Porcelain facade in Batumi: turnkey ventilated facade

Porcelain facade in Batumi

Porcelain stoneware absorbs almost no water, is not affected by salt, frost or sun, does not scratch and is easy to wash. On a facade it lasts for decades without maintenance, and it comes in stone, concrete, metal or plain-colour looks. That is why porcelain is the most common material for rainscreen ventilated facades on apartment buildings, hotels and commercial buildings. We build a porcelain facade in Batumi only on a subframe, with insulation and an air gap behind the tiles.

How the subframe works, why it is aluminium by the sea and how the gap functions is described on the ventilated facade page. If you are still choosing between a rainscreen and a rendered facade, see the comparison of ventilated and insulated render facades.

Which tiles to use on a facade

• facade porcelain 10–12 mm thick, not thin 8 mm floor tiles;
• with water absorption of no more than 0.5% and a frost resistance data sheet for the mountains;
• through-body coloured or glazed, though then chips at the edges will show a different colour;
• matt or structured: polished tiles glare in the sun and show streaks;
• from one batch and one calibre for the whole wall, so that the joints run straight.

Facades use 600×600 and 600×1200 mm formats. Larger is possible, but then the tiles are hung only on concealed fixing or bonded to aluminium profiles, and the subframe is designed for the heavier weight.

Visible or concealed fixing

The most common option is clips: steel or aluminium tabs that hold the tile by its edges. Only their tongues show in the joints, and we paint them to match the tile. Concealed fixing uses anchors set into undercut holes drilled in the back of the panel, or adhesive bonding to a profile. The facade then shows not a single clip, but it costs more and needs tiles suitable for drilling.

Safety in tremors and impacts

Porcelain is strong but brittle: in a hard impact or a seismic tremor a panel can crack. Above entrances, pavements and playgrounds we bond glass fibre mesh to the back of the tiles to hold fragments, or use concealed fixing where each panel holds on several anchors. The subframe is designed for wind and seismic loads, brackets are fixed to the floor slabs and load-bearing walls, and in weak blocks we use chemical anchors. This matters especially on framed buildings, covered on the reinforced concrete frame houses page.

Layout, joints and junctions

The layout is drawn before the tiles are ordered: joints follow the axes of windows and floor slabs, and cuts are moved to inconspicuous places. Joints are left open, 4–8 mm, and ventilation works through them. Reveals are made from the same tile or from painted steel, corners from whole panels with a trimmed edge or an aluminium angle. On the ground floor porcelain takes knocks and dirt well, so above it is often combined with lighter materials, such as composite panels.

How much a porcelain facade costs

A ventilated porcelain facade on a subframe with insulation and materials costs from 445 ₾ per m²: subframe, anchors, mineral wool with membrane, tiles on clips. A turnkey ventilated facade with standard cladding from 420 ₾, installation only with the client's materials from 135 ₾ per m². Fibre cement panels on a subframe from 365 ₾ per m². Reveals and sills from 54 ₾ per linear metre, scaffolding from 18 ₾ per m² of facade. The final cost is set after choosing the tiles, drawing the layout and agreeing the estimate.