Tiling technique and Thin-set questions
joemilw
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
A recent thread on thin-set has got me to thinking… After months of weekend work on a new bathroom, I am finally to the point where I am ready to start tile work.
Ive tiled before but never worked with natural stone or glass tiles, both of which have been selected by the DW and purchased by yours truly. 1″ [on 12 x 12 paper sheets] glass tiles will be used for the Shower/ tub niche walls and ceiling (sloped @prox 30 deg.). 12″ slate will adorn the floors
Please discuss and share your expirience with both tile types and what the best type of thinset for each application is. Im most concerned with the ceiling tile install.
Thanks
Replies
go to http://www.mapei.com and start reading.
for slate ... I like their Kera Bond mixed with keralastic.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I have done glass like that. Too bad the alignment on the individual tiles sucked. And this was not cheap stuff. I spent 10-30 minutes on each sheet adjusting those little tiles.
It was shear torture but looked sweet in the end. i only have a few sucky pics.
I contacted the manufactuer of the glass tile to get their reccomendation for a setting material that would validate their warrantee.
Turns out it was Mapie thinset with their additive mixed in instaed of water.
Just wait till you get that first sheet of paper off. Don't rush it but don't wait to long either, or you will not be able to adjust the tiles.
Have lots of beer handy for the end of the day.
[email protected]
You might wantr to use white thinset for the glass tiles, cuz that will make the colors look better. Grey thinset will darken the colors. Not that the thinset will actually change the color, but the light goes through the tile and bounces off the back wall of the tile, and the grey thinset does not reflect the lighht as well.
You should put one coat of sealer on the face of the slate tiles before grouting, and even then you might have a problem getting the grout out of the crevaces on the face.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Joe,
Check out http://www.johnbridge.com
Tile Advice Forums.
Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
A lot more experienced tile guys here than me but I'll still add a couple of points about slate. It has sharp edges, bad for stubbing toes and other areas of the feet. That makes it important to buy equal sized splits. Even then it's still important to measure them for thickness before starting and begin with a thicker one so that you can bring them all up to that level.
For a small area, like a bathroom, I like to lay out all my slate in the sun and check color differences and other peculiarities, then take some time to arrange them so that they work well together. Numbering them and making a floor plan can also be helpful. I always buy several extra boxes of slate so that I'm not stuck with a too many that have to be hidden behind the toilet.
Thanks for the responses... I appreciate the perspective. It always helps my confidence to feel like Ive covered the bases before I get into something.
I just completed 200 sf of 12" black slate on my kitchen floor. I used Laticrete thinset with their latex additive. The problem I noticed with the slate is that, even buying a good-quality locally produced gauged slate, there were still significant differences in thickness and tile size. I had to play with them quite a bit to make things line up, tile spacers were discarded after the first five minutes due to frustration with the slate inconsistencies. I still had to reject a few slates as they were either radically too thin or too thick at one edge or corner. Buy at least 10% extra and more if the store will let you return leftovers.
For grout I used Laticrete 1500 with 1776 admix. Others recommend Mapei, but I can't get Mapei locally. The Laticrete worked fine. Black grout SUCKS. FWIW.
I used 5/8" square glass chicklets for the back of the niches before. What worked for me was, having built the niche and lined it with durock, I then used the field tiles for the inside sides of the niche, leaving the 'back' wall of the niche bare durock.
The last step was to precut 1/4" thick durock to fit the inside back of the niche. I then cut out a 'window' in scrap 3/8" ply that 'framed' the piece of 1/4" thick durock. This allowed me to lay down a uniformly 1/8" thick and level coat of thinset upon which I gently placed the glass chicklets. Let this set up well then soak the paper and - voila - you're ready to install the glass tile/durock assembly into the niche.
The thought of trying to set wiggly glass chicklets into the back of a small niche and have them come out anywhere close to level - well - the thought of it alone was frustrating.
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!