I have to place tile on a section of wall in my kitchen, for a countertop backsplash. Tile is 4×4 tumbled travertine marble, pretty heavy stuff. The wall is regular sheetrock with flat paint. Any special prep requirements for this, or can I just thinset the wall and slap it on (figuratively speaking, of course)? I was considering hitting the wall with some 80-grit just to scuff the paint, but I didn’t know if that was necessary.
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Mastic is fine for a sheetrock backsplash painted or not.
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Never used mastic before. Could I just use construction adhesive, like PL400? Or can I actually thinset it on without any problems? I guess I understand the mastic concept, but I'm just wondering if something I already have will work.
Mastic = tile glue in a bucket. Some still call it Double Duty from the old days of HB Fuller.
Ypu probably want something you can trowel on. Thinset will work fine, but mastic will be easier and more economical.
PL would work but do you really want to trigger each tile? And what if they are damp from the wet saw?[email protected]
I glued tile to sheet rock with PL400 once. You want to work with an area no larger than about 2' square - it's stiff and skins over rapidly. You will probably find PL200 much easier to work with, but the tiles won't shift as much with the PL400. Either one will give you a good result. God help you if you have to remove a tile after that stuff sets, though.Mastic works well, but it takes longer to cure than the PL series glues. You will want to have some arrangement to hold heavy tiles in position while the mastic sets. You will also probably want to work no more than two rows at a time and then wait on the mastic to cure before going higher.George Patterson
You can find tubes of marble & granite construction adhesive. I put up two rows of 18"x18" travertine on flat painted drywall recently.
Mastic sounds like a good choice too and easier to apply for small tiles. Since kitchens are usually painted glossy, I think your idea of scuff sanding would help, but some guys apply tile with mastic over old ceramic tile.
Most important is to check the wall with a straight edge and float out any low spots before you put up any tile.