How to apply glass tiles over steel plate?

[fkd]

Dear Folks,


I'm building a kind of pool, small one in my house's terrace and I'm using steel to make it, like a square tank made of stiffned 3.00mm steel plate, first I tought about use vinyl finishing (cast in place). But by the moment we decided to use glass tilles (small ones 30x30mm) and I need advices on how to fix them over a steel plate.
My first idea is to point weld a expanded steel gratting over it and then apply mortar to make a kind of base to use the normal procedure to apply the tiles but I'm worried about vibration and deformation issues.

Any help will be very much aprecciated,

Thanks in advance,

Fred

 

[ishvaaag]

Following more or less such idea you should do it as indeformable as if of fabric were...it is well known that mer angles eject bricks on heat elongation, so evenso special detailing would be required. I have seen in one work of a colleague a circular wall of glass block literally spit the fragmented glass block on not letting the joints around the glass move. So surely the relative movement you envisage as a problem is a problem and the solution is maybe to keep all joints open and simply suppored, which would be too complex.

On the other hand, surely exist adhesives that may coat the steel plate and bind the glass. Leaving the joints open or wit silicon may make it work, but anyway the discontinuous nature of the tiles may make some midterm to fail.

 

[fkd]

Ishvaag,

Thank you for the information, this supports my teory and I'll use, if you let me of course, your reply to try to put an end at this novel between me agaist my wife and the architet.

Have a peacefull week,

Fred

 

[ishvaaag]

Just add then that more or less that's what the tiles covering the Shuttles may be doing, and in spite of being costly showed to require maintenance, for some tiles were lost.

 

[Adrian2]

Dear Fred;

Palmers Mirro-Mastic is used to secure glass mirrors to walls and other substrates that are subject to deformation. A special heated scoop is used to put uniform blobs of mastic onto the surface then the glass is pressed into place. The blobs allow air space between the glass and the substrate. The mastic is sold by C.R. Laurence but there are many other suppliers to the window and glass industry.

For what its worth, why you dont you have some starving artist paint false tiles on the steel surface ? I've seen pools that had sports logos and characters painted on and they look great ! You might even end up with a priceless Michelangelo in your backyard !

Regards Adrian

 

[diamondjim]

I would think you would need expansion gaps
at the corners and possibly every 3 feet to allow
for the different expansion rates. The gaps could
be sealed with some plastic elastic grout. I agree
with the last guy that it might be better to use some
epoxy paint to do the whole job. It may be hard
to get the air out of there while this is being
done, and the painter might get an ususual high.
Sounds like an interesting project. Keep us posted.

 

[fkd]

---> Adrian,


Thanks for the info about Mirror-Mastic but I guess that I won't find this here at Brazil.

On the other hand, the idea about painting is GREAT, I've been a painter for while, so you can call me Mich (or Salvador D) furthermore I will save some bucks.

---> DiamondJim and others,

Thank you all for the help, I'll inform the results and if good one, I will post a photo.


Regs

Fred