Large Format Tiling in Saadiyat Island

Six common LFT applications. The starred one is what we'd specify by default on a typical UAE podium / pool deck.

Send the floor or façade drawing — we'll spec the adhesive family and joint plan with the quotation.

Surface flatness over a 2 m straight-edge dictates whether you can install large format directly, need a self-levelling skim, or need a full SL screed.

1. 01

   Substrate survey

   Flatness check, moisture reading, drawing cross-check.

   ½ day

2. 02

   SL screed (if needed)

   Ultraplan / Ultraplan Maxi to bring substrate to SR1.

   1–2 days

3. 03

   Dry layout

   Book-match planning, balance cuts at perimeter.

   ½ day

4. 04

   Adhesive application

   Notched + back-butter for ≥ 95 % contact.

   Continuous

5. 05

   Tile placement

   Vacuum cups, beating block, alignment.

   Continuous

6. 06

   Levelling clips

   Where required to hold flush during cure.

   Per slab

7. 07

   Sound test

   Tap every panel — re-set any with > 10 % hollow.

   Per zone

8. 08

   Grouting

   Epoxy or cementitious per spec. Joints cleaned.

   1–2 days

• Lobby floors
• Hotel rooms
• Villa flooring
• Pool decks
• Bathroom walls
• Feature walls
• Façade cladding
• Outdoor pavers
• Kitchen splash
• Retail floors

• 

  Atlantis The Royal

  Palm Jumeirah, Dubai · 2023

  LFT installation across suite bathrooms

• 

  Le Méridien

  Dubai · 2022

  Lobby LFT and feature wall

• 

  Jumeirah Golf Villas

  Dubai · 2024

  Pool deck LFT pavers

• What's 'large format' — exact size threshold?

  Industry definition: any tile or slab with one edge > 600 mm. Above that the adhesive class, trowel size and substrate tolerance all change. We treat anything 600 × 600 mm and up as LFT for spec purposes.

• Why is LFT adhesive different from standard?

  LFT adhesive is C2 or higher (high bond strength), S1 or S2 (deformable, allows movement), and slip-resistant (so the slab doesn't drift under its own weight before set). Standard C1 adhesive can't take the load and fails under thermal cycling.

• What's back-buttering?

  Applying a thin coat of adhesive to the back of the slab in addition to the notched bed on the substrate. Ensures full contact across the slab face. Mandatory on LFT — without it you'll have voids and hollow spots.

• How do you handle a slab that's not perfectly flat itself?

  Larger porcelain slabs have a slight bow (1–2 mm over 3 m is common). We dry-lay first, identify the bowed face, orient the bow consistently across the field, and use levelling clips through cure to flatten the surface. We never force a bowed slab flat with adhesive alone.

• Hollow tiles — how do you avoid?

  Back-butter every slab. Use the right notch (12 mm for LFT, 8 mm only on walls). Spread perpendicular to the slab direction so trowel ridges collapse cleanly. Sound-test every panel before grouting — re-set anything with > 10 % hollow area.

• Vertical LFT — adhesive plus mechanical?

  Above 1.2 m vertical or on façades, yes — Laticrete MVIS system or Mapei mechanical-fix systems. The adhesive carries the load until cure; the mechanical anchors carry it forever. Engineer sign-off on façade-grade installations.

• Pool LFT — what changes?

  Mandatory waterproofing membrane (Laticrete Hydro Ban or Mapei Mapelastic) under the adhesive. Epoxy grout instead of cementitious for water immersion. Joint movement plan for thermal expansion. Pressure test before water-fill.

• Grout — cementitious or epoxy?

  Cementitious (Mapei Ultracolor Plus) for most interior floors and walls. Epoxy (Mapei Kerapoxy) for wet areas, pools, kitchens, F&B. Epoxy is harder to install but won't stain or absorb water — the right call wherever water is constant.

• Marble Installation

  Where natural stone is in the brief instead of porcelain.

• Polishing — Marble & Floors

  Honing and polishing of stone after install.

• Self-Levelling & Screed

  The flat substrate every LFT install depends on.