I’m about to install ~100 sq ft of slate on the walls of a tub surround.
Have studs 16″ OC, a VB and 1/2″ Durock cement board up already. Tile is 12″ natural slate.
Only question left…any advantage or disadvantage to latex modified vs. regular thinsets?
thanks!
Replies
big advantage ...
and you want the modified ... mixed with the latex admixture.
Don't mix with water ... you want something even more sticky for natural slate.
I like Mapei's Kerabond with Keralastic.
Plan on buying a new mixing paddle and trowels afterwards ...
use cheap throw aways ... way easier than cleaning.
take a look at http://www.mapei.com
Jeff
Buck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
How do you feel about the pre mixed stuff and do they make any pm for this application as i the same situation coming on my next project.
tyke
just another day in pradise
G.E. Ely Construction
Ocracoke,NC
If you mean pre-mixed that comes in a tub then run away now. It is not real thinset mortar. Besides, mixing is easy.
Billy
Pre mixed stuff is not cement based and should not be used in wet locations.
personally ... I think premixed is just a time bomb sitting in a randon can just waiting to go off ... how do ya know when it's ... fresh?
The key to a good thinset mix ... is the slake time ...
with premix ... no slake.
I just don't trust the stuff.
Like someone else already said ... so far as I know ... which might not be much ...
premix is more of a mastic than thinset.
for something like slate ... I like to mix it a little "thick" to begin with ...
so the weight of the individual tile isn't as much of a factor.
Gotta be soupy enough for a good stick ... thick enough so it'll hold the tiles ...
even the relative temp and humidity that particular day come into play ...
I prefer to mix it myself and adjust as need be.
Works for me ... and I'm not even a real tile setter ...
Jeff
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Thanks guys.
I have been mixing my own for a while now. It is easy, but messy as heck.I just used premixed on kithen counters and back splash and i've used it on floors.But i haven't even tiled a tub surround yet.just stared tiling a year ago.i was a little intimidated by tiling till i just did it. always mixed my own till a home owner bought some pm for floor app. and really liked it.
a friend of mine another GC here used the premix on on tub surround in 4 units and of course he loved it.
I just put down about 400 sq. ft. of saltillo tiles and mixed all my mortar,but on the counter and backsplash i bought premixed and i'm going to seal these.
i'll post some pics when i get the mess cleaned up.
thanks for the input,
tyke
just another day in paradise
G.E. Ely Construction
Ocracoke,NC
Listen to the guy that says pre-mixed is more of a mastic than a mortar. You see, mortar is concrete-based and it will set up underwater -- so what you have in the pre-mixed tub is not concrete-based because it would set up in the tub. It is basically a mastic.
You can make tile stick with mastic, but they won't stick for long in a wet area. It's your choice.
Billy
I don't get why it's messy.
just pour a small coupla inches of water or additive into a 5 gal bucket ...
then pour in some dry thinset ..... about the bottom 1/3 of the bucket ....
and mix with the paddle in the drill.
for bigger pours .. I will mix a bigger bucket ... but never so much is splashes out the top.
I don't get a mess ... just some dust from pouring in the thinset powder?
Maybe you need a bigger bucket ... or to mix in smaller batches.
I do hate when I have to "adjust" either the water or the thinset and end up with almost a bucket full. But that only happens when I've screwed something up by not paying attention.
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Use only latex-modified thinset. The slate is heavy and requires the extra strength. I find it is best to calculate where your top row will be placed and draw a line on the wall. Then, use some 2X2 boards as braces to prop up each tile until the thinset has time to harden to a reasonable strength. Do one row at a time. Then cut a foot off of the boards and use them as props for the next row. Work your way down in this fashion.
Why not start from the bottom and then use spacers to stack the additional courses? If you start at the top you have to wait for each course to set up and then mix a bit of new mud for the next course down...???
The top row is at eye level. This is the row that will be seen the most. It is also the best place to make a judgment during installation. You can get more control over the appearance and balance that is possible with slate. Using the sticks gives you exact height adjustment on the irregular edges of the slate, something difficult to achieve with spacers. The adjustment is achieved by setting the sticks at about a ten to twenty degree angle, and moving the base in or out to get the desired height. The sticks are placed under the approximate center of mass of each tile, which more often than not is not in the exact center of the bottom edge of the tile. The bottom row will take care of itself. My method takes a little longer; however, it gives excellent results with even the thickest, heaviest, and most irregular slate. Some of the most beautiful slate is quarried by hand and ends up being nearly an inch thick in some areas to nearly zero on some edges. To not waste the most irregular and most interesting stones, it is sometimes necessary to be creative in the method of embedding the pieces in the thinset.