Planc

The Planc Series is designed to be installed as a highly calibrated natural stone tile without grout joints. The keys to a successful installation lay primarily in the flatness of the substrate and the installer's ability to start with a level course and maintain level courses throughout the installation. A standard tile wet saw is the ideal tool for cutting Planc Series veneer. If miter cuts are desired for inside and outside corner work, a wet saw with a tilting blade or miter cut attachment will also be needed. Here is a quick summary of the key components of a Planc Series installation: 1) Substrate. As with any vertical tile installation, an appropriate cementious substrate is required. Cement board is most common for interior projects, however unpainted brick, cmu / block, or a traditional lathe + masonry scratch coat are also suitable for both interior and exterior applications. Drywall / Sheetrock is not a suitable substrate for installing tile or stone on vertical surfaces as it is not designed to support the added weight and the outer paper layer of the drywall / sheetrock can fail over time causing an installation to destabilize or potentially fall off the wall. In addition to the right type of substrate, the wall should also be flat to within 1/8" over 10'. If your wall / substrate is outside of this tolerance a masonry skim coat, sometimes called a brown coat, can be used to bring it within tolerance. 2) Waterproofing. For exterior or wet installations, the appropriate waterproofing, and where applicable freeze/thaw anti fracture membranes, should be put in place between the substrate and the tile setting bed. Planc is suitable for use in exterior, wet , submerged, and freeze / thaw conditions provided the right setting material and installation system is used. Contact our team for any questions specific to your project. 3) Stone Setting/Patterning. Planc Series should only be set with polymer modified thinset that is rated at or above ANSI 118.4 and 118.11 adhesions standards. Mix the thinset per the manufacturer's recommendation and set the material using a 1/2" square notched trowel, screeding and notching the wall and lightly back buttering each tile to ensure full coverage. Press each tile firmly into the setting bed and periodically pull off a tile once its been set to ensure full coverage against the wall. Butt horizontal and vertical seams up tightly to achieve a groutless look. Special care should be taken to set the first course and achieve a level line by either selectively trimming or shimming the tiles and then maintaining level as subsequent courses are set. 4) Corners. Inside and outside corners are easily fabricated onsite from field tiles. Refer to the SPECIFICATIONS tab for more details and diagrams. Individual Plancs can be set along a corner in an alternating overlap pattern where the short edge (thickness) of the tile is exposed on each course, alternating on which side of the corner from one course to the other. A miter cut can also be used for inside and outside corners, as well as any off angle (non 90 degree) corners. 5) Sealing. Pre sealing prior to setting should be considered depending on the stone selected and the environment it is to be installed in. When pre sealing ensure that the product used is appropriate to work in conjunction with the selected tile adhesive. Otherwise most Planc Series colors should be sealed with a penetrating water based sealer. Different sealers can produce different effects on the stone, so be sure to test a sealer on a sample or off cut of tile before applying to the entire project. Note that acid should not be used to clean natural stone products. The benefit of the Planc Series is the high degree of calibration we are able to achieve with this product through our expertise in raw stone sourcing and decades of stone fabrication experience at our manufacturing center, simplying installations over well prepared substrates for both commercial and residntial applications alike.