Ceramic tiles for stoves and fireplaces. Finishing of stoves and fireplaces: tiles, decorative stone, marble. Tiles - warmth and luxury

Covering a stove with ceramic tiles with your own hands is not such an easy task, but if you wish and take a careful approach to this process, it is quite doable. Tidying up the walls of a brick kiln is done if the plaster previously applied to them begins to peel off, or if uncovered, it looks sloppy.

This process becomes especially relevant when a major renovation is planned in the room where the stove is installed. You can, of course, remove the old cladding and plaster the surfaces with a new layer of mortar, but such a finish will still look “boring.” Therefore, quite often plaster is combined with tiles or the walls are completely finished with ceramic tiles of one type or another.

It is also important that often the ceramic layer can perform not only a decorative function - it becomes an additional heat accumulator and an effective source of thermal infrared radiation.

Existing methods of tiling stoves

You should correctly understand that before you start lining a brick oven with ceramic tiles, the walls will still have to be plastered. This plaster layer is not only a preparatory layer for covering surfaces with decorative material. It also performs a protective, sealing function for previously laid brickwork. It is the layer of plaster that will prevent the seams from opening, and if damaged, there is a possibility of carbon monoxide entering the room, which is dangerous not only to the health, but also to the lives of the inhabitants of the house.

A layer of ceramic tiles protects the walls of the stove from rapid cooling and, when heated, perfectly transfers heat into the room.

Finishers use two fundamentally different technology methods for lining a stove with ceramic tiles:

— Fixing finishing tiles with special heat-resistant glue.

— Installation of cladding without the use of glue, when ceramic tiles are inserted into the grooves of metal profiles fixed to the walls. This method allows, if necessary, to replace damaged elements by removing old ones and inserting new ones into the frame, sliding them along the grooves of the guides. By the way, this also opens up the possibility of changing the appearance of the stove over time - you can “revive” it by installing new fragments.

This publication will consider both methods of cladding the walls of the furnace - by fixing ceramic tiles with a special glue, and without the use of glue - using a metal frame structure.

Before moving on to the description of the finishing work itself, you should first consider all the necessary operations in preparation for their implementation. We must not forget that preparation is no less important a process than the cladding itself, since the quality and reliability of the finishing will directly depend on this stage.

What will you need for the job?

Tools required for work

The first step is to prepare the tools, which you cannot do without both when performing preliminary activities and when carrying out the main finishing work.

The list does not include complex tools and accessories - almost all of them are available to every household owner:

• A grinding machine with a circle for ceramics, a tile cutter - for different options for cutting finishing materials.
• Spatulas:

- flat, having a width of 100÷120 mm and 250÷300 mm;

- toothed, used to distribute the solution over the surface, with a tooth height of 6÷8 mm;

— corner – for the convenience of removing the corners of the stove;

- rubber - for filling joints with grout.

• A construction syringe, if you plan to use it to fill the joints between the tiles with grout.
• Building level and plumb line - for marking and checking the horizontal and vertical alignment of the masonry during work.
• Metal ruler and tape measure, a simple pencil or marker.
• Rule.
• Master OK ().
• A bucket for mixing glue and a smaller container for preparing the grout.
• Rubber hammer - for tapping tiles against the wall.
• An electric drill and a special mixer attachment with which the solution is mixed.
• Spray bottle for spraying the surface.
• Wire brush for cleaning seams.
• Wide brush for applying primer.

Prices for ceramic tiles

ceramic tile

If installation work will be carried out without the use of glue, then additionally prepare:

• Scissors for cutting metal.
• Wooden beam and steel angle - for the manufacture of metal brackets and guides for installing ceramic tiles.

Basic and auxiliary materials

To cover the walls of the furnace with ceramic tiles mounted on glue, it is necessary to prepare the following building materials:

• Ceramic tile. Its quantity is calculated in square meters, after measuring each of the furnace walls, taking into account a 5÷10 margin for cutting and for possible defects in work.
• Primer solution for treating walls.
• Plaster for stoves and fireplaces.
• Heat-resistant tile adhesive.
• for sealing seams.
• Fiberglass serpyanka mesh for wall reinforcement.

If you plan to install ceramic tiles without adhesive, frame installation of ceramic tiles will also require certain metal products. This will be discussed in more detail in the corresponding section of the publication.

Preparing oven walls for tiling

The first step, before plastering and facing with any of the chosen methods, the surface of the stove must be very well prepared. These measures must be carried out with the utmost care, since adhesion between the mortar and the wall, and subsequently between the plastered surface and the facing tiles, will depend on this. In addition, a smooth, cleaned wall is more convenient for carrying out work and for leveling rows of tiles on its surface.

Illustration
	In order for the wall to be smooth, it must be cleared of old plaster, otherwise the tiles will begin to fall off along with it over time. To simplify the removal of clay layers, it is recommended to wet all surfaces of the oven with water, and this must be done several times. It is best to carry out this process using a spray bottle, since the spray gets on and under the old plaster layers. Wet layers will be much easier to separate from the wall surface - they are picked up with a spatula or a wide chisel, and, if necessary, also beaten with a hammer. The old solution must be completely removed from the surface.
	The next step is to generously moisten the surface cleaned of plaster with water from a spray bottle. Next, the walls are cleaned with a metal brush, and the seams are deepened by 7-8 mm using a narrow chisel (you can also use a grinder - but be very careful not to take the solution too deep). In the case when it is planned to veneer a newly built stove, this process should be carried out only after the masonry has shrinked, that is, at least you need to wait six to eight months.
	The cleaned wall surface must be primed. Such penetrating impregnation will create favorable conditions for the adhesion of the plaster mortar and the brick wall, as it will bind sand and clay deep in the masonry joints. The old solution will not crumble and interfere with normal adhesion. To proceed to the next stage of work, you must wait until the soil has completely dried, as it should create a kind of film on the surface.
	In order for the cladding to be neat and the tiles to lie flat, the walls must be checked for compliance with the vertical plane - this process is carried out using a plumb line and a building level. If significant differences are detected, they must be eliminated, since this is unlikely to be done with tiles. To get rid of unevenness on the wall, metal beacons are fixed to its surface using gypsum or clay mortar - special metal guides are usually used as them. It is recommended to apply a leveling layer of no more than 10 mm to the brick wall. But if the wall has more serious deviations from the vertical, then leveling will have to be done in several stages, applying several thin layers of mortar.
	The walls are leveled with a solution mixed from a dry, heat-resistant plaster or clay mixture.
	The dry mixture is poured into water (the proportions for making the solution should be indicated on its packaging), and then mixed using an electric drill with an appropriate nozzle to obtain a homogeneous plastic mass.
	The finished solution is thrown onto the wall using a trowel slightly thicker than the level of the installed beacons. Then, using the rule, the plaster layer is leveled along them to perfection.
	In the case when the furnace wall does not have significant deformation, and a thin layer will be sufficient for its final leveling, the plaster solution is applied and distributed over the surface with an ordinary wide spatula (trowel).
	When removing the old plaster coating, chipped bricks at the corners may be found underneath. To ensure that when tiling walls there are no empty cavities underneath in places where there are chips, it is recommended to strengthen the corners of the old masonry with a perforated metal or regular metal corner.
	After applying and leveling the plaster layer over the entire surface of the wall, it is reinforced with a fiberglass reinforcing mesh, which is applied to the solution that has not yet hardened and pressed against it with a wide spatula, as if pressing the mesh into the plaster.
	After the reinforced plaster mixture has dried, another thin, covering layer of mortar is applied on top of it. After applying the leveling layer, the oven is left until completely dry. It should be noted here that if a thick layer of plaster is applied to the walls, then it is reinforced with a metal mesh with cells measuring 15÷20 mm. It is stretched and secured to the surface with nails with large diameter heads. In any case, the tiles are glued only to a completely dry wall.
	If the tiles are fixed to a plastered wall with glue, the surface will need to be coated again with a primer solution. Readiness for further work is only after the last applied primer layer has completely dried.

The process of preparing a wall for cladding is far from the most pleasant undertaking, but it must be taken seriously if the result is a neat finish that will adhere reliably to the surface of the stove for many years.

Cladding a brick oven with tiles using a special adhesive composition

Before moving on to the description of the process of installing tiles on the walls of the furnace, a few minutes of attention should be paid to adhesive compositions suitable for this purpose. In addition, the rather complex process of cutting ceramic tiles requires lighting, since incorrect actions are quite capable of ruining the entire work.

What kind of glue is needed for tiling the stove?

The adhesive composition used for laying tiles on walls must have special characteristics, as it will be exposed to high temperatures.

Some tilers prefer to make up the adhesive solution according to their own recipes. For example, one of them is quite simple. The mixture is made up of Portland cement, PVA glue and a small amount of salt. However, the difficulty in creating such glue options lies precisely in the correct selection of proportions. Therefore, if there is no accumulated experience in this matter, then it is best to use a ready-made dry composition, sold in hardware stores in paper packaging. All the necessary ingredients have already been added to this glue, and all that remains is to add the required amount of water and mix until it becomes a homogeneous plastic mass.

Experienced tilers also add a little salt to the finished adhesive composition, as it accumulates moisture, not allowing it to completely evaporate quickly from the solution, maintaining the plasticity of the mixture.

Ceramic tile cutting

Ceramic tiles have a very high hardness, so they are not easy to cut, especially in cases where it is necessary to cut out complex shapes. In order not to spoil the material already during cladding, it is recommended to study in advance information about the technology of correct cutting so that you get a smooth edge without protrusions and burrs. Better yet, practice on some unnecessary fragments to get better at it.

It is recommended to cut ceramic tiles using a special manual machine called a tile cutter. A glass cutter for thick glass may work, and often the optimal solution for this process is a grinder with a stone disc mounted on it.

Terracotta tiles, which are often used for lining stoves, are usually cut only with a grinding machine.

If the work will be done with a tile cutter, then it needs to be prepared:

• First, the reliability of the roller cutter is checked. It should rotate well around the axis, but not move from side to side. If such a problem is identified, the wheel must be firmly secured with a bolt.
• A few drops of machine oil are dripped onto the guide frame and cutting roller.
• It is imperative to check how sharp the cutting edge of the roller is - perhaps the cutter needs to be replaced. This becomes necessary from time to time, especially if the tile cutter has previously been used intensively.
• A properly configured tile cutter is capable of cutting tiles 4÷8 mm thick.

The cutting procedure itself is carried out in the following order:

• The first step is to take measurements from the area where the tiles are to be installed.
• Then, the tiles themselves are marked taking into account the width of the seams. The lines on the tile are drawn using a marker.
• Before cutting, the tile must be securely fixed in the tile cutter, so that the cut line marked on it is under the cutting edge of the cutter roller, along the line of its translational movement
• The next step is to apply pressure along the marking line with a roller. The marked groove will determine the fault line, cutting the front surface of the tile.
• Then a special lever with claws is lowered, which will divide the tile in two.

When using a grinding machine for cutting, for the safety of the master and the formation of a neat cut edge, it is recommended to firmly hold or secure the tile on a flat horizontal surface with an overhang of the part to be cut.

In addition to the above tools, a manual tile cutter is also used for cutting tiles, which also has the function of nippers. The principle of operation is similar: a groove is drawn with a roller, and then, when the handles are compressed, the paws break the tile in two. However, you need to remember that thick, for example, floor tiles, cannot be cut with this tool. In addition, the likelihood of possible failures is much higher than when working with a desktop tile cutter.

Prices for tile adhesive

tile adhesive

When using a regular glass cutter to cut ceramic tiles, you will have to make additional efforts to deepen the fault line and separate the tiles into two parts.

Covering the stove with tiles fixed with glue

Now that the preparatory work has been done, and you know which glue is best to use, as well as how to cut the tiles to the desired size, you can proceed directly to the finishing work.

In this case, a combined finishing option is presented, when terracotta ceramic tiles are combined with a plastered and painted surface.

Illustration	Brief description of the operation performed
	In order for the tile laying to go smoothly, it is necessary to perfectly align the horizontal of its first row. This cannot be done by eye, since even small deviations in the lower part of the cladding will turn into significant visible distortions of the masonry located above. Therefore, you first need to determine the bottom line along which the alignment will be carried out. In any case, the building level will come to the rescue. If a line needs to be marked on the long side of a structure, the easiest way to do this is with a paint cord. On the narrow side of the stove, a ruler or rule may be sufficient. Typically, such a line is marked along the upper edge of the bottom row of tiles.
	It would be safer to attach a special perforated aluminum L-shaped profile along the bottom edge of the first row, which will serve as a stand for the tiles and will definitely prevent them from deviating from the markings or sliding down. The corner is fixed to the furnace wall with dowels installed in increments of 200÷250 mm. The size of the corner depends on the thickness of the tile - it should not protrude above the finished surface. If the tiles are laid from the floor, and the corner is fixed at the junction of two surfaces, then its size will not matter - the main thing is that it is level. Instead of an aluminum corner, a flat wooden strip can be used, which can be simply dismantled after the glue has dried in the masonry.
	Next, you can start laying. Cladding is usually done from the corner of the building. If the tile set includes corner elements, then there will be no problems with placing the corners, since they will be completely protected from damage, and possible irregularities will be hidden. First, corner elements are laid at both corners of the structure, and only after they are secured, tiles are installed to fill the space between them. If necessary, one or two of them are trimmed. Each row laid horizontally must be checked with a building level.
	If the kit does not include corner tiles, then in order for the corner of the stove to be neat, another perforated corner profile with a rounded protruding edge is attached to it. This element is also secured to the corner of the stove with dowels, which are installed at a distance of 250÷350 mm from each other. They often do without them, so as not to damage the corners of the brick - the perforated “wings” of the profile are simply recessed into the applied mortar. One of the options for such a profile is shown in the illustration.
	To ensure that the horizontal and vertical seams between the rows of tiles are the same, various devices are used. You can use special crosses or, as in this case, pieces of broken unnecessary tiles installed between the masonry elements. The main thing is that they are all the same thickness.
	The adhesive, mixed using a mixer, can be applied to the surface of the stove using a notched trowel, or to the tile itself. When installing the tiles on the wall, press them well and immediately insert plastic crosses or other calibration devices into the seams. Do not forget that the glued tiles can be leveled and adjusted only within 10-12 minutes, while the mixture has not yet set. The adhesive mortar that has protruded into the masonry joints must be removed immediately, without waiting for it to dry, since these gaps between the tiles must be filled with a more plastic grout mortar. The calibration elements are removed only after the glue has set and the tile can no longer be accidentally moved.
	If you plan to clad the walls with solid masonry, then after installing 5-6 rows, it is recommended to take a break for several hours so that the glue sets well and the lower rows become a reliable support for the upper ones. After maintaining such a technological pause, you can complete the lining of the furnace with tiles. But they start filling the seams only a day after laying the last row.
	If a combined design option is chosen for the furnace walls, then after gluing the tiles, after one or two hours you can start transforming the plastered surface.
	The first step is to cover all non-tiled surfaces with putty. This process is carried out using spatulas - narrow and wide. The putty is applied in a thin layer, and its function is to make the surfaces smooth, thereby preparing them for painting.
	For this stage of work, heat-resistant putty for stoves and fireplaces is used, which is most often sold ready-made in plastic buckets.
	Having covered all plastered surfaces with putty, you need to leave the oven for one or two days for all layers of preliminary finishing to dry completely.
	Further, if terracotta tiles were used for finishing, it is recommended to varnish them, giving them a brighter color.
	A clear stone varnish is used for this process.
	The next step is to paint the rest of the surface, covered with putty. For this purpose, brushes of different widths are used. Painting must be done carefully, without touching the plane of the tile. It may be worth considering temporary protection of ceramic tiles from accidental contamination - using masking tape, old newspapers, etc.
	Radiator enamel, designed for increased heating and temperature changes, is suitable for painting. If desired, you can add color to the white paint and varnish composition, giving a shade that will harmonize well with the glued tiles.
	Next, move on to filling the seams. The grout composition is matched to the color of the tiles or painted surfaces. The joints can be filled with grout using a construction syringe, or it can be pushed into the cavities between the tiles using a rubber spatula. The first option will allow this process to be completed faster, and the filling will be neat and will not touch the tile surfaces. You can make something like a syringe yourself - put the grouting compound in a thick plastic bag, then carefully trim one corner. If small mistakes cannot be completely avoided, then it will be easier to remove the solution from the previously varnished surface of the tile. Any mixture that gets on the tiles is wiped off with a damp, but not wet, sponge.
	To fill the joints, a heat-resistant wide-joint mixture for fireplaces and stoves is used, which is mixed immediately before starting work. The final evenness of the seams is given with a special tool - narrow jointing.
	After completing this stage of work, the finishing of the stove can be considered complete.

Another example of covering a stove with terracotta tiles is in the video below:

Video - Cladding stoves with ceramic tiles "Terracotta"

Installing ceramic tiles on a stove wall without glue

Cladding the brick walls of a furnace with ceramic tiles without using glue requires some skills in working with metal. This method is suitable for those who are not sure that the fit of the facing material to the glue will be reliable.

If you decide to finish the walls without using glue, you will not have to purchase mixtures for making adhesives and. But you will need to prepare some tools, such as a hammer drill, a screwdriver, a riveter, a wooden hammer and metal scissors.

This method of finishing the stove has a number of advantages over adhesive lining:

• The tile will never fall off, since it does not have direct contact with the surface of the oven walls, and therefore it is not negatively affected by high or low temperatures, as well as their sudden changes.
• Between the stove wall and the cladding layer, a space is formed that acts as an air “cushion”, which significantly slows down the cooling of the stove, acting on the principle of functioning of a tiled finish.
• Since the tiles are not glued to the wall, if they are accidentally damaged, they can be easily replaced with a whole one. In addition, if you want to change the design of the room, you will not have to carry out the labor-intensive work of knocking down the old tiles - you can simply pull them out of the metal guides and install a new one in them. Well, the dismantled material will not be lost either - it can be fully used again, for example, at the dacha.
• Another advantage is that in this way you can easily transfer an ornament consisting of tiles of different colors to the surface of the stove. Only for this you need to draw up a diagram of the selected pattern in advance.

Cladding in this way requires careful measurements of all linear parameters of the furnace - for the manufacture and placement of metal structural elements. The base itself is a frame consisting of metal guides for installing tiles.

To work you will need:

• Galvanized metal sheet 1000×2000 mm thick 0.5÷0.6 mm - for the manufacture of guides and plinths.
• Aluminum strip 20x2.5 mm and corner 20x20 mm - for making a frame frame.
• Rivets, anchors and dowels.

In this case, we will consider tiling the stove without using glue from the floor to the cooking chamber. Other areas of the furnace are finished according to the same principle.

So, the work on manufacturing the frame and installing the tiles is carried out as follows:

Prices for galvanized metal sheets

galvanized sheet

Illustration	Brief description of the operation performed
	The first step is to mark the surfaces of the oven. To do this you will need a painting cord and a building level. First, the bottom line for securing the metal guide is determined - it should be at a height from the floor equal to the width of the baseboard. Then the top line is hammered out, completing the laying in this area of ​​the furnace. Both lines must be additionally checked according to the construction level. After this, the entire wall between the upper and lower lines is marked using a ruler and a building level into strips having a height that should be 2 ÷ 2.5 mm greater than the height of the ceramic tiles. According to these markings, lines will be drawn to secure guides along them. The distances must exceed the height of the tile for it to move freely along the guide channels.
	Next, following the marked marks, using a painting cord, straight lines are drawn. On one side, the cord is attached to the wall, stretched to the opposite corner of the stove, then pulled away from the wall and suddenly released. When in contact with the wall, the painted cord will leave a perfectly straight line on it. This procedure is carried out as many times as the number of rows of tiles that are supposed to be installed on the furnace wall.
	The next step is to attach a frame made of aluminum corner and strips to the area of ​​the wall being tiled, which will become the basis for securing the guides for the tiles.
	Aluminum corners are fixed to the corners of the surface to be finished using anchors, which will become the vertical edges of the future frame. Then, along the top broken line, passing at the level of the lower edge of the cooking chamber, aluminum strips are fixed - from the corner profile to the cooking chamber, on one side and the other. After this, a piece of aluminum corner is fixed along the lower edge of the cooking chamber. The side edges of its side facing the wall should coincide with the strips secured earlier. That is, a single aluminum strip should form on the wall, at the level of the lower edge of the slab. The next step, along the bottom of the wall, along the floor, is to fix a solid aluminum strip with dowels. Thus, a frame is formed on the wall area to be tiled.
	Next, the upper and lower edges of the frame need to be connected with aluminum vertical strips, securing them with rivets at a distance of 300÷350 mm from each other. These strips will become part of the frame onto which horizontal guides will be attached for installing tiles in them.
	Now that the frame is attached to the wall, you can think about the rest of the frame elements. You can use ready-made aluminum H-profiles as guides for installing tiles, selecting them according to the thickness of the tile. One such profile will perform two functions at once: it will become the bottom guide for the row of tiles installed above, and the top guide for the bottom row.
	If you don’t want the look of the plinths to reveal their handicraft origins, you can look for a suitable shape for them among metal profiles - the range of similar products in construction or furniture stores is quite rich. If possible, you can also purchase a ready-made aluminum baseboard. It will cost a little more, but it also looks more neat and aesthetic. There is another important advantage - it will be impossible to get hurt on its edges, unlike a homemade one made of galvanized metal.
	If you decide to save on finished aluminum profiles and make the necessary parts yourself, then this will require a special device consisting of a 60x50 mm wooden beam and a 6 mm thick steel strip secured to it with self-tapping screws. The strip should protrude beyond the timber by approximately 10÷11 mm. This device will be convenient for bending galvanized strips.
	So, to make your own plinth you will need a galvanized strip with a width equal to the height of the distance from the floor to the bottom line marked on the wall, plus 15÷20 mm on each side of the strip for the folds along which the plinth will be fixed to the wall and floor. It is necessary to produce as many such strips as the number of walls that will be tiled. Their length is also measured along the length of the wall, taking into account cuts and bends to form external or internal corners.
	The galvanized blank for the plinth is laid on top of the steel strip on the beam and secured with clamps. The workpiece should protrude beyond the steel strip fixed to the beam by 15÷20 mm. Then the protruding part of the blank strip is tapped with a wooden hammer. Under his blows, the edge should bend to a right angle. Such bends must be made on each side of the workpiece. Through the resulting bends, the baseboard will be fixed to the floor and wall. Having made the plinth, it can be immediately fixed along the bottom broken line.
	To make a J-profile for a guide, you need to know what its shape looks like. You can see it well in this illustration.
	Blanks made of galvanized sheets 0.5 mm thick for the manufacture of guides should have a width of 44 mm and a length equal to the width of the furnace. You will need two of them for each row.
	The workpiece is placed on the same device that was used to make the plinth, with a projection of 6÷7 mm beyond the steel strip and is rigidly fixed to it with clamps. Next, tap the edge of the workpiece with a hammer and bend it at a right angle. After the corner along the edge of the workpiece is bent, the clamps are removed from it and moved forward to a distance equal to the thickness of the tile plus 1.5 ÷ 2 mm. Then, the strip is bent again by tapping it with a wooden hammer. Thus, a homemade J-profile guide is obtained.
	When making each profile, it is checked for compatibility with the thickness of the tile. To do this, the tile is placed in the groove of the profile and moved along this “channel” of the guide - it should slide freely along it.
	After the required number of such guides has been made, they can be mounted on a frame mounted on the wall of the furnace. They must be fixed on vertical aluminum strips and corner profiles of the frame in relation to each other as shown in this photo. To make it easier to fasten them, it is recommended to mark and drill holes for the rivets in advance.
	The J-profile is fixed based on the lines previously marked on the wall. In this case, it is recommended that, by securing the guides for each of the rows, install the tiles in them and move them along them from beginning to end and back. Having carried out such an “experiment”, you can be sure that you will not have to redo the work. This illustration shows how the guides are secured to the vertical frame members using rivets, as well as how the tiles are installed in them.
	Installation of guide profiles is carried out from the fixed plinth, overlapping its bend, along which the plinth is fixed to the furnace wall - this factor also needs to be taken into account when marking the surface. The upper profile of the first row, which will hold the tile along its upper side, is fixed along the next higher line marked on the wall. Then, the process is repeated when installing guides for each subsequent row.
	Having secured the guides for two or three rows, the tiles are inserted between the upper and lower J-profiles and advanced to the opposite corner of the oven. This way all rows are filled with tiles.
	When all the rows are filled with tiles, you can proceed to the installation of corner vertical profiles that will cover the joints of the tiles at the corners, as well as the corners framing the cooking chamber. These elements can be made independently or purchased ready-made.
	It is recommended to decorate the outer corners of the stove with rounded corner profiles. They are fixed to aluminum corners that are included in the frame structure and secured to the wall. Decorative corner elements are carefully screwed using metal screws.
	To prevent the surface of the cooking chamber from crumbling and falling into the prepared dishes, its walls are lined with galvanized sheets, which are bent at the edges. Thanks to these folds, the connection of sheets at the joints of surfaces will be more reliable, since they are mounted with an overlap and screwed to the walls through it. It is recommended to coat the metal finishing of the cooking chamber with heat-resistant paint, which will greatly facilitate the maintenance of surfaces.

This method of covering a stove is intended for creative owners who like to experiment and make everything with their own hands. But it is quite obvious that such an approach to finishing will require maximum concentration of patience and accuracy. Anyone who is not sure that all the details of the design will work out properly, but likes the method, will have to look for an opportunity to purchase the necessary profiles in finished form.

Video - How to tile a Russian stove

A home stove can serve as more than just a means of heating. It can turn into a stylish element of the interior if you put some effort into it. The same applies to home fireplaces. The tiles for the stove must be fireproof so that they can withstand high temperatures.

How to improve?

If you want to give your heating product an attractive look, then there are plenty of options. or a fireplace may involve plastering, lining and finishing with stone or tile.

Most often, ceramic or tiles are used for this purpose. Moreover, the first option is the most popular and accessible. Plaster is not very practical, since cracks constantly form on it, and tiles are quite expensive.

Depending on your wishes and the overall interior of the house, you independently choose what to cover the stove with so that it not only performs its functions, but also looks impressive.

What should the cladding be like?

Naturally, stove tiles or other coverings must meet certain standards. The requirements for them are as follows:

• Environmentally friendly. If natural ingredients exceed artificial ones in quantity, then during heating the release of toxic substances will be minimized.
• Fire resistance. During use, the tile will be exposed to strong thermal effects that exceed 1000 degrees. Therefore, you need to choose the appropriate option in this case.
• Heat capacity and thermal conductivity.
• The water absorption rate should be a maximum of 3 percent.
• Minimum thickness - 8 mm.
• Low porosity.
• Durable color that will not fade when exposed to temperature.
• Antistatic.
• External attractiveness.

Nowadays the range of such products in construction stores is very large. Therefore, stove tiles are available in all variations. It all depends on where the installation is located, what kind of room and what design its interior is made in.

Properties of facing materials for stoves and fireplaces

Fireproof tiles are a high-quality material that can withstand high temperature loads. It is made on the basis of special clay that is resistant to them. The production technology is also special: heat-resistant tiles are hardened under the most extreme conditions. The temperature can reach 1500 degrees. However, it is precisely this method of its production that guarantees high-quality operation as a facing material for special objects.

Tiles for the fireplace and other means for equipping it with fire-resistant properties have their own varieties. But in terms of functionality they are all the same. Their main task is to protect the furnace from temperature changes and prevent its destruction.

Such materials are used during the final finishing of structures. Any wear-resistant and durable. It includes the following components:

• special clay;
• water;
• additives;
• finishing glaze with pigment.

Features of ceramic tiles

It can be terracotta or majolica. This stove tile has excellent heat-resistant properties. When heated or cooled for a long time, it does not change its shape and appearance. Terracotta tiles have a rough surface and imitate stone or brick. And majolica is smooth and glazed.

Terracotta cladding material is used for indoor or outdoor applications. It can be placed in places with high humidity. It is also distinguished by its impact resistance and vapor permeability. These are the advantages that the oven has. Its price ranges from 100 to 1000 rubles per piece and also depends on the manufacturer.

Concept of clinker tiles

It is often practiced to line the furnace with such material. It is made from several types of shale clay, fireclay powder and other ingredients that are mixed with each other. These tiles are distinguished by a wide variety of colors, which is achieved by mixing a mineral dye with a key mixture.

Tile

Heat-resistant tiles are not just any type of tile. Here you need to choose very carefully. The fact is that a stove or fireplace during operation has stages of both heating and cooling. And in order for the facing material to resist, when buying tiles, give preference to small tiles with a matte surface. But the glazed structure will not withstand such changes and will crack over time.

Fire-resistant tiles in the form of tiles are not very suitable for country houses, if they are not used as permanent housing. When the stove is heated at sub-zero temperatures, the facing material may crumble. Also, fireplace tiles that have a zero level of water absorption will not be able to adhere to clay or cement mortar. It will require fastening in the form of specialized adhesive mixtures, but the seams should be treated with fire-resistant grout.

Tiles

Such coatings do not have many of the disadvantages that apply to tiles. Most often they are smooth and have no relief.

Tiles for this type of fireplace are distinguished by their fire resistance and the fact that they are made by hand using a special technology. When installed, some elements are assembled into a single pattern of the desired color. These tiles are very diverse in terms of design, so they can be matched to any type of interior.

The cost of tiles depends on the theme, complexity of the pattern and how many parts are needed to create it. For example, a set of 400 elements will cost 200 thousand rubles and more.

Composition of fireproof tiles for stoves and fireplaces

It has already been mentioned that heat-resistant tiles are made from special clay. It, in turn, consists of special minerals in certain proportions. It is known that layers of its different types occur almost everywhere at one or another ground level. This rock consists of aluminosilicates. And the color will directly depend on its chemical components:

• sodium;
• magnesium;
• kaolin;
• metal oxides and others.

However, it is impossible to say exactly which components provide fire resistance. However, it is they that, when fired at high temperatures, give the materials strength. The key quality of such tiles is the absence of melting and the release of toxic substances.

Which fits best where?

Tiles for stoves and fireplaces have a lot of varieties. It differs from each other in surface, pattern, texture and size.

For example, the glassy surface of the material is suitable for masonry in structures that are not particularly hot. Moreover, in such places it should be laid out in several layers. Glass does not tolerate temperature changes well, this should be taken into account.

The best option for all cases is standard small rectangular tiles. The easiest way is to lay them end to end, while the gap for the seams remains minimal.

Clinker products have good characteristics. It is thicker and somewhat reminiscent of finishing brick. With the help of such tiles you can imitate masonry.

In any case, the choice of one type or another must be approached extremely carefully. After all, your safety and the guarantee of successful operation of the fireplace or stove depend on this.

What to consider when installing?

Basically, tiles of any kind, intended for fireplaces and stoves, tolerate temperature fluctuations, extremely low and high levels. It is often used in saunas, for outdoor decoration of barbecues and barbecues. After firing, it becomes resistant to cold and moisture. And it is very important to follow the technology of its installation, because this is what affects the duration of use, quality and appearance of the structure.

The prepared surface is covered with tiles. Before this, a layer of fixing composition is evenly applied to it. To ensure a neat seam, you need to maintain a certain amount of patience when working. Also remember that every material tends to expand after heating. The cut parts should be laid last, and it is better to start from the outer corners. It is advisable to bring one wall up to an internal turn, and then tile the rest of it.

The quality of the work performed largely determines how the oven will serve and how long the coating in the form of slabs will last. But it is also important that you select them in the right way.

If she has lost her original neat appearance, or in the case when Was this kind of cladding planned in advance, even when planning the construction? This question often arises among owners of private houses during renovation of a room where an old stove is installed, or upon completion of laying and drying a new one.

Some owners prefer to plaster the stoves followed by whitewashing or painting, but this is a less durable finish and will have to be updated after a couple of years. But properly laid tiles will last for decades.

The stove is finished with tiles not only to make the structure look aesthetically pleasing, but also to preserve the plaster layer. In this case, the plaster is the main protective layer that prevents opening seams between bricks, through which combustion products may enter the room.

In addition, it has a large heat capacity, and, heating itself, gives off heat to the room for a long time and does not allow the entire brick oven to cool quickly.

Previously, tiles were laid in only one way - with mortar. Today, some craftsmen are inventing new methods that even make it possible over time to replace a cladding material that has become boring or has lost its decorative qualities with a new one that has, for example, a more interesting design that matches the style of the entire room. The same method can also help if one of the tiles, anywhere on the stove wall, is accidentally damaged and you want to replace it.

To decide on the choice of finish and figure out which cladding method will be easier to implement, you need to take a closer look at the nuances of the technology.

Plastering the stove is also a good solution!

For a long time, brick ovens were plastered with clay mortars and whitewashed for every major holiday. This is a time-tested method, and if the solution is prepared with high quality and the plaster is applied according to all the rules, then sometimes you can limit yourself to such a finish. – read in a special publication on our portal.

But before starting finishing work, it is necessary to carry out preparatory measures, which are no less important for the safe operation of the stove and high-quality tile laying.

Preparing for tiling the stove

You need to start by preparing all the necessary tools that will help prepare the surface and finish it.

Tools for work

Tools you will need:

• Spatulas:

- serrated - for applying and distributing tile adhesive. Recommended tooth height – 5 ÷ 6 mm;

- a regular straight medium size - for cleaning the surface;

- corner - for decorating the corners of the building;

- rubber - for sealing seams between tiles when laying them on glue.

• Tile cutter and sander.
• Metal ruler.
• A simple pencil or marker for marking.
• Construction level, plumb.
• Glue container.
• Electric drill and mixer attachment for mixing the adhesive mass.

When installing tiles without glue, you additionally need to prepare:

• Wooden or rubber hammer for making corners.
• Metal scissors.
• A device (sheet bending jig) for making corners of the required size. It is assembled from a thick wooden beam and a steel strip with a thickness equal to the thickness of the ceramic tile, plus 1.5 ÷ 2 mm.
• Riveter, rivets, drill with a set of drills for metal.

Materials for preparatory and finishing work

For each installation method, in addition to the tile itself, various building materials will be required.

So, to lay ceramic tiles with glue you will need:

• Heat-resistant adhesive intended for lining fireplaces and stoves.
• Primer.
• Grout for joints between tiles.
• Skirting board.

In case of “dry” installation of tiles, without glue, you need to prepare:

• Sheets of galvanized steel with a thickness of 0.6 - 0.9 mm.
• Aluminum or steel angle for closing corners.
• Aluminum strips 2 mm thick, 20 mm wide - for making a frame on which the guides will be attached.

Prices for heat-resistant plaster for stoves

heat resistant plaster

Preparatory work

Whatever finishing method is chosen, the surface of the stove must be well prepared for plastering and cladding. These works cannot be considered secondary, since they will determine how smoothly the plaster and tile adhesive will lie on the surface.

• The first step is removing the old plaster. To make it easier to remove, you can wet the wall with water several times. If the coating consists of clay, it can be easily removed with a spatula. If the solution was made with the addition of cement, then you may have to use a chisel and hammer. But, you need to remember that the furnace wall must be completely freed from the old plaster layer to “clean” brick.

• Having removed the plaster from the surface, you need to walk over it manually with an iron brush, or with a grinder, attaching a special attachment to it.

• Next, the surface is well sprayed with water from a spray bottle, and the seams between the bricks are cleaned to a depth of 8 ÷ 10 mm - this is necessary for the plaster to adhere well to the wall.

• If the masonry is new, then it must be well dried, and it also needs to be cleaned, since in any case, residual mortar or dust linger on the surface.
• Upon completion of cleaning, the wall must be well primed, and the soil should reach the depth of the masonry joints. Before moving on to the next work, the wall is left until completely dry. It would be optimal to spare no primer and apply it twice.

The surface requires priming, and best of all - twice

• Next, the walls of the oven must be checked for their straightness, since laid tiles will not be able to make them even and will only emphasize differences, if they exist. The process is carried out using a building level and a plumb line.
• If differences are detected, the wall will have to be leveled.

To do this, focusing on a plumb line, on the wall Metal beacon profiles are displayed. It is desirable that the height of the leveling layer be no more than 8 ÷ 10 mm.

Leveling is carried out with a plaster mixture, which is intended for finishing stoves.

If the layer of plaster is thin, then it is applied using a wide spatula, immediately leveling the solution.

A thick layer of mortar is applied using the throwing method (“spraying”), and then leveled using a rule, moving it along the fixed beacons.

• If, when removing the old plaster, knocked down corners are found, they must be strengthened by reinforcing them with a perforated metal corner before applying the solution.

• After the plaster solution has set, it is recommended to attach a reinforcing fiberglass mesh to it on a thin layer of adhesive mixture. When the glue dries, the mesh is covered with another thin adhesive layer, which, in turn, should also dry well.

Sometimes reinforcement is carried out with a metal mesh, which is attached directly to the brick before leveling the wall using nails with wide heads driven into the seams between the rows.

• The leveled plastered wall must dry thoroughly before carrying out further work.
• If the tiles will be mounted with glue, then it is better to prime the dry plastered surface again - this will help the tiles to be more securely fixed to the wall.

Once again, I would like to remind you that the preparation of the furnace walls before facing work must be carried out very carefully, otherwise the glued tiles will begin to fall off due to temperature changes. Well, if the installation of the finishing material is carried out on a metal frame, fixed to an old, dilapidated plaster layer, then it is possible that the entire structure will move away from the wall along with the old plaster and tiles.

Adhesive for tiling ovens

Tiling a stove can be done using different solutions, but in order not to rack your brains and calculate the proportions of the components, it is better to buy ready-made glue, specially designed for finishing stoves and fireplaces.

Some craftsmen prefer to use cement mortar with the addition of PVA glue or salt.

If you add a little ordinary table salt to the finished masonry glue, it will not be worse, since this substance can accumulate moisture and thereby prevent the glue, concrete or clay from drying out quickly. Therefore, no matter what solution is chosen, adding salt to it will not hurt.

How to cut tiles?

Another process that can also be classified as preparatory work is cutting tiles. It is better to know in advance how to do this correctly, since you can ruin a lot of facing material before you can cut out the necessary fragments with high quality.

The most important thing in cutting tiles is accuracy and dexterity. Once you have a little experience, the work will go easily.

• This process is easiest to perform if you have a small tile cutting machine.

— The first thing to do is measure the required distance on the tile and draw a line along the ruler with a marker.

-The tile is then secured in the tile cutter so that the marked line is located under the cutting roller.

“Then the lever is lowered and the tile breaks into two parts.

When there is little experience in this process, it will take one ÷ two minutes of time. But in order for the tile cutter to work efficiently, before starting work you need:

— Pour a few drops of machine oil onto the roller and onto the guide frame.

— You need to check how well the roller is secured, that is, it should not move from side to side, otherwise the cut will be uneven.

— If the tile cutter has already been actively used, then the cutting roller may need to be replaced. It can be found in stores that sell tiles.

The tile cutter allows you to cut tiles, even those with a thickness of 8 ÷ 10 mm.

• Another tool for cutting tiles is a hand tile cutter-nippers.If you purchase this tool, it must be of high quality. It should be said that it is unlikely to be suitable for thick floor tiles, but if the stove is finished with wall material, then such a tool may be sufficient.

Hand tools - tile cutters and nippers

• In addition to tile cutters, a jigsaw can be used for cutting, on which you need to install a special tungsten carbide file But when using this method, you need to take into account that each tile will take about 10 minutes.
• If you install a special circle on the grinder, it will also be suitable for making straight cuts on ceramic tiles.
• Some craftsmen successfully cut tiles with a regular glass cutter, running it along a metal ruler laid along a drawn line. This cutting method requires the application of a certain amount of force both when drawing the line and when breaking the tile in two. In addition, without experience in carrying out such a process, you can seriously damage your hand.

That's why the most optimal and a safe option is still a large tile cutter, which is installed on on on the counter or directly on the floor.

If the edge of the cut tile is not perfectly smooth, it can be trimmed with a grinding stone.

Cladding the stove with ceramic tiles using glue

Moving directly to the cladding, the work is carried out as follows:

• Laying tiles on the walls of the furnace begins from the bottom. Therefore, the first thing to do is to beat off the line of the first row. The marking is carried out using a painted cord, which is aligned horizontally along the intended risks, checking the building level, pulled back and released. The cord will leave a perfectly straight line on the wall along which the first row will be laid.
• Since the tiles may initially slide down the wall, it is recommended to secure a metal perforated corner along the broken line.

It is fixed to the wall with dowels in increments of 150 ÷ ​​200 mm. The size of the corner is selected according to the thickness of the tile. If you choose it correctly, the profile will not be noticeable after installing the tiles on it.

If it was not possible to find a corner of the required size, then a 15x25 mm wooden strip or a wide glazing bead, which is temporarily fixed from below along the broken line, will do. This improvised guide is removed after the masonry is completed and the glue has completely dried.

• You can attach perforated corners to the corners of the stove, which will form the corner joint, since without this it is quite difficult to make it neat.

To do this, you need to choose a profile that has a roundness at the junction of the sides, which, when installing the element on the walls, will be at the corner of the wall. The ends of the glued tiles will be pressed against this profile on both sides.

The corner is fixed to the wall with small dowels in increments of 300-350 mm.

• After preparing the wall and tiles, you can proceed to preparing the glue. To do this, water is poured into the prepared container, then the prepared mixture is poured into it, and mixed using an electric drill and a mixer attachment. As mentioned, a small amount of salt may be added.

After mixing, the solution should sit for 10 ÷ 12 minutes - during this period the polymer additives included in its composition enter into the necessary reaction, and the mixture becomes a full-fledged glue.

• Next, you can move on to laying the first row.

The adhesive mass is applied to the wall using a notched trowel. The glue is distributed over an area of ​​5 ÷ 7 tiles, since it should not have time to set during laying.

• Tiles are laid on a glue-coated surface, between which crosses are installed in both vertical and horizontal joints. Usually two crosses are installed on each side of the tile. This is done to maintain the same thickness of the seams. When lining stoves (for example, when using terracotta tiles), fairly large gaps are used, even 10 mm, so sometimes cut pieces of drywall are used instead of crosses.

• Each tile is pressed tightly against the wall, its horizontal and vertical position is immediately checked by the building level.
• Any adhesive that has come out between the tiles into the seams must be removed immediately. The joint space should remain empty, as it will be filled with grout later.
• When laying tiles, you need to remember that if they are installed unevenly, they can still be corrected on the wall within 12 ÷ 15 minutes. After this time, the glue will have set and you cannot move the finishing material on it. In this case, you will have to remove the tiles from the wall, clean off the glue and do all the work again. So it is better to immediately approach installation with maximum care and accuracy.
• Having laid out 4 ÷ 5 rows, you need to take a break for two ÷ three hours so that the lower rows set well.
• After this, you can complete the masonry completely and leave it to dry for 24 ÷ 36 hours. However, we should not forget about cleaning the surface of the tiles from possible contamination. on Not e glue stains. Now it won’t be too difficult to scrub them off, but when the ruts finally set, removing these stains will become a very difficult task.

• After the glue has set for a period of time, you can proceed to grouting the joints. Only those grouts that have a heat resistance of at least 200 °C are used for the oven. The composition for this is often selected according to the color of the tile, but you should not choose white, since with temperature changes it can acquire a dirty tint.
• When sealing seams, excess grout from glazed tiles must be immediately removed with a damp sponge. This composition dries quickly, and after even a short time it will be difficult to remove.

• If the cladding was done with terracotta tiles, a construction gun with a tube is usually used to fill the joints. The seams are filled to the full depth and left for one and a half to two hours. After this, “joining” is done, for example, with a wide flat screwdriver or a wire loop. In this case, you should not try to wipe off accidentally spilled grout from the surface of the tile - it is better to wait for it to dry completely, and then carefully pick it out with a thin screwdriver or a knife blade.

Video: how to tile a stove with terracotta tiles

Cladding the stove with ceramic tiles without glue

Prices for ceramic tiles for oven cladding

Ceramic tile

This installation method is suitable for those craftsmen who do not want to use glue and who express doubts that using the adhesive mass will result in high-quality tiling of the stove.

Oven tiled using “dry” technology, on a metal frame

This method is also good because the cladding will not react in any way to increases and decreases in temperature, and an air cushion is formed between the wall and the tile, where hot air is trapped. Therefore, it turns out that such cladding is to some extent reminiscent of tile structures. Cladding a stove in this way is quite simple - the main thing is to take very careful measurements and accurately manufacture the frame elements, as well as carry out work slowly, very carefully.

The entire structure consists of a kind of frame made of metal profiles, into which ceramic tiles are laid, as if along guides.

Illustration	Brief description of the operation performed
	The first thing you need to start working with is marking the furnace wall. To do this, marks are made along the top of the masonry, which are verified to the building level. Then, the same is done along the bottom line - it is marked at the height of the plinth fastening. After this, the entire space between the upper and lower marks is divided by horizontal lines into equal stripes - the height of the tile plus 3-4 mm. The inter-tile profiles will be fastened along them. The extra millimeters are necessary to ensure that the tile moves freely in the metal frame attached to it.
	The lines marked using a level must be marked off with a blue-dyed cord. To do this, it is stretched across the entire width or length of the furnace wall along the marked marks, then pulled back and released. Smooth lines remain on the wall along which the frame profiles will be attached.
	Next, the baseboard should be immediately secured to the floor and wall. You can make it yourself from galvanized metal or choose a ready-made option, since today you can find a large number of profiles with different shapes on sale. To make it yourself, you need to measure and cut a strip from a sheet of metal, 1-1.5 mm thick, equal to the height of the plinth plus 15-20 mm for the bend that will extend onto the floor.
	The bend is made by placing the strip on a metal table or a special device prepared in advance, consisting of a 50x60 mm beam and a steel plate (strip) fixed on it with self-tapping screws, with a thickness greater than the thickness of the tile by 1-1.5 mm. The workpiece is laid and secured with clamps on top of the metal plate, leaving an outward protrusion of 15-20 mm. Then they gently tap it with a mallet - the even strip should bend, forming a right angle. The narrow bent part of the element will be fixed to the floor. The finished plinth is fixed to the stove wall using anchors, and on the floor, if it is wooden, with self-tapping screws with wide heads. It is especially important to make a metal plinth on the wall of the stove under the firebox.
	Next, you need to measure and cut a piece of the corner, which will be fixed along the upper line marked on the wall of the stove and on the lower edge of the plane of the hob. This corner will frame the edges of the inside of the frame, and its vertical elements will be attached to it.
	This photo shows a corner secured with anchors along the edge of the hob.
	Through fixed perforated corners, metal strips 20 mm wide, made of 2 mm aluminum, are secured with rivets. The strips are installed vertically across the entire plane of the wall, at a distance of 250-300 mm from each other. They will serve for mounting supporting profiles to them, into which the tile itself will be installed. In the photo, the master shows how the stripes run inside the entire already assembled structure.
	When the horizontal corners and vertical stripes are fixed to the stove wall, you can proceed to the manufacture of the profiles themselves into which the tiles will be installed. The figure shows the J-shape of the profile that should be the result. For each row of tiles being installed, you will need two profiles, which are installed above and below the height of the tile, forming a groove with sides.
	To manufacture these frame elements, you need to cut strips of 44 mm wide and a length equal to the width of the wall from a sheet of galvanized metal. If the furnace wall is too long, then it is better to make profiles no more than a meter long and join them together when installing the frame.
	J-shaped profiles are made using the same sheet bending device from timber with a metal plate. An important point is that it is necessary that the steel plate extends outward along the entire length of the beam by about 3 mm - this is required for the correct formation of the side.
	The strip for the future profile is laid on the edge of the sheet bending machine with a protrusion outwards initially of 3 mm. When installing the tiles on the wall, this side will serve as a holder for it.
	The thin metal is tapped with a mallet until the entire strip is L-shaped. Then the strip needs to be bent again to form a J-shaped profile. The workpiece is moved forward so that the shelf size is equal to the thickness of the tile + 1 mm. Another 1 mm is added - on the bend itself. For example, with a tile thickness of 6 mm, it is necessary to retreat 8 mm from the first angle obtained. We must remember that in order for the cladding to look neat, the sides must have the same width. The workpiece is again fixed with clamps and bent with a mallet. The three-millimeter protrusion of the metal plate ensures the correct formation of the entire profile.
	Having made the profiles, each of them is checked with a tile, which is placed over the side and moved. It should slide easily along the inner surface.
	This photo shows how the profiles are secured inside the structure.
	This shows how the profiles of two adjacent rows should be set in relation to each other.
	Installation of profiles is carried out from the baseboard. Exactly along its upper part, the lowest profile is fixed to the vertical stripes. To do this, through holes are drilled in the wide profile flange and strip, where the rivet is then installed. The second J-shaped strip is mounted along the line defining the top of the lowest row - for control, you can install two tiles along the edges. Next, close to the first row, guides for the second row are installed using the same principle - and so on until the very top.
	Having mounted a frame for two or three rows, tiles are installed in them. It is inserted between the upper and lower profiles, and pushed to the end of the wall - and so on until the entire row is filled with tiles. The result is a neat surface, and, as can be seen from the installation process, the tile can be replaced with a new one at any time if desired.
	After installing the tiles, you can proceed to closing the joints at the corners. Narrow, self-made corners are installed around the cooking chamber.
	Rounded metal corner pads are mounted on the outer corners, which are secured to the frame guides with self-tapping screws.
	It is advisable to line the inner walls of the cooking chamber with stainless steel sheets. Rectangular fragments of the required size are cut out of it, bent at the edges to obtain more reliable joints, since the panels at the corners are installed overlapping and screwed to the inner walls. After installing them, the surface can, if desired, be coated with heat-resistant black paint, which allows you to easily tidy up the chamber walls.

This method of finishing a stove is accessible even to those unfamiliar with the art of a tiler or stove maker. If carry out work correctly, carefully calculating your actions, the cladding will turn out no worse than one made using the technology of laying tiles with glue. Another advantage of this installation method is that, using frame rows, you can lay out any pattern from tiles of different colors, having prepared its diagram in advance.

There are fireplaces and stoves in almost every private home. To decorate these structures, tiles are usually used. However, not every tile is suitable for these purposes. It must meet many requirements, which is determined by the specific operation of the furnaces. After reading the article, you will learn what tiles are available for cladding stoves, as well as how to lay them correctly so that the tiles last as long as possible.

Stoves and fireplaces belong to the category of structures that heat up to very high temperatures. For this reason, fireproof tiles for the stove should be selected primarily based on this important factor. When buying facing material in a store, it is recommended to give preference to a product that meets the following requirements:

• Heat resistance - the tile must provide maximum resistance to high temperatures without the slightest sign of deformation
• The heat accumulation and release rates must be very high
• High strength and wear resistance are a very important indicator, indicating the long service life of the decorative facing layer
• Environmental safety - heating contributes to the release of various substances into the environment. For this reason, it is very important that the tiles do not contain harmful and toxic elements.
• Minimum level of material porosity and material moisture absorption. Otherwise, microscopic pores may appear in large numbers, which leads to a decrease in rigidity and, as a consequence, destruction of the tile.

For lining the stove you need to choose heat-resistant tiles

It is best to ask the seller in the store for a certificate confirming the quality of the product. In this case, you can be sure that the purchased tiles will fully comply with the required performance characteristics.

By following the tips below, you can choose the best tile for yourself that will suit your interior best:

1. 1. The optimal dimensions of tiles for the stove are 12x12 cm. Square tiles provide the necessary level of strength, rigidity and wear resistance.
2. 2. When deciding on the amount of facing material, you should always take it with a reserve. At best, the safety stock should be approximately 10 percent of the total. But if you have very little experience working with such material, then it is recommended to make an even larger reserve.
3. 3. Carefully inspect each tile for chips, cracks and other mechanical defects. If such defects are found, even on the reverse side, the tile should not be purchased, since over time it will burst under constant exposure to high temperatures.

Today, construction stores are able to offer a huge selection of facing materials for working with stoves. There are two main types of materials – artificial and natural. The most popular is the first group of products, which have undergone industrial processing with the addition of various components that increase reliability and fire resistance. Artificial heat-resistant tiles are made from special raw materials, after which they undergo a repeated firing process. Natural materials, which include jasper and marble, do not differ in such qualities, so we will not focus on them in detail.

Next, we will describe the main types of decorative artificial tiles for working with stoves and fireplaces. First of all, terracotta should be highlighted - it is a durable and stylish tile that has been known for several millennia. Thus, even the architects of Ancient Rome and Greece used similar material for cladding buildings and structures that required heat-resistant tiles. The cost is quite high, but the quality is fully justified by the large financial costs. It is distinguished by its original terracotta shade, which is how the tile got its name.

Majolica is also a very durable and beautiful tile, which, unlike terracotta, is also glazed. Tile was first imported from the Spanish island of Mallorca, which gave the tile its name. The cladding is attractive to buyers not only because of its high performance parameters, but also because of its beautiful and original appearance. However, the cost of tiles is even higher than that of terracotta, so for most home owners, purchasing majolica is a luxury.

Clinker tiles are a popular and relatively cheap facing material compared to the first two types, which were made from ceramics as an alternative to building bricks. The tiles are made from clay, which is then pressed and fired. Various additives are used in large quantities, for example, minerals and dyes, which ensures the required level of quality and reliability. Another important advantage of the tiles is their wide color palette, which allows you to choose exactly the shade that will fit perfectly into the interior of the room.

Tiles are another popular tile that is made from clay. A distinctive feature is the box-shaped shape, as well as the presence of unusual glaze patterns. Such ceramics boast the highest level of environmental safety, as well as remarkable heat-saving characteristics.

The tiles are distinguished by their box-shaped shape and glaze patterns.

Fireclay tiles are a fairly expensive product, the peculiarity of which is the addition of special fireclay material. This allows you to achieve the highest levels of heat resistance, moisture resistance, and strength. In addition, fireclay tiles look very beautiful thanks to a huge number of original patterns, shapes and sizes, which makes it possible to decorate the stove in any style.

The choice of tile is not the only important factor when tiling a stove. Glue is of great importance. In this case, only one type of glue may be suitable - heat-resistant. Give your choice to those compounds that have non-volatile compounds. This is due to the fact that when working with such an adhesive solution there is no release of harmful toxic substances or unpleasant odors, so there is no need to constantly open windows and ventilate the premises. In addition, the glue must also be moisture resistant in order to provide the necessary level of adhesion and adhesion of the tiles to the wall surface.

So, the tiles have been selected and purchased, which means you can get to work. Naturally, heat-resistant tiles for stoves and fireplaces are not all we need for work. Important tools and materials include the following:

• Wire brush
• Building level
• Paint brush
• Master OK
• Rubber spatula
• Cutter
• Crosses

Work begins with cleaning the surface and plastering

• Step 1 - cleaning the surface. As is the case with facing any other surfaces, the oven must be prepared for finishing activities. Using a wire brush, you will need to thoroughly clean the surface of the fireplace from plaster, dirt and dust. Now we mix the cement-sand mortar that we will need for plaster. The proportion for the solution is three parts water with sand to one part cement. Before plastering, you should slightly moisten the stove using a paint brush.
• Step 2 – preparation for cladding. The next step is to putty the fireplace, which will require a medium-sized spatula. Carefully walk over the entire area, filling any potholes or cracks. Experts advise after this to install a narrow-mesh fiberglass mesh, attaching it with dowels and construction nails. This will greatly simplify the process of tiling the fireplace.
• Step 3 – laying the tiles. You need to start working from the first bottom row. Everything must be done very carefully and carefully, without unnecessary haste. If the stove tiles in the first row are not laid evenly enough, then all subsequent rows will also look completely unpresentable. For these purposes, we need a building level along with crosses. It is necessary to install several crosses on each side, as well as one element in the crosshair. The glue is applied only to the tiles; in this case, the surface of the oven is not impregnated with the solution. Using a spatula, carefully smooth the adhesive onto the tile; its thickness should not exceed 5 mm. Next, the tile is applied to the wall and pressed with little force.

• Step 4 – jointing. After laying the tiles, you need to allow about a day for the glue to dry and the tiles to adhere tightly to the wall surface. For jointing, it is recommended to use special grout, but the same glue that remains after laying the tiles can also be used. Using a spatula with a rubber tip, all seams are filled with the compound, and the remaining solution is carefully removed with a regular dry sponge.
• Step 6 – final cleaning. This is the last step of the whole process. Here we will need such auxiliary devices as a sponge or grater covered with foam rubber. We thoroughly wash the surface of the fireplace, remove all remnants of mortar, plaster, and glue. Your oven is now ready to use. Just a few days after finishing laying the heat-resistant tiles, you can safely light the fireplace and enjoy the beautiful and original design that brings warmth and comfort to your home.

Recently, brick ovens have begun to gain popularity again, and in private homes you can increasingly see a design that instantly makes the environment warm and cozy. But in order for the stove to serve for a long time and delight the residents with its beauty all this time, it must be lined. Typically, ceramic tiles are used for this, and today we will talk about the varieties of this material and how to cladding a stove with your own hands.