- 7 min reading time
The CERAMIN renovation guide
Find out everything about the material, its areas of application, advantages and how you can install CERAMIN yourself in our CERAMIN renovation guide. Here we summarise everything important for you, including practical instructions.
Content
- What is CERAMIN?
- Why CERAMIN®?
- CERAMIN on the wall and on the floor - here we go
- Downloads
- Restrictions in the application
- Tool
- The underground
- Cutting CERAMIN Tiles to size
- Apply adhesive
- Laying CERAMIN Tiles
- Installing CERAMIN Tiles in wet areas
- Cleaning and care
- Costs for renovation in the house
- Set aside renovation costs
- Cost estimates
- CERAMIN for all rooms
- Living room, bedroom and children's room
- High-quality design variety - living room
- Peace and warmth - living room and bedroom
- Healthy living - bedrooms and children's rooms
- Waterproof and hygienic - bathroom and kitchen
- Savings potential and service life - all rooms
What is CERAMIN?
CERAMIN ist der Werkstoff für CERAMIN Tiles. »Tiles« bedeutet übersetzt Fliese. Doch ebendieser deutsche Begriff wird immer noch weitestgehend mit Keramik- und Steinfliesen assoziiert. Das kann zu Missverständnissen führen. Deswegen haben wir uns für den englischsprachigen Begriff »Tiles« entschieden.
CERAMIN is composed as follows:
- 60 % natural and regional raw materials
- 40 % nachhaltig recycelbares und recyceltes Polypropylen (PP)
CERAMIN is certified with the "Blue Angel" of the Federal Government and the environmental seal "eco Institute".
We, the CLASSEN Group, hold the patent on the formulation and production of CERAMIN. This means one hundred percent control over the ingredients as well as their further development. No supply problems, no import difficulties, but guaranteed availability, complete quality control and guaranteed safety for the environment, our health and that of our children.
Why CERAMIN®?
CERAMIN is a synthetic material and synthetic floor and wall coverings have versatile advantages in application compared to all other materials. They thus compete with: ceramics, natural stone, glass, wood, linoleum, laminate and natural woods. The most important advantages are:
- Comparatively good price-performance ratio
- Thin (3 mm) but robust, durable, tiles do not break
- do not need joints = less pollution potential
- can be laid glued or floating
- Easy to install even for the ambitious layman
- slip and water resistant
- 60 % lighter than ceramic tiles of the same size
- easy to maintain
- wide variety of designs
Unfortunately, this is offset by considerable disadvantages in production, unless it is CERAMINE. Many plastics still contain toxic plasticisers (phthalates). Why? Because they are officially listed as hazardous substances (to health), but are not (yet) banned. This is especially true for PVC.
There are also harmless plasticisers and polymers (plastics) that can be recycled several times, but what use is that if no manufacturer in Germany has to label what materials their products are made of? The buyer has no choice, he has two options:
- Guessing and trusting that somehow everything is not so bad, or
- Relying on a plastic like CERAMIN, which ...
- is 100 percent free of PVC and hazardous plasticisers,
- is 100 per cent made in Germany,
- is 100 per cent recyclable without any loss of quality,
- already consists predominantly of recycled material and
- whose product properties also meet the highest standards in comparison with all other materials.
CERAMIN on the wall and on the floor - here we go
You don't have to be a professional to mount CERAMIN on the wall or lay it on the floor. We summarise below how easy and quick it is.
You can also look up everything again in detail in these downloads.
Restrictions in the application
As wall cladding and flooring, CERAMIN Tiles are suitable for the entire domestic sector as well as office and administrative buildings. CERAMIN Tiles have not yet been approved for ...
- Outdoor areas such as terrace, balcony, conservatory.
- the immediate area around cooking areas with an open flame (e.g. gas cooker)
There are minimum distances for the area around tiled stoves and heating fireplaces. - Saunas and wet rooms (e.g. laundry rooms with floor drains) with water impact classes W2-I and W3-I defined according to DIN EN 18534.
In contrast, CERAMIN Tiles are not only approved for use in damp rooms (e.g. bathrooms, toilets, etc.), they are even extremely suitable.
Tool
You can rarely have enough tools and aids. The following list is a recommendation for the installation of CERAMIN Tiles on walls and floors. You will have many of these in your well-stocked household anyway - or in your neighbour's household.
- Waterproofing gun
- Work trestles & worktop
- Drilling machine with circular drill (for connection holes)
- Cutter knife
- Bucket
- Guide rail
- Rubber board (for pressing on during gluing)
- Hammer (with rubber head)
- Gloves
- Pry bar
- Measuring tape
- Measuring tool
- Plaster (tested for you)
- Detergent (for in between)
- Sandpaper
- Protective goggles (if necessary respiratory protection for sanding and preparation of the substrate)
- Spatula
- Screwdriver
- Wrenchs
- Silicone sealant
- Syringe (cartridge press)
- Jigsaw or hand-held circular saw (for cutting to size)
- Extension cable
- Angle measure (made of metal)
- Toothed spatula
The underground
Check: Floors and walls must be load-bearing, existing tiles can simply be pasted over.
Clean: The substrate for CERAMIN Tiles must be permanently dry and free of grease and dust. Remove loose parts and non-waterproof coatings.
Equalise: Level out unevenness and short-wave heels with filler.
Underfloor heating: CERAMIN Tiles can be laid on underfloor heating systems without any problems, provided they are firmly installed in the screed and do not exceed 29° Celsius.
Apply adhesive
Adhesive: You have a Selection met.
Toothed spatulaWe recommend size B1 (level surface), size B3 (rough surface), size C1 (over old tiles).
ApplyApply the adhesive evenly over the entire surface.
Adhesive quantity: Apply only as much adhesive as you can cover within max. 40 minutes.
Anbringen
Processing instructionsSome adhesives require the CERAMIN Tiles to be moistened before application. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions.
AdhereApply the tiles, align them and then press them firmly into place.
Plugging together: On the wall, the tongue (bulge of the edge) points upwards and the groove downwards. This prevents collected moisture.
ContaminantsRemove adhesive residues on the CERAMIN Tiles immediately with cleaning cloths, nail varnish or spirit.
Area limitationCircumferential joints to other surfaces should be 5 mm. Fill these joints with natural stone silicone after drying for at least 12 hours.
Installing CERAMIN Tiles in wet areas
WaterproofingIn bathrooms, showers, etc., waterproofing must be ensured in accordance with the requirements of DIN 18534 "Waterproofing of interiors".
Natural silicone: Always use natural silicone for sealing.
Full bondingFull adhesion of the CERAMIN Tiles to the substrate is mandatory.
Shower tray/tubFollow the sequence: first install and seal the shower tray, then glue the CERAMIN Tiles to the wall and floor.
Shower: Elements of the shower enclosure must be mounted on the wall before installing the CERAMIN Tiles.
RecessesRecesses for fittings and other connections must be sealed with sealing sleeves according to DIN 18534.
No-GoThe mounting of components on CERAMIN Tiles is not permitted.
Cleaning & Care
Good: pretty much all commercially available cleaning agents
Badaggressive, e.g. cleaning agents containing chlorine, abrasive scouring agents, steel wool.
TipIf unsure, try carefully on a less visible area.
Costs for renovation in the house
When we talk about costs, it is important to distinguish between the terms.
Renovation includes work that primarily changes the look/aesthetics. This includes, among other things, the replacement of floors or wall coverings.
Redevelopment primarily includes repairs to complete renewals of structural and technical equipment that significantly increase the value of a property.
Modernisierung means replacing something, regardless of its condition, with the aim of improving it. This could be, for example, a stair lift for senior citizens or accessibility in general.
This may sound like splitting hairs and there is little agreement about it even in the specialist media. But if you want to hire craftsmen or architects, for example, then such a distinction can quickly come into play.
The central cost factors for a renovation are:
- Age, type of construction and state of preservation of the building fabric
- Extent of the measures (sqm, number of rooms)
- Cost of materials
- Craftsmen's costs
Set aside renovation costs
The Federal Association of German Housing Companies recommends setting aside a certain amount each year for upcoming renovations within the house.
Roughly speaking, 7-8 euros per square metre per year is a good basis. The longer you unnecessarily delay a renovation, the more expensive it becomes. This often applies to both acquisition and craftsmen's costs. With a view to the above-mentioned cost factors, one should pay particular attention to the building fabric. This means: with a new building, you can start with maybe 6 euros per square metre, with an old building, on the other hand, you can start with 11 euros.
Cost estimates
Where do you start, where do you stop? There are (reputable) guides where you will even find the material costs for painting the individual heating fins listed.
We set average renovation costs (incl. material and craftsman costs) for house and flat and per square metre as follows:
für Haus und Wohnung und pro Quadratmeter wie folgt an:
- Painting work, interior 15-40 €
- Painting work, facade 30-80 €
- Wallpapering 30-60 €
- Tile replacement/installation 50-200 €
- Laminate laying/replacement from ab 35 €
- Laying/replacing carpet from ab 40 €
- Laying/replacing linoleum from ab 50 €
- Sanding and sealing parquet* 100-200 €
- Laying/replacing natural stone tiles 100-200 €
- Painting doors 10-35 €
- Painting windows 20-40 €
*Taking good care of parquet and sanding it down if necessary is usually much cheaper than laying new parquet.
The share of the craftsmen's costs can be more than 50 percent. It is therefore always worth considering which work you can do alone and with family/friends. However, you should also bear in mind that renovating wet rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens is often more time-consuming and expensive. This is mainly due to the water and sewage connections. Corresponding connections in the walls must be taken into account, as well as wet rooms, waterproofing and areas with particular heat generation (cooker, cooking areas, etc.).
Therefore, for comparison purposes, here is a list of the pure material costs for the most common wall and floor coverings:
Ceramic tilesdepending on quality and size, between 20 and 60 euros per square metre.
Natural stone: depending on the type and quality of the stone, between 50 and 300 euros per square metre.
Parquet floor: is one of the more expensive floor coverings, with prices between 30 and 200 euros per square metre.
Laminateis priced between 10 and 50 euros per square metre, depending on the quality.
Vinyl and plastic flooring, CERAMIN Tiles:: depending on quality and design, such coverings are well priced at 10 to 50 euros per square metre.
Carpetcan be priced at 15 and 80 euros per square metre.
Cork (floor covering):: kostet zwischen 30 und 80 Euro pro Quadratmeter.
Linoleum (floor covering): is priced between 20 and 70 euros per square metre.
CERAMIN for all rooms
CERAMIN Tiles on the wall and on the floor are a good choice for any interior including wet rooms with wet cells.
It is important to ensure that the CERAMIN Tiles are completely sealed and that there is a minimum distance to open fires such as in fireplaces, open ovens or around gas cookers.
High-quality design variety - living room
CERAMIN offers you several collections for walls and floors with a variety of designs from natural stones to looks without grain and woods.
By individually cutting the tiles to size, right up to large-format surfaces in one piece, as well as the option of laying them without joints, you can create high-quality and elegant-looking surfaces for every taste.
Peace and warmth - living room and bedroom
CERAMIN products have a significantly better impact sound insulation than natural stone or ceramic. Important for flats with several floors!
CERAMIN is significantly cheaper than natural stone or parquet. This does not only refer to the purchase price. It is also easier to install (optionally also floating) than ceramic, natural stone or parquet. You save on craftsmen's costs.
In addition, CERAMIN is warmer to the feet than ceramic and natural stone, but still effective in combination with underfloor heating. Ceramic and natural stone are more heat-conductive, but also less energy-saving.
Healthy living - bedrooms and children's rooms
In addition to an acceptable feel-good atmosphere, the healthy living factor also plays an important role in the bedroom. After all, we spend an average of about one third of our lives in this room. Inferior floor coverings or floor coverings contaminated with harmful substances can therefore have an enormous impact on health and sleep quality.
To put it bluntly: it is quite astonishing how uncritically floor coverings are recommended for children's rooms that can pose avoidable health risks.
Many plastic floors contain plasticisers and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) floors in particular have a plasticiser content of up to 30 percent. These are plasticisers in the category of phthalates. These are officially on the list of hazardous substances in Germany, but this has not yet stopped anyone from banning PVC.
These plasticisers escape from the PVC over time. A process that takes place in a much more concentrated form through contact with liquids such as water, sweat or saliva.
Carpeting not only binds dust, but is generally very good at binding bacteria and other pollutants. Ceramic and natural stone pose a particularly high risk in case of falls due to their hardness.
For children's rooms, only linoleum, cork or CERAMIN flooring can be recommended without reservation.
Waterproof and hygienic - bathroom and kitchen
For decades, ceramic and natural stone tiles were unrivalled in wet rooms (with and without wet rooms such as baths and showers). But CERAMIN in particular can score points here in almost all important aspects.
CERAMIN is waterproof, but must also be glued down here and not laid as a floating floor. CERAMIN tiles can be joined together without joints. This contributes significantly to long-lasting hygiene. In contrast to ceramic and natural stone, CERAMIN is considerably more slip-resistant. Larger puddles are no problem if you wipe them up afterwards. But who voluntarily leaves their kitchen and bathroom under water for days on end?
In terms of maintenance, CERAMIN does not really differ from ceramic and natural stone. The surfaces can be wiped with a damp cloth using commercially available cleaners.
Savings potential and service life - all rooms
In addition to the comparatively low material costs, CERAMIN can also be installed by the ambitious do-it-yourselfer without any problems. You save on craftsmen's costs, which always represent a large part of the renovation costs. We give a guarantee of at least 15 years for CERAMIN products. However, 20 years and more are no longer uncommon, as is the case with many synthetic floors.
CERAMIN Tiles are not only high quality and versatile in design. Thanks to their 100 percent recyclability without any loss of quality and 0 percent of questionable or hazardous ingredients, they make an important contribution to the environment and healthy living in your home.
We wish you a beautiful home with CERAMIN.
