Furnace lining with ceramic tiles: technology, requirements, photos

What is and purpose

Refractory tiles are, according to the definitions given in GOST 28874-2004 and GOST R 52918-2008, a type of molded refractory materials (products), since they are characterized by certain geometric shapes and standard sizes available for all serial products.
The main purpose of tiles made from both natural finishing stones and artificial ceramic materials, regardless of its type, be it ceiling, facade or floor, is decorative, protective cladding of the surfaces of building structures, heating household, industrial equipment, including stoves , fireplace, without which a modern bathhouse, sauna, residential or country house is impossible.

Fireproof materials and their fire resistance

Ceramic heat-resistant tiles are multifunctional products that allow solving several problems facing customers - from builders constructing objects for various purposes to private property owners:

Create a unique interior in a residential, country house, bathhouse, sauna, using fire-resistant tiles that are suitable/liked in appearance, texture, color, pattern for decorative cladding of the external surfaces of stoves, fireplaces, including fire-resistant cuts and offsets; as well as stationary grills and barbecues located in personal plots.
To provide protection against overheating of heating equipment, to reduce the possibility of thermal damage to people using it at home and at work.
Increase the heat capacity of stoves and fireplaces, increase the uniform heat transfer of heating units by creating even, smooth outer surfaces that effectively act as heat shields.

Properties and characteristics

Any types (types) of fire-resistant tile products, regardless of materials, methods of their manufacture, must have the properties required by construction, fire safety, and sanitary standards:

Fire resistance – the ability to withstand short-term temperature exposure up to 1000 ℃.
The maximum heating temperature on the outer surface during operation under normal conditions, which, depending on the category and purpose of the furnace equipment, varies in the range from 100 ℃ (moderate heating) to 120 ℃ (high temperature heating). The temperature limits for each type of refractory tile are determined during testing and are indicated in the accompanying technical documentation for each batch of products.

Determination of fire resistance limit

The absence of toxic substances in the composition, including those formed during high-temperature heating, which is solved by the use of fire-resistant natural raw materials or natural materials without harmful impurities.
Thermal conductivity, heat capacity, important properties that make it possible not to reduce the heat transfer of furnace equipment made of refractory bricks.
Low porosity, high density, low water absorption - all these properties are inextricably linked.
Fracture strength, point impact load.
Resistance of paint layers and enamel coatings to external influences.
Resistant to fading of original colors and designs.

Specifications:

Advantages of tiling

Any material intended for the construction and decoration of a fireplace surface has its advantages and disadvantages; the positive features of tiles, as well as ready-made installations with such finishing, include:

Fire resistance. Depending on the type of tile chosen, it can withstand heating temperatures of 600 degrees Celsius or higher.
Resistance to sudden changes and drops in temperature is noted. The surface of the products practically does not expand, completely ensuring the tightness of the furnace structure;
The cladding becomes a kind of surface protection, it allows you to preserve, accumulate, accumulate the generated thermal energy, increases efficiency and heat capacity to the maximum (80+ percent);
The appearance of the product becomes very interesting, stylish, and unique. A simple, monochromatic, faded brick, cast iron, or steel surface is hidden;
Resistance to impacts, deformations, melting, scratches ensure that over the years the product will not lose its original attractiveness, well-groomed appearance, bright colors, colors;
Simple care consists of simply periodically wiping the surface from dust, soot and soot; for this there is no need to use chemical or special expensive products;
The price of tiles can be different, the most affordable is ceramics, the intermediate option is artificial stone, majolica, tiles and natural minerals are considered the most expensive.

If you don’t have the energy or time to cladding your stove, electric fireplace, or bio-fireplace with your own hands, you can alternatively buy a completely finished cladding in our online store in any color, style, design, size, or arrangement. Delivery is carried out on favorable terms throughout Moscow and the region, prices for an assortment of domestic and foreign manufacturers are always acceptable.

List of materials for cladding stoves and fireplaces

Finishing the stove in the house with tiles allows you to recreate any style, for example, in the case of using plain products with a matte surface, you can recreate a style such as minimalism. By using smooth, mirror, glossy tiles of the same tone, professional designers recreate a modern style: high-tech and modern.

For classics, retro, Provence, fusion, loft, country, more unconventional, original tiles are suitable, in the form of mosaics, majolica, with drawings, patterns, paintings, ornaments, volumetric details, frames and edgings.

The main types of materials used for lining stoves and fireplaces:

Photo	Type of cladding	Description
	Tile	It differs in that you can buy such a product in almost any price range. The coating can have different colors, designs, patterns (volumetric, flat). The surface is glossy, mirror, matte. Positive qualities: durability, easy maintenance, fire resistance, resistance to damage. As a more expensive and versatile version of tiles, terracotta, porcelain stoneware, and tiles are used.
	Decorative plaster	It is characterized by quick application to the surface of the heating unit. It tolerates strong heat well, does not contain harmful impurities or caustic elements, and is used as an alternative to heat-resistant paints, varnish compositions, and mastics. Read also: Kitchen-living room design: how to hide the sink, stove and door handles? Decorative plaster can be advantageously combined with ceramic tiles, natural and artificial stone and even wood. The price of cladding is affordable compared to paints and tiles.
	Brick	The surface of a steel or cast iron firebox can be covered with brick; it is important that it be fireproof (kiln, fireclay). Classic wood stoves, which themselves are made of brick, can have additional lining with other materials, which are described in detail in this table. If you want to make the heating unit simple, it is recommended to simply treat the brick surface of the structure with a varnish composition, giving it a well-groomed, neat appearance. Brick can withstand strong heat, sudden temperature changes, and is resistant to impacts, scratches and damage.
	Fake diamond	A more affordable alternative than natural stone. The range includes a large number of various textures, colors, shapes. It is laid according to the principle of tiles and to a certain extent belongs to this category. Capable of imitating granite, marble, sandstone and a number of other popular, expensive materials. Strong, durable, fireproof, resistant to damage, and has a low coefficient of thermal expansion.
	Natural stone	The most expensive cladding method, which fully justifies its cost. It is fixed to the surface according to the principle of simple tiles; completely solid, monolithic portals for fireplace inserts are often made from marble and granite to order. Natural minerals do not burn, have a high degree of heat capacity, efficiency, and accumulate thermal energy well. It tolerates heating temperatures up to 1000 degrees Celsius and has a low coefficient of thermal expansion. Read also: Log house with a turnkey stove: fire safety. An example of calculating the number of bricks for a stove
	Tree	A material that is used for lining stoves, but it must be handled very carefully. First of all, it needs to be impregnated with a special thermal impregnation to avoid accidental fire or melting. Various patterns, decor, shelves, pedestals, columns for portals are often made from wood Cladding with such a coating is not recommended for solid fuel units. At the same time, the material is widely used for the manufacture of frames for electric fireplaces and false portals.

If you want to cover your heating hearth with a rather unique, expensive material, we recommend that you read this article from our thematic blog: “Tiled stove: characteristics, advantages, purpose.”

Types of heat-resistant tiles

Tiles for stoves and fireplaces are varied. Main types:

Terracotta;
Majolica;
Tile;
Clinker;
Tiles;
Fireclay;
Porcelain tiles;
Natural marble;
Fake diamond.

Terracotta

Similar tiles for fireplaces and stoves are characterized by a rough surface, imitating brick and natural stone. It can be used indoors or outdoors. Terracotta heat-resistant tiles are successfully used in saunas and baths. It is made from dense pressed clay.

The stove in the cottage is lined with Terracotta tiles.

Warm wall.

Important material characteristics:

Impact resistance and durability;
Resistance to sudden temperature changes;
Fire resistance - it is produced at a temperature of 1100ºС;
Steam and water resistance;
Good adhesion to any adhesive base;
High heat transfer, which is due to the textured surface, and thermal expansion corresponds to a similar characteristic of oven bricks.

Video:

Majolica

Majolica is a tile made of fired clay, covered with glaze. Often a decorative design is applied to the surface. The elements are made by hand, the high price corresponds to the labor costs. Sometimes it is combined with Metlakh tiles. Read a detailed article about majolica.

The fireplace is lined with tiles with a majolica pattern.

Fireplace cladding with majolica.

Tile

A ceramic stove (tile), even a heat-resistant one, is sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. For ovens, small matte elements (up to 20 x 25 cm) are preferable - the glaze will become cracked after a while. Usually, old tiles are used for stoves, which you don’t mind throwing away.

Tile is not recommended for rooms where the temperature can drop to sub-zero values: crumbling is possible.

Tiling the stove.

Laying such elements on clay or cement mortars is unacceptable, since the water absorption coefficient of ceramics is zero. They require special heat-resistant glue or mastic. There is a way to install without glue - in metal frames. The video shows a master class on tiling a chimney:

Clinker tiles

Such tiles for a fireplace or stove are obtained by mixing fireclay powder, several types of slate clays and other additives. The surface of the slab is not glazed. The surface color varies from white to beige, from orange to red, from light yellow to chocolate brown. The final tone is set by mineral dye.

We recommend: Buffer tank: principle of operation of the device, selection rules, calculation of the tank for the heating system

The clinker board has a higher density than terracotta or majolica, which results in lower water resistance and better frost resistance. These characteristics make it possible to use such a coating where temperature changes are observed.

It is not recommended to be used for finishing those stoves whose internal walls are lined with stove bricks. The coefficient of thermal expansion of materials and their structure vary too much.

Tiles

Tiles are box-shaped, have a smooth or textured surface, and are covered with glaze or enamel. It is made and painted by hand, which determines the high cost of the material.

When installed, individual elements form a pattern. The coating is characterized by high heat transfer and the highest environmental friendliness. Cost - from 30,000 rubles per square meter.

The stove lined with tiles is a real work of art.

Covering the stove and apron with handmade tiles. The tile is made of white clay and covered with glaze.

Fireclay tiles

Fireclay tiles with a single layer of brown coating and blue glaze.

Acid-resistant stove tiles are an expensive material, handmade from refractory clays and stone flour added to enhance strength. Firing occurs at a temperature of 1300ºС. The advantages of fireclay slab are that it:

Resistant to extreme – both low and high – temperatures;
Has absolute fire resistance;
Does not crack;
Withstands long-term static loads;
Does not wash off;
Has a low slip coefficient;
Neutral to aggressive media (acids and alkalis, solvents and petroleum products, etc.);

The stove-bed is finished with fireclay tiles.

Much thicker than tile;

Available in single and twin versions, but the latter increases the volume of the oven. For household needs, a single one is sufficient.

Fireclay tiles for a fireplace do not require additional insulation of the base surface: they do not need to be grouped with coatings such as natural stone or gypsum.

Porcelain tiles

Porcelain tiles used for facing a fireplace are a mixture of quartz sand, several types of clay, granite and marble chips. Metal oxides and salts act as dyes. The coating is environmentally friendly.

The structure of porcelain tiles for stoves is non-porous and dense. It is resistant to low and high temperatures.

The stove in the dacha is finished with porcelain stoneware.

Porcelain tiles can imitate all of the above types of coatings and natural stone. It retains color even in direct sunlight.

The thickness of the elements is from 9 to 12 mm. Heat-resistant porcelain tiles are attached using hot-melt adhesive. If the stove is located outside, use frost-resistant glue.

Marble

Beautiful natural material suitable for expensive interiors. A square meter of 20 mm slab costs about $110. Plus, you need to pay for the services of a designer, precise cutting and labor-intensive work of a craftsman. Read the details of facing a fireplace with marble in a separate article.

Fake diamond

A good option for those who do not know how to lay tiles. A stone of different sizes allows you to hide the unevenness of the stove. Even a woman without experience can handle its styling. Before laying, be sure to clean the back side of the tiles from mortar buildup.

The stove is finished with different-sized artificial “torn” stone. Laying was done using heat-resistant Hercules glue. Metal elements are painted with Tikkurila Termal Alluminium paint.

From serpentinite and serpentine

Its color range includes an infinite number of shades of green - from very light, almost yellow, to the darkest.

Aesthetics : beautiful appearance.
Durability : able to withstand high pressure, durable.
Heat capacity : quickly accumulates, but slowly and gradually releases heat, so the steam in a bathhouse lined with a coil turns out soft and light.
Healing properties : relieves headaches, treats colds, improves blood circulation - these properties are due to its chemical composition.

These tiles are well suited for lining sauna stoves.

From jadeite

Aesthetics: attractive appearance, rich palette of rich shades of green with various inclusions.
Durability: Able to withstand high pressure and temperature, durable.
Eco-friendly: natural material containing useful minerals.
Heat capacity: accumulates heat and releases it for a long time, which is an undeniable advantage in a steam room.

When heated, jadeite does not emit any harmful substances. Only useful compounds evaporate into the air, including metasilicon acid, which has strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Using jadeite tiles for decoration, you can greatly enhance the healing and preventive properties of your steam room.

From Soapstone

Heat resistance: can withstand temperatures up to 1200° without changing its physical and chemical properties.
Heat capacity : it can store heat for up to several days.
Safety : no matter how hot it is, soapstone does not burn, even if you touch it with your bare skin.
Useful properties : the wavelength emitted by heated soapstone is the same as the wavelength of thermal radiation from the human body. This means that in a bathhouse tiled with this stone, you will feel as comfortable as possible. Soapstone also ionizes the air, improves metabolism and improves immunity.

What types of finishing products are there?

Material for finishing fireplaces and stoves is rarely found with a completely natural composition. Artificial heat-resistant tiles are in great demand.

Terracotta

Glazed ceramic tiles with a light brown or reddish tint. It is characterized by a rough surface and decor similar to natural stone or brick.

Terracotta refractory ceramics are made from kaolin clay with the addition of chamotte, which increases its thermal characteristics. During manufacturing it is subjected to a firing process.

Terracotta cladding has high vapor permeability, which makes it possible to use it for finishing a bathhouse or sauna. Due to its light weight and corrugated back side, it adheres well to any surface. It is resistant to ultraviolet radiation.

The color scheme of natural shades will fit into any interior, and will especially appeal to fans of rustic style. Experts love working with these ceramic decorative elements, as they are easy to install, easy to care for, do not emit odors when used, and are completely harmless to health.

Glazed tiles

It can be classified as a type of terracotta. It is believed that tiled ceramics are the most environmentally friendly facing material with a natural composition. Initially, it was intended for artistic decoration of a stove or fireplace.

The reverse side is called rumpa and is box-shaped and covered with glaze. In addition, it has the following characteristics:

heat resistance;
high heat transfer;
heat resistance;
wide selection of colors and shades;
aesthetics;
ease of care;
fireproof surface.

This tile has another interesting property - it lowers the temperature of the stove surface, so you don’t have to be afraid of getting burned by touching it.

The manufacturing process is very complex, and its implementation requires a high level of skill. After all, these pictures with different images are a work of art.

Tiles would become the most popular ceramic finishing elements, but they have one drawback - high cost.

Clinker tiles

It is quite suitable for finishing a stove or fireplace. Made from ceramic mass fired at high temperatures.

Clinker decorative products are considered durable and wear-resistant; they can last a long time and will not require special care. This tile has a higher density than terracotta, which makes it more frost-resistant, waterproof and fireproof. The benefits also include:

resistance to light and bacteria;
resistance to ultraviolet radiation;
chemical inertness;
she is easy to work with.

The disadvantage is the limited number of colors. At the same time, this is an advantage, since the colors are natural, without dyes and will not fade over the years.

Clinker tiles are excellent for external cladding of a heating device in a summer kitchen or gazebo.

Fireclay

It is considered very expensive, since it is formed by hand from clays and stone flour that are very resistant to melting. The structure of fireclay resembles clinker, but its weight is several times less.

Fireclay ceramic products compare favorably with other claddings by the following properties:

high acid resistance;
heat resistance
fire resistance over 1300 ℃;
thickness 15 mm;
deformation leading to peeling or cracking is impossible;
heat-resistant to any changes;
heat accumulation and transfer is very high.

A stove or fireplace with this finish retains heat very well and then releases it very slowly.

Typically, fireclay decorative elements are made to order and can have any shape and size.

This finishing tile is ready to compete in beauty and originality with any other stove lining. It’s hard not to recognize him, because all the models are exclusive and look luxurious.

Requirements for stove tiles

Tiles for stoves and fireplaces should be:

Heat resistant. If the letter “T” is on the packaging, the facing material can withstand heating up to 1000 degrees. Heat resistance is also indicated by the flame, the image of which comes in a “set” with numbers: 1 or 2.

Mathematical symbols indicate the number of firings of the tile - the higher the number, the more heat-resistant the product.

Strong. Tiles whose thickness is less than eight millimeters are not suitable for cladding fireplaces.
Thermally conductive. A material, even the most heat-resistant one, is of little use if it does not share the “temperature” with the room.
Dense. Fine porosity is an important criterion that determines the suitability of tiles for decorating stoves.
Wear-resistant. Directly depends on the previous point. Defined by the PEI standard. This classification assumes the presence of five categories (IV). For cladding stoves and fireplaces, you can use slabs marked IV and V.
Moisture resistant. And this parameter is related to density. The tiles should not have more than a three percent water absorption coefficient.
Eco-friendly. Heating is always accompanied by the evaporation of certain substances. If the material contains toxic substances, they will definitely enter the human body. Corresponding to a certain thermal expansion framework. More precisely, the limits are 7-8%.

Of course, in addition to technical criteria, there are also decorative requirements. Of course, no one obliges you to decorate stoves and fireplaces with beautiful and spectacular tiles, but it is impossible not to recommend using an attractive facing material.

Which tile is better to cover the stove in the house?

To decide on the choice of facing product, you need to decide for which stove it will be used:

heating;
kitchen;
decorative (fireplace).

In any case, operating conditions require high degrees, which means the ceramics for the fireplace should be:

heat-resistant (heating up to 1000 ℃);
heat-intensive, since absorbing and releasing heat is one of the main tasks of the cladding;
moisture resistant (the coefficient can be no higher than 3%);
environmentally friendly - when heated, no harmful substances should be released into the environment;
hard - which means the tile must be strong to protect the coating from damage.

Stove tiles - nuances when facing

To ensure that fire-resistant tiles serve you as long as possible, be sure to use heat-resistant adhesive in your work. Choose formulations that are non-volatile compounds . This will save you from having to ventilate the room and work with open windows. To avoid poisoning during cladding, it is better to purchase an odorless solution.

There are some nuances when decorating outdoor stoves. So, the glue must be not only heat-resistant, but also moisture-resistant. The materials are laid on a pre-plastered surface, and the cut tiles are installed last. Whatever type of material you choose, the most important thing is to follow the correct installation technique, which will extend its service life.

Selection rules and criteria

The choice of refractory material for the external cladding of a fireplace, stove in a bathhouse, private residential, including a country house should be carried out primarily taking into account whether it is suitable in its properties, technical characteristics, chemical composition for the type of surface on which it is necessary to lay heat-resistant tiles.

Of course, the appearance is also important, the optimal combination of patterns and colors of the selected fire-resistant tile with the main color scheme of the interior design of the sauna, kitchen or living room is imperative; it is necessary to decide whether its front surface will be matte, glazed, flat or embossed.

Tiling the stove: features of the process

The stove has long served people, creating coziness and comfort in the home. The appearance of the stove is the calling card of the entire house. Ceramic stove tiles can transform any stove, and this one will help you choose one.

Ceramic stove tiles have been used in stove finishing for many hundreds of years.

Even today, despite the emergence of many different materials and technologies, it has not lost its leading position, thanks to quality, reliability and good price.

It has high strength characteristics and can easily withstand heavy loads during operation. Concrete is far behind ceramic tiles in terms of performance; it is less durable and inferior to ceramics in terms of wear resistance.

Installation of ceramic tiles is quite simple and requires a minimum of tools and skills.

The high fire resistance of ceramic tiles is an undoubted advantage when finishing stoves and fireplaces.
Made from environmentally friendly and safe, natural materials. Clay, as the main material for production, is completely safe and does not emit any substances harmful to health.
Caring for tiles is very simple and does not require much effort or special measures. It will be enough to simply wipe the ceramic tiles with a damp cloth from time to time.
There are very few disadvantages to ceramic tiles for stoves. The only thing that can be highlighted is that ceramics is a rather hard material, so if hit by a hard object it can easily be cracked.
This small drawback can be ignored; this facing material is very practical and convenient for finishing the stove.

Features of tiling different types of stoves

First of all, not all stoves are suitable for lining, and with some types you will have to tinker. There are three types of furnaces:

Metal furnaces

When tiling a metal surface, you need to understand that metal and tile have different coefficients of thermal expansion. Thus, the stove and the tiles on it will heat up and cool down at different rates. This will invariably lead to the decorative tiles peeling off or even cracking. But, even in this case, tiling a metal stove is possible. Professionals recommend installing a movable bond between the tiles and the stove surface using clamps; this technology will help avoid cracking;

Double-circuit heating stoves made of bricks

An ideal option if you plan to tile a brick oven. This is due to the fact that the stove has two circuits: internal (firebox and vaults) and external. The outer contour, which is in contact with the cladding, heats up significantly less than the internal one, and therefore the cladding tile adheres best to such a stove. By the way, an additional advantage of this furnace design is the absence of local overheating. This allows you to clad a fireplace or stove with one material and using one type of mortar for its fastening;

Single-circuit brick kilns

They are often installed in bathhouses, which is why the stoves are called “sauna stoves.” The most problematic option. After all, there is only one circuit, which means that the surface heats up more than in a double-circuit oven. Craftsmen who perform cladding of a single-circuit stove must have certain experience in order to correctly select the tiles for cladding and the mortar that will hold it. Areas of local overheating deserve special attention.

Among other things, a stove installed in a bathhouse is exposed to changes in temperature and humidity. Tiling a sauna stove requires a more careful selection of materials. It is recommended to use porcelain stoneware for it, as it is the least porous material that can withstand the highest temperatures. It is also possible to line the stove with terracotta tiles, but its thickness must be at least 8 mm, and the distance between adjacent tiles must be at least 10 mm.

Note. Knowing what type of oven does not yet give you the opportunity to start working. You also need to consider what type of fuel the stove is heated with. Different types of fuel have different combustion temperatures. For example, when using solid fuel, the facing material must withstand temperatures up to 1600 degrees; wood (firewood) will allow you to expand the choice of facing tiles because burns at temperatures up to 800 degrees.

Do-it-yourself tiling of fireplaces

For work you need the following materials :

tile;
sand;
cement or clay (for mixing the solution);
water;
crosses and wedges;
nails and hammer;
self-tapping screws;
drill;
level;
putty knife.

Preparatory work

Work begins with surface preparation. If this is not done, the cladding will begin to peel off.

The preparatory stage occurs as follows:

Inspect the current coating and remove completely.
Using a plumb line, it is necessary to determine the thickness of the new coating, which can level the plane.
Level uneven surfaces with a primer or other compound.

Using a chisel and hammer, deepen the seams at least 1 cm.
Drive in nails or screws.
Place a net on the surface. To prevent it from falling off, you can put washers on the heads of the screws.
Technology for laying tiles on a fireplace

After the surface of the fireplace is prepared, you need to make a solution. The process depends on its composition:

Clay. The clay is passed through a sieve. A homogeneous composition without lumps and debris is obtained. Then the clay is mixed with water and left for a day to achieve the required viscosity. Sand is added to the mixture. Proportions are calculated in advance using clay and sand balls.
Cement. Sand and cement are added to the container in a ratio of 1/3. Gradually add water to the mixture. The cement solution is mixed to a homogeneous consistency.

To tile a fireplace with your own hands, you must first lay it out on the floor to determine the order in which it will be laid out.

You can post it in two ways:

using crosses and wedges to get the same distance between the plates, or end-to-end.
The second option of framing the fireplace stove with tiles is simpler, but it requires an ideal eye.

Laying begins from the lower left corner. First, the fireplace is covered with mortar using a spatula, then the building material is pressed in a circular motion to the surface. Each row is checked for parallelism to the previous one using a building level.

If crosses and wedges are used, they are inserted as work progresses.

To fill, you can use a plastic bag with a small corner cut off. By squeezing out the required amount of mortar, you need to fill all the cracks between the tiles.
After completely covering the fireplace with gypsum tiles, at least three days must pass for the compositions to dry. After time, a protective wax mixture is applied.

How to tile a stove

How to cover a stove with tiles if it has lost its original neat appearance, or in the case when such cladding was 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.

How to tile a stove

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 the seams between the bricks from opening, through which combustion products can enter the room.

In addition, the stove tiles have a high heat capacity, and when they heat up themselves, they release heat into the room for quite a long time and do not allow the entire brick stove to cool down 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. How to properly plaster a stove - 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 needed for tiling the stove

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.

Removing old plaster

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.

Cleaning the surface with a stiff wire brush

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.

For greater effect, the surface should be moistened

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 the plumb line, metal beacon profiles are placed on the wall. It is desirable that the height of the leveling layer be no more than 8 ÷ 10 mm.

Attaching the beacon profile

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 thin layer can be applied and leveled with a spatula

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 strong leveling is necessary, sketch the solution and then level it using the rule

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.

Strengthening and leveling corners with metal profiles, reinforcing walls with mesh

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.

Special adhesive composition specifically for 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 cutter at your disposal.

Of course, the most convenient tool is a tabletop tile cutter.

— 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.

— Next, the roller, without much pressure, is drawn along the mark, which will be the fault line.

“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 to:

— Pour a few drops of machine oil onto the roller and 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 manual tile cutter. 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.

Experienced tilers sometimes make do with a regular glass cutter.

Therefore, the best and safest option is still a large tile cutter, which is installed on a reliable table 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.

Aluminum perforated corner

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.

Profile for facing external corners of tiles

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 end up 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.

Mixing tile adhesive

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.

Application and distribution of glue on the surface of the stove wall

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.

Laying tiles with installation of calibration 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 tile from any glue stains that may have fallen on it. Now it won’t be difficult to wipe them off, but when the ruts finally set, removing these stains will become a very difficult task.

Grouting joints using a rubber spatula

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.

Filling joints between terracotta tiles

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, and also carry out the work slowly and 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 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 wall of the stove, 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 to 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 the 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 you carry out the work correctly, carefully calculating your actions, then the cladding will turn out no worse than that 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. Study liquid insulation for walls on our website.

Functions

The furnace lining performs a number of specific functions:

reducing the time required to heat the room;
ensuring ease of maintenance of the device - cleaning tiles is much easier than, for example, a plastered surface;
attractive decor;
increase in heat transfer and heat capacity of the furnace;
psychological aspect - according to most psychologists, the presence of a traditional stove in the house has a good effect on the general atmosphere in the home, as well as the mood of others.

Types of heat-resistant ceramic tiles

Finishing a stove or fireplace with ceramics has several purposes:

simplifying daily heater maintenance;
correction of defects in body geometry;
additional sealing outside the combustion chamber and chimney;
increasing the aesthetics of the heating device.

Any of these factors is significant, and all tiled cladding produced today will cope with these tasks, but finishing a stove with tiles is effective and durable only when using heat-resistant ceramics, which are available in several types or varieties:

tiles - piece ceramic products, a set of which is connected by a common artistic component and is designed for a specific stove design;
natural stone - cut or chipped fragments of a certain format from granite, marble, limestone, malachite, sandstone, characterized by high strength and durability;
porcelain stoneware is an artificial material that is not inferior in strength characteristics to natural granite;
clinker – glazed or without a layer of glaze, tiles made from carefully cleaned and mixed natural clay until smooth, without the addition of dyes and plasticizers;
terracotta - monocottura is suitable for finishing stoves in rooms with high humidity; in dry conditions - bicottura and its variety - majolica).

Clinker lining for stoves: on the left – glazed, on the right – without glaze.

Where is it used?

Fireproof tiles for fireplaces and stoves are used primarily as a decorative element for the surfaces of heating devices. Thanks to tiles, these objects can be transformed into a real work of art, giving a stove or fireplace a personal touch, or finishing in accordance with certain cultural traditions.

An excellent example is the Russian stove, which is still used in homes directly for its intended purpose or as a bright element of room decor.

Tiles are not used for finishing the space around the stove, working and internal surfaces.

All types of fire-resistant tiles must have a quality certificate. Only with supporting documentation can we say that the material will meet the declared characteristics.

Selection rules and criteria

Of course, the appearance is also important, the optimal combination of patterns and colors of the selected fire-resistant tile with the main color scheme of the interior design of the sauna, kitchen or living room is imperative; it is necessary to decide whether its front surface will be matte, glazed, flat or embossed.

Invaluable assistance in solving this complex issue can be provided by stove craftsmen, interior finishing specialists who usually need a visual assessment of stove equipment, as well as employees of trade organizations that sell tile products.

When making your own choice, you should take into account the following criteria, which must be met by high-quality fire-resistant tiles manufactured in accordance with the technical conditions of mass production:

The average thickness of a piece is 6–8 mm.

Thinner tiles are fragile; thicker tiles may cause problems both during installation and during subsequent operation of the furnace equipment due to a drop in heat output into the air in the room.

The geometric dimensions of the tiles, both in one package and in the batch of products selected for purchase, must be identical, otherwise the installation process will become more complicated and the appearance of the finished surfaces will suffer.

Checking the dimensions and evenness of refractory tiles is simple: just touch two products with the front side, then the inside side to each other, to understand how much they coincide, whether there is a gap between them, indicating the curvature of the surfaces.

The front side of the tile should not have any mechanical damage or traces of manufacturing defects - cavities, unevenness on a smooth surface, incomplete glazing; as well as discrepancies, changes in color, pattern within the selected batch of goods.

Cracks and chips found during selection on individual piece products are an alarming signal that the product is very fragile and easily damaged, so there is a high probability that during operation at high temperatures the front side of individual refractory tiles may burst, or part of the purchased product will suffer further damage. during transportation to the place of masonry work.

When choosing, you should not mix fire-resistant tiles of different types and manufacturers, since their properties and technical parameters, despite their external similarity, can vary greatly, and this can have a fatal effect during operation, for example, due to different coefficients of thermal expansion, which is often leads to the collapse of fragments of the furnace lining.

The best choice is fire-resistant tiles with decorative elements in the same color and shade range from the same manufacturer, which do not differ in properties or technical characteristics.

When ordering or purchasing, a surplus of 10-15% in area is required, since part of the material will inevitably go to waste when trimmed, and the remaining amount will become a reserve for replacing accidentally damaged tiles during long-term operation.

Preparing the stove for tiling

High-quality installation and long life of the stove cladding is only possible when laying the tiles on a prepared base.

The need for cladding can be caused by two reasons, and the scope of work for each will be different. However, the general goal is the same - to give the oven the correct geometric shapes, in which all surfaces are smooth and the corners correspond to 90°.

Note. In addition to the fact that leveling increases the speed of work, it allows you to reduce the consumption of expensive glue for laying facing tiles on the stove.

Option 1: lining a new (freshly built) furnace

Even a structure built in accordance with all building codes will need preparation. In this case, it boils down to the fact that the surface of the base is cleaned of dust, primed, equipped with a grid and markings. These types of work will be discussed in more detail below.

Note. You can start lining a new furnace only after a month of operation. During this time, it will shrink and reveal hidden defects.

Option 2: lining an old (operating) furnace

This option is much more complicated than the previous one, since it involves performing more rough work. Therefore, let's look at the sequence in more detail.

5.1 Dismantling the old coating

Stoves installed in the house, as a rule, already have some kind of lining. Often this is finishing with plaster followed by whitewashing or tiling. Therefore, before installing a new coating, you need to remove the old one.

Dismantling (removing) plaster from the surface of the furnace

Plaster does not last long on a hot stove. High temperatures cause cracks to appear on it or the surface layer moves away from the base. In any case, before you begin cladding, you need to get rid of the decorative coating (remove, clean).

How to remove old plaster from a stove

In practice, two methods are used to remove plaster from the surface:

Force method

. It is used if most of the plaster adheres well to the walls of the oven. Its use involves knocking down plaster using the impact attachment of a hammer drill. This method is quick, but it creates a lot of dust and is likely to damage the brickwork.

Using a grinder can simplify the work. Using a diamond blade, slits are made on the surface of the furnace. Their depth should be equal to the thickness of the plaster layer. There is nothing critical if the disc extends 10-15 mm into the thickness of the masonry. Next, the removal of the plaster continues with a hammer drill, hammer or chisel. If removal is still difficult, experts advise heating the area with a hair dryer and continuing work.

Note. Periodically wetting the surface with water will prevent the appearance of dust or reduce its amount.

Gradual cleaning

. The method is slower and involves soaking the plaster with water and then scraping it off with a spatula.

It is worth noting that some craftsmen recommend leaving the plaster on the stove, provided that it adheres well over the entire area.

Dismantling (removing) paint from the oven surface

Painting your stove is a simple and inexpensive way to decorate your stove. But, the painted surface will peel off under the influence of temperature and can harm human health (release of harmful substances).

How to remove old paint from a brick kiln

Removing paint from a brick surface is not so easy. A thin layer is removed using a metal brush. A good way to remove paint is to use a hair dryer. The thicker layer comes off on its own in some places, and where this does not happen and the adhesion to the surface is strong, notches should be made, for example, with a hatchet.

Note. Special solutions for paint removal have a pungent odor that takes a long time to dissipate, and are also high in cost, so users are not advised to use them.

Dismantling (removing) old tiles from the stove

When tiles peel off or you want to renew the stove lining, it becomes necessary to knock the tiles off the stove.

How to remove old tiles from the stove surface

It is recommended to carry out dismantling work from top to bottom. After removing the last row, go down to the next one. The tile is removed using a chisel that hooks onto the edge of the tile. In this way, the tiles are removed without damage. If this maneuver fails, the tile must be broken. Broken tiles are easier to remove.

Don't be surprised if some brick chips when you remove the tiles. In any case, cleaning a fireplace or stove does not end with removing the old coating.

Attention! Removing old tiles is done strictly with safety glasses, because... During operation, a large number of sharp fragments fly apart.

5.2 Cleaning the surface of the oven walls

After removing the finish coating, the entire surface of the stove must be thoroughly cleaned of any traces of solution. The ideal way to clean brick walls is to use a metal brush.

5.3 Deepening joints between bricks

To ensure that subsequent layers of mortar adhere better to the base, care must be taken to remove the mortar and increase the depth of the brickwork joints. To do this, use a chisel, grinder or spatula to remove the solution from the joint spaces. Cleaning depth 5-10 mm.

Upon completion of the work, the surface is once again cleaned of dust and solution residues with a brush.

5.4 Leveling the oven walls for tiles

To prevent the tiles from peeling off from the base, you need to install a metal mesh on the surface of the oven.

To work, you will need a mounting mesh with cells of 50x50 mm and a wire diameter of up to 1 mm. To secure the mesh, you can use a ceiling dowel with a cap (bierbach).

Or you can simply put washers or pieces of galvanized steel on the nails. The main thing is that the hat holds the mesh securely. Hardware is installed only in seams. In this case, the nail is driven in, and a hole must be drilled for the self-tapping screw. The mesh fastening pitch is 500 mm.

The mesh is installed on the surface with tension. Next, the surface of the walls is leveled with plaster. To do this, you can use glue on which the facing tiles will be mounted or a special solution (clay, cement, sand) in a ratio of 3: 1: 0.2 parts.

Recommendation. Users advise adding PVA glue or any other glue with a low expansion coefficient to this solution.

If the surface that needs leveling has depressions up to 10 mm, then the solution must be applied in two approaches. The maximum permissible layer thickness is indicated by the manufacturer. In practice, it is better not to make a layer thicker than 5 mm, this increases the time and reduces the uniformity of its hardening. In this case, the second layer is applied only after the first has completely dried.

Advice. When starting to level the walls, the craftsmen advise heating the stove. The solution must be applied at a surface temperature of 30-35°C.

An alternative to a grid for leveling walls:

installing hardware with caps and stretching ordinary wire between them;

using stretched burlap, previously soaked in a clay solution. When laying burlap, it is important to avoid folds and air pockets.

Note. If the surface of the stove is flat, you can eliminate the plastering step and lay the tiles directly on top of the metal mesh.

5.5 Priming the oven walls

A heat-resistant primer applied with a brush will improve the quality of adhesion of the solution to the surface. When choosing a primer for stoves and fireplaces, it is better to give preference to deep-penetrating compounds. When the primer has completely dried, you can pre-mark the surface.

Advice. You can reduce primer consumption without changing the quality of application if you first walk over the surface of the wall with a slightly damp sponge.

5.6 Preliminary markings before laying tiles

The surface on which the markings are applied is considered fully prepared for cladding. It involves the installation of beacons that allow you to navigate when performing cladding work.

Markings are made using a plumb line and level. It is convenient to mark the horizontal using a cord. A more technologically advanced approach is to use a laser level.

You should be aware that even a perfectly prepared surface may not save the stove from cracking. The cause of cracks can be:

excessive overheating;

an incorrectly executed bunch of bricks during the construction of the furnace;

different thickness of the interbrick joint.

High-quality preparation of the base of the furnace surface will avoid its deformation and will firmly hold correctly laid facing tiles.

5.7 Preparation of the adhesive composition

The mortar for laying tiles is prepared in small portions for 10-15 minutes. before starting work. Moreover, master stove makers do not use any devices for kneading; the work is done by hand.

Marking

Using the special symbols that are indicated on the packaging of the tiles, you can find out whether a given sample is suitable for finishing stoves or not.

It is customary to distinguish the following signs:

The water absorption coefficient is indicated on the box and is designated by the letter “E”. It should not be more than 3%. Granite has the highest moisture resistance: 0.5%.
Information about porosity is given by the PEI symbol and the following numbers on the packaging from I to V. For stoves and fireplaces, level IV or V should be selected.
Marking “A” or “B” indicates that the design of this product was developed on a computer. Tiles with the letter “A” are distinguished by more accurate compliance with the stated dimensions.
The designation “EN 122” and the letters A to D indicate the level of resistance of the tile to chemical attack.

Preparatory work

In order to line a brick oven with ceramic tiles, it is necessary to properly plaster the working surfaces. Before plastering, the outer walls of the stove are thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt, then two layers of primer are applied. After the soil has dried, a steel reinforcing mesh is fixed to the walls of the furnace. Fastening is done using nails or self-tapping screws. Nails are driven into the seams between the bricks. To tighten the self-tapping screws, holes are drilled in the seams.
After completing the preparatory operations, apply a plaster solution to the walls of the oven, and carefully level it using trowels and rules. When plastering the walls of a stove or fireplace, it is important to achieve smooth surfaces, maintain verticals and right angles.
If you are covering an old stove that has been in use for many years, it is necessary to remove the old plaster. It is better to remove the plaster completely or, at least, in cracked places and where it does not hold well. To remove old plaster, use a puncher, hammer and chisel.

Dimensions

To make it convenient to work with tiles for lining stoves, their dimensions should not be too large. The optimal size is 25x25 cm, and the thickness is no more than 8 mm. For porcelain stoneware and clinker, no more than 6 mm is sufficient.

Such parameters will ensure sufficient thermal conductivity and strength of the entire installation. In addition, these sizes are much easier to work with.

Larger tiles can be made to order, for example from porcelain stoneware, but they are quite heavy and may not support their own weight, and also require more trimming and sizing. Tiles are also available in smaller sizes, for example, 10x10 cm.

However, it is used much less often for the same reasons as the large one - it is inconvenient to work with.

Main characteristics of fire-resistant cladding:

Environmental friendliness. When heated, any materials release substances into the space, since heat-resistant cladding is used in residential premises, it should not contain toxic and dangerous substances.
Heat resistance. To achieve this quality, the slabs undergo one or two firings. This is reflected in the marking with a flame symbol and a number. The result is a material that can heat up to at least +1000 degrees C.
Thermal conductivity. The plates must allow heat to pass through as they are used on heating appliances to heat rooms.
Water absorption. This parameter cannot be more than 3%. In the marking it is indicated by the letter E and a number that shows specific values for this modification.
Strength and rigidity. The thickness of heat-resistant tiles must be at least 8 mm; these dimensions provide the necessary strength characteristics and reduce the risk of deformation.
Expansion at temperatures. This figure should be between 7 and 8%.
Resistance to mechanical stress. Only finely porous materials have this quality. The smaller the pores, the stronger the lining. In the marking, this characteristic is indicated by the letters PEI and Roman numerals up to V; the higher they are, the greater the mechanical stress the heat-resistant ceramic plate will withstand.

Important! In addition to technical characteristics, the cladding must have an aesthetic appearance and maintain it for a long time not only when heated, but also due to temperature changes, for example, in a bathhouse.

Heat-resistant tiles consistently withstand contact with open fire

Design

The determining factor when choosing a stove cladding design is not the type of material, but the interior of the room in which it is located. A characteristic feature of the design of facing tiles specifically for stoves is the almost complete absence of geometric patterns.

It is not found in almost any style.

But the design of such products is replete with complex ornaments:

Floral patterns, characteristic of majolica or tiles, can be used in almost all styles - from classic to modern. Faience with its famous blue and white Gzhel color scheme would also be appropriate.

For a classic interior, you can choose porcelain stoneware; its possibilities are almost limitless. With it you can create entire paintings.

A modern interior does not imply too colorful decoration. Elegant monochromatic tiles with small splashes of decor would be more appropriate here. Various imitations of malachite and marble, as well as wood, will look good.

In a hunting lodge or country cottage, you can use natural stone. In order not to reduce the cost of the interior, you should not mix natural material with other types of finishing; it works well alone.

Real stoves are rarely found in techno or futurism style interiors. However, if elements of such design trends are still present, a plain tile would look good here.

In a country house, terracotta and clinker would be appropriate. Images of plants and flowers in the Khokhloma style will be especially good.

Color spectrum

The color of tiles for stoves and fireplaces should be matched to the overall design of the room. Clinker plates are presented mainly in natural shades - from pure white to chocolate. The range of shades of porcelain stoneware is simply huge. With its help you can create a designer unique finish for a heating unit.

If it is necessary to emphasize the naturalness of the hearth, to bring the structure as close as possible to a rustic stove, choose terracotta of a natural clay shade for cladding. Marble plates, majolica, and tiled elements are produced mainly in light colors, complemented by painting and various patterns.

Beautiful examples in the interior

Sources

https://okna68-new.ru/pol/termostojkaya-plitka-dlya-bani.html
https://Msk-kamin.ru/news/plitka-dlya-otdelki-pechey-raznovidnosti-i-osobennosti/
https://proplitki.ru/vybor/termostoykaya-plitka-pech-kamin.html
https://3D-sauna.ru/plitka-i-ugolok
https://ars.ru/keramicheskaya-termostoykaya-plitka-dlya-pechi/