operation of laying at times of the day with less sun, that is in the morning or late afternoon, sheltering the site from excessive sunlight during the hottest parts of the day to prevent possible dehydration of the adhesive.
It is equally important to consider the dehydrating effect of the wind, especially during the laying of external facing coverings or on ship. In the particular case of swimming pools it may be necessary to try out the bonding to evaluate the behaviour of the structure adequately. Shower floors and Jacuzzi tubs must be waterproofed with special products. Before smoothing and laying, all the traces of dirt, oil, etc. must be carefully removed; in addition all loose parts must be eliminated and the surface powder removed.

TECHNICAL INSTRUMENTS FOR LAYING MOSAICS
• Angle grinder with crown diamond–continuous cutting disc.
• “Special” diamond disc for cutting mosaics, diam. 110 mm.
• Measuring set: tape measure and pencil.
• String for marking the main reference grid.
• Mosaic pliers and cutter.
• Set of various-sized trowels - Floats.
• Toothed spreader (Choose the one suitable for the material to be laid and the type of support to be used).
• Rubber float for grouting and felt-backed float.
• Basin with roller and sponge for cleaning.
• Low speed mixing drill with spiral mixer, necessary to ensure than the properties of the adhesives are not altered.
• Trend mosaic adhesive.
• All the instruments must be clean and without rust.

SUBSTRATE: PREPARATION
The substrate must be compact and free of cracks. If there is a tendency to flake or if it is warped from shrinking it will not make an adequate support for laying and correct rendering must be carried out first. Rendering is also necessary in all cases where the base is not perfectly flat.  With Trend adhesive, it is possible to produce rendering up to 5 mm to correct small defects of the substrate; this operation must be carried out at least 24 hours before laying. For rendering operations more than 5 mm thick, the use of specific white-colour rendering products is advised.
The mosaic, unless otherwise specified by the costumer, is usually laid on white adhesive to avoid altering its colour. If the substrate is grey; especially dark grey, it is advisable to render it with white adhesive to make
the colour of the substrate uniform before beginning to lay the tiles.

LAYING MOSAIC:
Preparation, marking and spreading of the adhesive
The beginning of every laying phase starts with the unpacking of the mosaics. It is always useful to verify the condition of each sheet of mosaic contained in the boxes before beginning to lay, and it is good practice to keep the material to be laid at the same temperature as the surroundings in which the work is being carried out. The starting point is then identified and marked on the wall where the mosaic sheets are to be laid. Mark the guide lines at right angles to each other corresponding to the multiples of the sheets of mosaics previously measured. It is usual practice to mark squares for 3 x 3 sheets. Of course, in the case of tile laying on a wall, the guide lines must be horizontal and vertical.

Once the reference grid has been marked, the adhesive is spread over the base. First with the smooth part of the notched spreader to ensure that the whole surface is covered. Excess adhesive is then removed with the notched part of the spreader (3 mm square teeth), being careful to keep a steady inclination of the spreader and exerting sufficient pressure so that no more adhesive than necessary remains on the base.
LAYING MOSAIC Mosaic on film Once the reference grid has been marked and the adhesive spread over the base, the laying begins by applying the mosaic sheet with the plastic film towards the operator and without exerting too much pressure.
Tap the mosaic with the rubber float to ensure perfect adhesion to the surface. During this operation it is possible to correct any errors that might have been made in the alignment by lightly tapping sideways on the sheets.

The plastic film is removed from the mosaic when the adhesive is sufficiently hardened: the suggested time of three hours is approximate. The action should be carried out in a diagonal sense, keeping the film parallel to the tiles themselves. If during the removal of the film the mosaic should move, it is necessary to wait longer.
Mosaic on paper Spread the stucco or glue on the back of the sheet with the rubber-coated spatula. Lay the mosaic sheet with the paper facing towards the operator, after having spread the glue with a notched spreader. Ensure that the sheet is laid with a coursing joint and that the rear of the tesserae is clean.
Lay on the wall with the aid of the rubber-coated spatula. Tap the sheet lightly to ensure it sticks perfectly.
Smooth with the trowel between one sheet and the next to level the surface. Pass several times with a sponge damp with water.
After the glue has hardened, remove the paper and, if necessary, stucco the coursing joint. When removing the paper, ensure that it comes away easily. Clean the mosaic well until a clean surface is obtained.

GROUTING AND FINAL CLEANING
Respect the minimum times for the setting of the adhesive: 24 hours for vertical walls and 48 hours for floors to allow them to be walked on, and then proceed with the filling of the joints.

Using the rubber float, spread the grouting cement with vertical and horizontal strokes exerting a slight pressure to make sure the joints are well-filled. Pass diagonally to remove most of the excess filling.
The cleaning of the surface can begin once the grouting cement starts setting, the time varying according to the temperature of the surroundings, but it is somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes. Remove the excess grouting using the special felt and a slightly dampened sponge;  at all times be careful not to remove the filling from the joints.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTION FOR LAYING AND GROUTING THE MOSAIC SIZE: 2,5 x 2,5 · 5 x 5 · 10 x 10 · 30 x 30 cm · GLAMOUR

Using a roller, spread the stucco or glue on the back of the sheet.
Ensure that the back of the sheet is filled with glue.
Lay the sheet on the surface which has already been prepared with the 6 x 6 mm toothed spatula.
Beat the sheet with the rubber-coated spatula to achieve perfect adhesion.
Using the rubber-coated spatula, fill the  joints on the whole surface and, once the filler has hardened clean the surface with water.

FURTHER INFORMATION TO LAY KARMA
IMPORTANT: to lay the Karma use epoxy adhesives.
For further information please contact Trend Group S.p.A.