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Large format tiles for internal tiling

We have doubled the grant rates for short course tiers 1 – 3. To address rising costs, you can now receive higher rates on course achievements from 1st April 2023

Grant Tier

Achievement date before 1 April 2023

Achievement date on or after 1 April 2023

Grant Tier 1

Grant Tier 1 Refresher

£30

£15

£60

£30

Grant Tier 2

Grant Tier 2 Refresher

£70

£35

£140

£70

Grant Tier 3

Grant Tier 3 Refresher

£120

£60

£240

£120

Overview

The purpose of this standard is to provide the candidate with the knowledge and skills to select and install large format internal tiles.

CITB has developed this standard in discussion with industry

Duration

Minimum 1 day of 6 learning hours

Purpose / scope

The purpose of this standard is to provide the candidate with the knowledge and skills to select and install large format internal tiles.

The scope of this standard covers:

  • safe work practices and contextual risk assessment
  • design considerations including
  • how to minimise waste/work
  • how to mechanically fix tiles
  • how to prepare backgrounds
  • how to select and apply suitable adhesives 
  • how to select and apply suitable grouts
  • quality and tolerances
  • how to select and install suitable movement joints
  • how to set out on walls and floors
  • how to cut tiles
  • how to fix tiles
  • how to clean and maintain tiles
  • how to work safely
  • main legislation, codes of practice, guides, and standards

Occupational relevance

Training delivered against this standard is relevant to the following occupational group(s):

  • operative and craft
  • supervision.

Candidate prerequisites

There are no candidate pre-requisites as part of this standard. However, a basic knowledge of tiling terminology and techniques would be beneficial.

Instruction / supervision

As a minimum, course instructors must be able to demonstrate that, in relation to this standard, they have:

  • A train the trainer or instructional techniques course certificate
  • Successfully completed training to this standard 
  • At least 2 years relevant industrial experience
  • A verifiable CV.

Delivery

The following method(s) may be used in the delivery of this standard:

  • classroom and workshop
  • on site in a safe and supervised environment

All materials and equipment must be of a suitable quality and quantity for candidates to achieve learning outcomes and must comply with relevant legislation.

The class size and candidate/instructor ratio must allow training to be delivered in a safe manner and enable candidates to achieve the learning outcomes.

This standard is considered to contain 51 per cent or more practical training.

Assessment

For the successful completion of training, candidates must complete an end of course practical assessment or knowledge test that measures the learning outcomes and has a pass or fail criteria.

Quality assurance

Quality assurance against this standard will require initial approval of the training organisation and their content mapped to the standard. 

CITB will also conduct an approval intervention, either desk-based or centre visit, to ensure the training organisation can meet the requirements of the Training Standard. 

Approved training organisations (ATOs) will be required to present information on records of training and assessment upon request to CITB for desk-based analysis. They will also be visited annually by the CITB quality assurance team.

Renewal/refresher

There are no mandatory renewal or recommended refreshment requirements for this standard.

Approval date

November 2018

Review cycle

Either on request or in 3 years from approval date.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

The candidate will be able to

Additional guidance to support learning outcome

Follow safe work practices and create a contextual risk assessment including:

  • plan, transport, weight, handling, storage, number of operatives, special equipment, and PPE for cutting & fixing

Tools and equipment

Samples

Suppliers/Manufacturer’s brochure

Manufacturer’s instructions

Video example of installation process

Videos of good and bad practice

Scenarios with photos to practice selection of: tiles, grouts, joints, and adhesives

SDS sheets for COSSH

Photos of good and bad installations

Print or PDF (full/extract) of relative standards, codes, and guides

Describe the design considerations including:

  • wall and floor substrates, backgrounds, sub-floors, large temperature changes, movement, background load bearing ability, stress, joints, tile weight per square metre, batch (colour, size etc)

Minimise waste/work, for example:

  • plan the layout, tile under the toilet pan, and re-use cut-offs
Mechanically fix tiles above first floor height
Prepare backgrounds including surface regularity (SR1)

Select and apply suitable adhesives for walls and floors, including: 

  • fixing technique for walls, and fixing on walls above/below 3m
Select and apply suitable grouts for walls and floors

Describe quality and tolerances of substrate, tiles, and fixing including:

  • joints, straightness, plumb, level, flatness, sizes, lipping, and surface irregularities
Select and install suitable movement joints

Set out on walls and floors including:

  • design cutting, wastage, cost, holes, lighting, surface flatness, maximum deviation, movement joints, bond pattern, and lipping

Cut tiles using hand/power tools such as:

  • wet cutters, dry cutters, snappers, scribes, snips, saws, files, diamond how saws
Fix tiles to walls and floors
Clean tiles and describe how to maintain them

Work safely including:

  • follow safe work practices
  • identify hazards
  • reduce/eliminate risks
  • use controls
  • use PPE

Examples of:

  • PPE
  • SDS sheets for COSSH
  • risk assessments
  • safe work practices/procedures

Comply with related legislation, codes of practice, and standards

Safety legislation (H&SAWA, COSSH, PUWER, LOLER, Work at Height), HSE guidance, manufacturer’s documents, British/EN/ISO Standards, codes of practice, association guidance, building regulations, SDS sheets, company procedures, risk assessments, safe work procedures, environmental protection, and use of PPE.

Additional information about this standard

Other organisations have relevant information for this standard

Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guides

Legislation

View relevant government legislation

  • Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
  • Workplace (health, safety & welfare) regulations 1992 
  • The Work at Height Regulations 2005
  • Work at Height (Amended) 2007
  • Personal Protection Equipment Regulations 2002 (PPE)
  • Personal Protection Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (PPE)
  • Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (1998 UK 1999 NI) PUWER
  • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
  • Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)
  • Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)
  • CDM Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 CDM
  • Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996
  • Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 as amended 2002
  • Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005
  • Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005

Building regulations

  • Building and Buildings, England and Wales: The Building Regulations 2010.
  • The Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004
  • Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

Approved documents (guidance for building regulations)

  • Resistance to the passage of sound: Approved Document E
  • Access to and use of buildings: Approved Document M

Building information modelling (BIM)

Work at Height Safety Association

  • The WAHSA Technical Guidance Notes  are a free resource, provided and maintained by WAHSA and its members. A reference for: specifiers, managers, and end users of fall protection equipment.

BS-EN-ISO standards

Miscellaneous

  • BS EN 131- 1 to 7: Ladders. Terms, types, sizes, requirements, testing, marking, user instructions
  • BS 8000-0: 2014. Workmanship on construction sites. Introduction and general principles. Note that this standard partially replaces/supersedes BS 8000-1 to 16.
  • BS 6093: 2006+A1:2013. Design of joints and jointing in building construction. Guide.

Substrates and screeds

  • BS EN 636-3: 2003 Plywood. Specifications
  • BS 4483: 2005. Steel fabric for the reinforcement of concrete. Specification. 
  • BS 8204-1 to 7 Screeds, bases and in situ floorings: Codes of practice. Concrete, cementitious levelling, polymer, terrazzo, mastic asphalt, synthetic resin, pumpable self-smoothing screeds

Wall and floor tiling, design & installation, code of practice

  • BS 5385-1: 2018 Ceramic, natural stone and mosaic wall tiling in normal internal conditions
  • BS 5385-2: 2015 External ceramic, natural stone and mosaic wall tiling in normal conditions
  • BS 5385-3: 2014 Internal and external ceramic and mosaic floor tiling in normal conditions
  • BS 5385-4: 2015 Ceramic and mosaic tiling in specific conditions
  • BS 5385-5: 2009 Terrazzo, natural stone and agglomerated stone tile and slab flooring

Ceramic tile specifications

  • BS EN ISO 10545- 1 to 16: Specifications for ceramic tiles including: dimensions, surface quality, water absorption, porosity, relative density, bulk density, modulus of rupture and breaking strength, impact resistance by measurement of coefficient of restitution, resistance to deep abrasion for unglazed tiles, resistance to surface abrasion for glazed tiles, linear thermal expansion, resistance to thermal shock, moisture expansion, crazing resistance for glazed tiles, frost resistance, chemical resistance, resistance to stains, lead and cadmium given off by glazed tiles, colour differences.
  • BS EN 14411: 2016 Definition, class’n, characteristics, assess, verify, performance, marking 
  • BS EN 14891: 2017 Liquid applied water impermeable products for use beneath ceramic tiling bonded with adhesives. Requirements, tests, assess, verify, performance, class, and marking

Stone products

  • BS EN 12057: 2015 Natural stone products. Modular tiles. Requirements
  • BS EN 14157: 2017 Natural stone test methods. Determination of the abrasion resistance 
  • BS EN 14618: 2009 Agglomerated stone. Terminology and classification 
  • BS EN 15285: 2008. Agglomerated stone. Modular tiles for floor and stairs (internal and external). 
  • BS EN 14617- 1 to 16 Agglomerated stone. Test methods: flexural strength (bending), apparent density and water absorption, electrical resistivity, chemical resistance, thermal shock resistance, freeze and thaw resistance, dimensional stability, abrasion resistance, resistance to fixing (dowel hole), linear thermal expansion coefficient, compressive strength, dimensions, geometry, surface quality, and impact resistance

Terrazzo tiles

  • BS EN 13748- 1 & 2: 2004 Terrazzo tiles for internal use, and external use

Grouts and adhesives

  • BS ISO 14448: 2016 Low modulus adhesives for exterior tile finishing.
  • BS EN 12004- 1 & 2: 2017 Adhesives for ceramic tiles. Requirements, assessment, verification, performance, classification, marking, and testing
  • BS EN 12808- 1 to 5: Grouts for tiles. Determination of: chemical resistance of reaction resin mortars, resistance to abrasion, flexural and compressive strength, shrinkage, and water absorption
  • BS ISO 13007- 1 to 5: Ceramic tiles. Grouts and adhesives. Terms, definitions, specifications for adhesives. Test methods for adhesives. Terms, definitions and specifications for grouts. Test methods for grouts. Requirements, tests, conformity, classification and designation of liquid-applied waterproofing membranes for use beneath adhesive-bonded ceramic tiling
  • BS EN 13888: 2009 Grout for tiles. Requirements, evaluation of conformity, class and designation