ISO/TR 17870-1:2015

Ceramic tiles - Guidelines for installation - Part 1: Installation of ceramic wall and floor tiles

ISO/TR 17870-1:2015 defines the quality of ceramic tiling and provides guidance for materials selection, installation and use, to achieve required levels of quality and performance. It considers aspects related to the specification and installation of the tiling project, in terms of: - manufacture and distribution of the materials (ceramic tiles, adhesives, grouts, etc.); - specification of the tiling; - installation of the tiling (tile fixing operations). It is applicable to internal and external floor and wall ceramic tiling, installed by either cement mortar or other adhesive methods. NOTE The quality of ceramic tiling depends on the following general characteristics: - regularity; - durability; - safety. The durability of the tiling can depend on its use and management.

Carreaux et dalles céramiques — Lignes directrices pour l'installation — Partie 1: Installation des carreaux et dalles céramiques au sol et aux murs

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 12-Aug-2015
• ICS: 91.100.23 - Ceramic tiles
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 189 - Ceramic tile
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 189/WG 6 - Installation methods
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Start Date: 14-Nov-2023
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Overview

ISO/TR 17870-1:2015 - Ceramic tiles - Guidelines for installation - Part 1: Installation of ceramic wall and floor tiles provides guidance to achieve required levels of quality and performance for ceramic tiling. It covers materials selection, specification, installation techniques and post‑installation treatment for internal and external floor and wall ceramic tiling, installed by cement mortar or other adhesive methods. The standard emphasizes three general quality characteristics: regularity, durability, and safety.

Keywords: ISO/TR 17870-1:2015, ceramic tiles, tile installation guidelines, tile installation standard, adhesives, grouts.

Key Topics and Technical Requirements

• Scope and terminology: Definitions for components (backgrounds, tile bed, movement joint, primer, waterproofing membrane) and tiling techniques (bonded, floating, buttering, direct bedding).
• Exchange of information: Requirements for clear communication among designers, specifiers, manufacturers and installers to ensure correct materials and conditions for tile installation.
• Materials: Guidance on selection, storage and compatibility of basic materials - ceramic tiles, adhesives, grouts and ancillary products (primers, membranes).
• Specification: How to specify project data, backgrounds, performance criteria, compatibility and safety considerations for the tiling system.
• Installation procedures: Planning, control of environmental conditions, substrate preparation, bedding application, tile fixing methods and movement joint installation.
• Quality characteristics: Guidance on achieving and specifying tolerances for regularity (flatness, levelness, plumbness), lipping, slip resistance and durability.
• Initial cleaning, protection and maintenance: Recommendations for initial cleaning, temporary sealers, surface treatments and ongoing maintenance to extend service life.

Note: ISO/TR 17870-1 is a technical report; it provides guidance rather than mandatory performance values. It references related product standards for tiles, adhesives and grouts.

Practical Applications and Who Uses It

• Architects and specifiers: Use the guidance to select compatible tiles, adhesives, jointing systems and to write clear installation specifications.
• Tile contractors and installers: Reference practical installation methods, substrate preparation and movement joint placement to meet quality expectations.
• Manufacturers and suppliers: Ensure product guidance (adhesives, grouts, backer boards, membranes) aligns with installation practices.
• Facility managers and building owners: Understand maintenance, protection and durability factors that affect life‑cycle performance.
• Inspectors and quality assurance personnel: Assess tiling projects against recommended tolerances and installation practices.

Benefits: reduces installation defects, improves durability and safety, and supports coordinated project delivery for ceramic tile installations.

Related Standards

• ISO standards for ceramic tiles and for adhesives/grouts (see ISO 13007 family).
• ISO/TR 17870-2: Installation of thin ceramic wall and floor tiles and panels (companion document).

Standards Content (Sample)

TECHNICAL ISO/TR
REPORT 17870-1
First edition
2015-08-15
Ceramic tiles — Guidelines for
installation —
Part 1:
Installation of ceramic wall and floor
tiles
Carreaux et dalles céramiques — Lignes directrices pour
l’installation —
Partie 1: Installation des carreaux et dalles céramiques au sol et aux
murs
Reference number
©
ISO 2015
© ISO 2015, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]
www.iso.org
ii © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Terms and definitions . 1
2.1 General . 1
2.2 Components of ceramic tiling . 2
2.3 Tiling techniques and operations . 3
2.4 Characteristics/aspects of ceramic tiling . 4
3 Exchange of information . 4
4 Materials . 5
4.1 General . 5
4.2 Basic materials . 5
4.3 Basic information . 6
5 Specification . 7
5.1 General . 7
5.2 The project data . 7
5.2.1 Installation location and working conditions . 7
5.2.2 Backgrounds . 7
5.3 Selection and specification of the materials . 9
5.3.1 Criterion of performance . 9
5.3.2 Criterion of compatibility . 9
5.3.3 Criterion of safety.10
5.4 Specification of the tiling .10
5.4.1 Tiling system .10
5.4.2 Tile joints .10
5.4.3 Movement joints .11
6 Installation .11
6.1 General .11
6.2 Analysis of the specification and planning of the work .12
6.3 Control of environmental conditions .12
6.4 Storage and control of the materials .12
6.5 Control and preparation of the background, preparation of the bedding material,
application of bedding and tiles .13
6.6 Installation of movement joints .13
6.7 Cleaning and protection .14
7 Quality of ceramic tiling: characteristics and requirements .14
7.1 General characteristics of ceramic tiling .14
7.2 Guidelines for the specification of requirements and their recommended tolerances .14
7.2.1 General.14
7.2.2 Regularity .14
7.2.3 Durability .17
7.2.4 Safety .17
8 Initial cleaning, protection, and maintenance .18
8.1 General .18
8.2 Initial cleaning .18
8.3 Protection .18
8.4 Treatment .19
8.4.1 Surface waterproofing treatments .19
8.4.2 Temporary tile sealers .19
8.5 Maintenance .19
Bibliography .20
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 189, Ceramic tile.
ISO/TR 17870 consists of the following parts, under the general title Ceramic tiles — Guidelines for
installation:
— Part 1: Installation of ceramic wall and floor tiles
— Part 2: Installation of thin ceramic wall and floor tiles and panels
iv © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

Introduction
There are currently International Standards available for
— ceramic tiles, and
— adhesives and grouts for tiles.
NOTE ISO 13007-5, dealing with liquid-applied waterproofing membranes for use beneath ceramic tiling
bonded with adhesives, is under preparation.
For these products to give satisfactory service, they need to be selected and installed competently, and
they have to receive appropriate initial treatment, protection, and maintenance.
Some countries have published standards and/or guides that specify the design and installation of
ceramic tiling. The purpose of ISO/TR 17870 is to foster good installation practices for ceramic wall and
floor tiles, internationally.
TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/TR 17870-1:2015(E)
Ceramic tiles — Guidelines for installation —
Part 1:
Installation of ceramic wall and floor tiles
1 Scope
This part of ISO/TR 17870 defines the quality of ceramic tiling and provides guidance for materials
selection, installation and use, to achieve required levels of quality and performance.
It considers aspects related to the specification and installation of the tiling project, in terms of:
— manufacture and distribution of the materials (ceramic tiles, adhesives, grouts, etc.);
— specification of the tiling;
— installation of the tiling (tile fixing operations).
It is applicable to internal and external floor and wall ceramic tiling, installed by either cement mortar
or other adhesive methods.
NOTE The quality of ceramic tiling depends on the following general characteristics:
— regularity;
— durability;
— safety.
The durability of the tiling can depend on its use and management.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
2.1 General
2.1.1
ceramic tiling
ceramic tiles installed, together with its associated bedding and jointing
2.1.2
design (of ceramic tiling)
specification (of ceramic tiling)
selection of ceramic tiles, backgrounds, fixing methods, and fixing and jointing materials as appropriate
for the structure and intended use
2.1.3
installation (of ceramic tiling)
tile fixing
application of ceramic tiling in accordance with the specification
2.2 Components of ceramic tiling
2.2.1
background
material system used as a base over which the ceramic tile is to be fixed
2.2.2
filling out layer
separate application of material to achieve the required vertical flatness (walls)
EXAMPLE Plaster, render, proprietary tile backer boards.
2.2.3
fixing surface
plane rigid surface upon which the tile is fixed
2.2.4
insulating layer
layer included to obtain sound or thermal insulation
2.2.5
intermediate joint
movement joint to divide large areas of tiling into smaller, approximately square areas
2.2.6
levelling layer
layer applied to compensate for unevenness and differences in height of the base or to accommodate
services (floors)
2.2.7
movement joint
joint in tiles, backgrounds, or substrates, designed to accommodate movement
Note 1 to entry: Types of movement joints: structural joint, perimeter joint, intermediate joint.
2.2.8
perimeter joint
movement joint to isolate the ceramic tiling from adjacent building elements
2.2.9
primer
fluid material, used separately or mixed with binder to form a slurry, applied as a thin layer to improve
adhesion of the bedding to the background, or to isolate the bedding material from the background surface
2.2.10
separating layer
material which separates layers within the tiling system
2.2.11
structural joint
movement joint in ceramic tiling to correspond with structural movement joint in the background
2.2.12
tile bed
bedding
layer of specified materials in which the tile is set and which bonds the tiles to the background
2.2.13
tile joint
space between adjacent tiles
2 © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

2.2.14
waterproofing membrane
continuous layer of impervious material to resist the passage of water
2.3 Tiling techniques and operations
2.3.1
bonded method
floor tiling laid with a system which ensures that the bedding is bonded to the background
2.3.2
buttering method
adhesive or mortar applied to the back of the tiles, just before the tile is placed
2.3.3
contact area
proportion of the tile back and/or background support that is in contact with the bedding after the tile
has been fixed into position
2.3.4
direct bedding
tile fixing directly onto a structural background
2.3.5
floating method
adhesive or mortar applied to the fixing surface, just before the tile is placed
2.3.6
floating and buttering method
adhesive or mortar applied to the fixing surface and to the back of the tile, just before the tile is placed
2.3.7
grouting
operation of filling the joint space between tiles other than at movement joints
2.3.8
maintenance (of ceramic tiling)
all aspects of the cleaning, treatment, and periodic repair of damage to the ceramic tiling
2.3.9
plastering
application of a gypsum plaster to a vertical background
2.3.10
rendering
application of a cement mortar to a vertical background
2.3.11
screeding
application of a screed on a floor background
2.3.12
tanking
application of an impermeable layer beneath tile and bedding to prevent water penetration into the
background
2.3.13
unbonded method
any method of laying floors which provides separation of the tiling system from the background
2.4 Characteristics/aspects of ceramic tiling
2.4.1
durability
quality of tiling which maintains its characteristics over time
2.4.2
flatness
conformity of the surface of the tiling to a theoretical plane within an allowable tolerance
2.4.3
levelness
conformity of the surface of floor tiling to a fixed horizontal level within an allowable tolerance
2.4.4
lipping
deviation between tile surfaces either side of a joint (including movement joints)
2.4.5
plumbness
conformity of the surface of wall tiling, designed to be vertical, to a fixed plane within an allowable
tolerance
2.4.6
slip resistance
ability of a floor tile to provide sufficient friction to resist slipping by pedestrians
3 Exchange of information
In order for the correct floor/wall covering to be installed in appropriate conditions, at the right time,
etc., it is essential that all parties have a clear understanding of the requirements of the project. To
ensure that this is achieved, it is essential that there is wide consultation between all the parties
involved in the project, including client, sub-contractors, and materials suppliers.
As each project will be unique, it is impossible to give a definitive list of the information to be exchanged,
but the following are common examples.
a) Specification: the information required (see Clause 5).
b) Special attendances: access, unloading, hoisting and storage facilities, heat, light and power, and
any additional items considered necessary to expedite the work.
c) Materials: technical specification and instructions for transport, storage, use.
d) Backgrounds: type and age of construction; location within the building; type, characteristics
(mechanical strength, deformation, etc.), and regularity of background (see Clause 5); and any need
for an intermediate substrate or for movement joints.
e) Associated work: services embedded in or passing through the backgrounds and junctions with
other adjacent finishes
f) Finishes: type, size, and colour of tiles and layout requirements.
g) Installation: type and technique (see Clause 6).
h) Programme: a time schedule for the progress of the work taking into consideration drying and
curing periods of backgrounds and tiling until completion.
4 © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

4 Materials
4.1 General
This clause identifies and lists the materials that can be involved in a ceramic tiling installation, and
defines the main information and rules that apply to these materials.
The identification and selection of materials suitable for any given application are aspects of the
specification. The relative criteria are therefore set out in 5.3.
4.2 Basic materials
The basic materials for tiling are the following:
— finishing layer:
— ceramic tiles;
— cementitious grouts;
— reaction resin grouts;
— pre-prepared or proprietary grouts;
— bedding:
— mortar;
— cement;
— other binders;
— sand and aggregates (gravel, crushed stone, etc.);
— water;
— admixtures;
— adhesives;
— movement joints:
— sealants;
— primers;
— back-up materials;
— special components (profiles, etc.).
Additional intermediate layers can be the following:
— primers;
— separating layer;
— filling out layer;
— levelling layer;
— anti-fracture/de-coupling membranes;
— waterproofing membrane;
— insulating layers (sound, thermal);
— reinforced screed, etc.
4.3 Basic information
For each material, the following basic information should be provided.
a) Classification
With reference to the existing International Standards, see Bibliography.
b) Safety requirements
c) Materials transport, storage, use
d) Technical information
The technical information for a given material is usually in the form of a document, supplied by
the manufacturer, containing a list of the technical characteristics as specified in the standards
(where available, see Bibliography; otherwise, in other technical documents) and the results of the
respective measurements, carried out according to the standardized test methods.
The information document is a basic requirement for the correct and knowledgeable selection,
application, and use of materials for tiling.
— All materials
— The delivery of materials should be so arranged as to minimize handling.
— Adequate precautions should be taken to prevent damage. Products should be stored in
clean, dry, frost free (if necessary) secure storage to avoid theft and damage.
— The materials should be transported, stored, prepared and used strictly in accordance with
the manufacturer’s instructions (when applicable).
— Cement and cement-based materials
— Cement should be stored under dry conditions, and used in order of delivery.
— Cement that contains air set lumps should not be used.
— Grout
— In order to avoid colour differences, sand and cement used for mixing grout should be from
the same batch.
— Sand and aggregates
— Sand and aggregates should be protected from contamination.
— Any contaminated sand or aggregates should not be used.
— Water
— Water should be clean. Seawater is not suitable.
— All containers used for storing or carrying water or for soaking tiles should be clean.
6 © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

5 Specification
5.1 General
The specification of ceramic tiling aims to identify and define, in any specific situation, one or more
correct fixing methods suitable to achieve an acceptable finish complying with the general requirements
of regularity, durability and safety (see Clause 7).
Specification is considered to be a duty of the designer or specifier in consultation with the project
owner and with the specification approved by the project owner.
5.2 The project data
The project information constitutes the basis of the tiling specification.
5.2.1 Installation location and working conditions
The following criteria should be considered at the design stage as a basis for the specification of the
materials and the tiling system.
Information on the location of the installation:
— the position of the tiling: horizontal (floors), vertical (walls), other (for example, inclined, vault,
ceiling, etc.);
— the location of the tiling: outdoor/external or indoor/internal;
— the nature of the location: private/residential or public;
— the destined use of the location: domestic, commercial or industrial;
— the specific activities which will be carried out in the tiled area.
Information on working conditions:
— climate (for external tiling);
— location (for example, urban, industrial, etc.) for external tiling;
— expected traffic type (for example, pedestrian, wheels, etc.) and intensity (for floors);
— expected static and dynamic loads on floor tiling;
— presence of water or other fluids on the tiled surface;
— presence of chemicals on the tiled surface.
The information above should be used to anticipate:
— the expected level of mechanical, abrasive, chemical wetting, and thermal loads acting on the tiling;
— general (not individual) requirements regarding safety (for example, slip resistance, hygiene, etc.)
or other additional requirements.
5.2.2 Backgrounds
The nature of the background is a prime consideration in deciding on the fixing method (specification
of materials, in particular, adhesives, and of the tiling system, as well as of any intermediate substrate
or other preparatory treatment that may be necessary before tiling). The characteristics of the
background that influence the choice of fixing method are summarized in Table 1.
The characteristics listed in Table 1 can be used as a framework in order to evaluate backgrounds in
the tiling design stage, as well as providing indications for the specification of the tiling system (5.4).
The following general rules should be adopted.
— Backgrounds for tiling should be sound and free from contamination.
— Cementitious backgrounds are subject to long-term shrinkage. The associated risks can be reduced
by selecting a suitable time schedule and materials used.
— Levelling and/or filling out layers should be used when desired by the project owner (especially
when tiling with adhesives) to achieve satisfactory surface regularity, to improve the background
flatness/finish, or to compensate for floors out of level and walls out of plumb.
— Special intermediate substrates can be used for waterproofing, or for sound /thermal insulation.
— Separating layers may, where appropriate, be used to avoid the effects of dimensional instability of
the background.
— In the case of deformable backgrounds, the application of a suita
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