Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2019 8:24 am
Are expansion joints required in porcelain paving? Over a 10m long run? (wet bedded on 25mm 4:1 mix)
Not really, not on residential projects, at least, bcause the jointing will act as a crack control joint, should internal stresses reach a point where the mortar bed cannot cope.
Where porcelain (or any other paving) has been bedded over a cast in-situ concrete base, then the movement joints within that base should be reflected through to the paving, but, again, it's often sufficient to rely on aligning joints between individual paving units with the MJ beneath. On high-end commercial projects, you may well see sealed MJs brought through to the surface, and while there is nothing at all wrong with this approach, it can seem a bit OTT for a residential project where it's the look, the aesthetics, that are all-important, and they trump the need for movement control in almost all instances.