What kind of thinset to use

Great chart. I can get the mapei uncoupling mortar but did find it very sandy when using it on Kerdi band Maybe a separate issue. Is that right? Would you also use mapei uncoupling to bond the same tiles to a Kerdi panel wall?

ANSI It probably will have both Then the uncoupling mortar to bond the tile to Ditra. And you can bond tile to Kerdi with it also. It has been recommended that I install some kind of uncoupling membrain like a paint on type or the ditra. There several thoughts about this and is it that serious. I have installed tile over concrete for years and have not heard of uncoupling products before. Is there anything less expensive that will give you the same benefit?

Or is using a good modified thin set sufficient? Can you lead me in the right direction? Good question.

First of all, thinset does nothing for crack prevention. I will mention, that there are a few exceptions, for instance, Laticrete has a product called Sound and Crack Adhesive Now called Tri Max.

So if you want to use an A They tend to be sheet membranes and not waffle-type membranes. However a membrane does provide some insurance towards future cracking and does give the ability to allow the tile to move independently of the concrete as the two surfaces do move move at different rates. But a lot of tile gets installed over bare concrete and most of it is ok. An inexpensive CIS memebrane is a liquid waterproofing membrane such as Redgard or Hydroban and that might be a happy medium.

Read the instuctions, use reinforcement fabric, if necessary, and get the proper thickness. I recommend also reading my post on movement joints as that will help immensely also. Mixing mortar types. So, apparently the premixed stuff is the work of the devil based on the reaction I got from everyone I asked about it. This is a polymer modified thinset. We were having trouble with the bottom tile row and stopped. Removed bottom tile row and most of the mortar. Some of the tile did not want to stick.

But now I have two different types of mortars on the backer board, one pre mixed, unmodified used to tape seams and screws holes ,the other modified started to use on for tiles, but was removed. Just a residual layer on the bottom row shows. Will this be a problem? What are my choices going forward? Thanks, D. If the problem that you had was that the tile was sliding down then you might try to mix it a little thicker.

If the problem was that the thinset was coming through the joints then you might try a smaller trowel. The problem was with the wet saw, cutting tiles. I did not know to dry off the tiles before putting them on the wall. The wet tiles was messing up the consistency of the mortar.

Kitchen backsplash substrate. After scraping a bunch of old stuff off of the wall I have a mix of old oil-based paint probably has lead in it — I plan on testing , old plaster original to house — brown layer with white layer on top , new plaster patches from kitchen reno in and a small area of newer latex paint.

Everything that is remaining seems pretty solid. I also plan on using Durabond 90 and Fibafuse tape to fix a couple of drywall patches. My biggest question is — is priming really necessary given all of the different things going on? I have researched this and cannot find a consistent answer. I am also considering using a non-sag thinset because I am a bit of a newbie at this. You need some sort of primer over any areas where bare drywall compound if exposed.

Lightweight non-sag mortars are nice but if you are stacking the subway tile on top of each other then it may not be necessary. Was considering CBP FlexBond for the walls but could use Natural Stone and Large Tile mortar for the walls as well: a choice between crack protection and sag resistance.

Would it have much benefit for walls in a small bathroom? I understand that the large tile mortar is actually medium-set. Is it less effective when used in thin-set applications in a thinner layer? Maybe it is. Note: results may vary. Flexbond is fine on the walls but the Large Tile mortar is what you would want for the floor.

Nothing wrong with using it on walls though. Sorry, poor wording on my part. Hello I am planning on installing tile over sheet vinyl flooring.

The vinyl is in good shape but is all glued to plywood. Is it possible to install tile over this type flooring without removing the vinyl flooring. I would remove it and start fresh.

Do you have any opinions on drywall joint compound for use in a bathroom? I was hoping to use mold resistant compound on all the drywall in the bathroom but it seems hard to find. Especially concerned about the ceiling above the tub surround.

I think drywall guys just use normal compound that gets mixed together with water. But if you are taping from drywall to backer board I would use thinset as that joint will be covered with tile- usually anyways.

I called USG today to find out what type of thinset to use and he showed me on their website where instructions issued state to use thinset that meets After I arrived home from work today, I noticed that instruction sheet is no longer on their web-site. I could not tell from your flow chart. I took a look at the information and there are two different sheets: the installation instructions and the technical data sheet submittal sheet.

If I use joint compound in the corner between CBU wall and drywall ceiling but I use thinset on the vertical corner between two CBU walls, then how do I handle the 3-way corner between the 2 walls and the ceiling where the two types of joint finish meet?

Should I finish the vertical CBU corner with thinset, let that dry, then go across that with the drywall tape fibafuse and joint compound? I think what I would do is run the alkaline resistant tape vertically up the cbu to cbu corner. The leave the thinset used for the corner tape shy of the ceiling by maybe inches.

Then tape the ceiling with the drywall tape and include the very top of the vertical joint when you apply the drywall compound. The tile will cover the cbu tape up to the ceiling. But I think you definitely want to use the drywall tape at that top cbu to drywall joint. Are there any mortars that are too crappy to finish cement board seams with? This is assuming that you are installing over a plywood subfloor. The area gets pretty hot after the gas logs are on for some time.

What is the best product to apply to the tiles with in an area with extreme temperatures and what kind of grout to use? I like the high-performance type of cement grouts for this type of application. You really should update the leading text information on your web page to correct the current Schluter recommendations for unmodified vs modified thinset.

Any recommendations on the thinset to use? They have their own brand of thinsets now which is mentioned in the blog post. My first recommendation is not to install marble in a shower or on the countertop. But, if you do, go for white, polymer modified, and LFT. Sorry to revive an old post but I wanted to get everything straight as far as what types of joints get what. I have 3 types of surfaces: gypsum ceiling, gypsum wall, and CBU wall.

Gypsum-to-gypsum, wall or ceiling, gets drywall compound. There will be one CBU-to-gypsum wall joint at an outside corner which gets a corner bead and joint compound because half the joint is not covered by tile and it is in a relatively dry area. Does this sound right? The last case is what I was asking about above: the CBU wall to gypsum ceiling joint. If I finish it, it has to be filled with joint compound because half of it is exposed.

The ceiling is painted and the wall is covered with tile all the way to the top. If I was to treat this case as a regular drywall wall to ceiling joint, the wall board butts up against the ceiling board and helps support it. Does it make more sense to treat this more like an upside-down wallboard to tub joint?

By this I mean leave a small gap between wall and ceiling, apply redgard up to the top, fill the gap with silicone, tile to the top, and caulk the wall-ceiling corner. Even doing this can cause some issues with silicone and new paint. Or would you normally go with grout there? I was thinking redgard on CBU then primer on ceiling vapor barrier primer then caulk the gap then tile then grout then paint ceiling then caulk the corner.

First caulking is probably clear or white silicone, fills the gap, and supports the ceiling. Adheres to the redgard coat on the CBU at the bottom and the edge of the primer coat at the top. Second caulking is cosmetic, uses color-matched caulk, and adheres to tile at the bottom and edge of the ceiling paint at the top. When I have to redo it, taking the old caulk out will probably remove some paint which will have to be touched up before the new caulk is applied.

Sound like a good plan? And, yes, I am crazy. Again I think I need to work on my reading comprehension and I wish I could edit my posts. I bought a durock shower system. When I got it all it talked about was unmodified thinset. After I installed it. I went back on the website and now they they are saying that you can use just about any thinset. I want to install cream marble on top of the system. Should I stay with the unmodified thinset or should I use another??

Most every bathroom I do goes to the ceiling. It seems the only exceptions in recent memory have been homes that were trying to keep in the period and style of an older home. I very much like modified over non-modified for most things but specifically for sticking to porcelain tile. That seems like a problematic area because of water that drips over the edge. Is the right way to go? I would make sure that there is a gap between the drywall and the tub that can be filled with silicone.

As a general question, if you have a row of bullnose tiles over the CBU-to-gypsum transition, where do you have the seam between CBU and gypsum relative to the bullnose edge and do you finish it with thinset or drywall compound? If the thinset is used to finish the seam and gets feathered out over the gypsum beyond where tile covers it, does it become a problem or would you just avoid feathering it out that far?

Ideally, I guess you would want it inches in from the edge but you also want the seam outside of the shower. So the bottom line is that it just needs to cover.

I did one just recently that the tile only covered by about 0. Great site — very helpful information — thank you! I am putting glass tile on a concrete wall interior, but it will be humid. Should I use glass tile adhesive, or would prolite work for glass on a wall? Thank you! See if the glass tile manufacturer has a recommendation first.

Otherwise, I think either mortar will work. I might lean towards the glass specific aggressive if it were me. Would you still use the large tile thinset? Thank you for the time you spend helping us poor DIYers!

Great chart! Never mind…. I did the same thing. I looked up an old data sheet and it said unmodified. Now they apparently have walked that back. Hi, maybe my question got overlooked.

Which of mortar s do you recommend I use to cover Sq. Any of the large tile mortars listed on the chart. Plus, there are a few more available nowadays. After reading your site and many comments, it seems I should use a white large tile mortar. My question is, should it be unmodified or modified because of the travertine? Lastly- since the actual pieces are so small, what do you think about using a dremmel wheel to cut them instead of a tile saw?

Correct on the mortar: white and LFT. I prefer modified but either would be OK. A dremel might work ok. Hello, Thanks for the informative article. One of the walls has a pocket door. Any special advise concerning the wall with the pocket door?

Preferred fastener — screw or nail have to be galvanized? Most large format mortars are ok for mosaic tiles. I know some builders will install plywood on that wall to stiffen things up. Either screws or nails are fine. My personal preference is for galvanized roofing nails on floors but cement board screws are perfectly ok. I plan on using Laticrete Platinum thinset because the onyx is porous and because water can get between the rows of the tiles since there is no room to put grout. But to be precautious, I will put a sealer over the mosaic tiles.

I put a piece of the mosaic on the ultralight using thinset and soaked in water to test, and there were no problems with it separating. I have 8 of the mosaic tiles to install for each row.

My concerns are: 1 If I install a few pieces of the mosaic and wait until next day to install additional tiles, the individual tiles may spread apart if some thinset oozes through the rows, which will result in problems with subsequent rows fitting together. What I would do is install all the wall tile first and do the mosaic tile last. A big, wide putty knife or maybe a piece of plywood.

Finally, after all of that, I feel I should caution you about onyx tile in a wet area. Onxy is very sensitive and is no stranger to problems whether that be from moisture darkening or scratching. Beside the 1st row of porcelain, I will be installing the row of mosaics and after that I will install the last row of porcelain to the corner. Then I will finish the adjacent wall the same way but working from the corner to the other side.

I decided not to install the 2nd row of porcelain in the corner then installing the mosaic between it and the 1st row of porcelain in order to avoid any chance that the mosaic may not fit perfectly between the two rows of porcelain.

The way I plan on doing it, I know the mosaics will be installed perfectly between the porcelain. I usually tell people to think of sealer like Scotchguard. Looks like this post got caught in the spam filter. To be honest, that onyx is worse than what I was expecting. What kind of mortar would you use to put kerdi-band over a liquid membrane like aquadefense or redgard? I appreciate your advice. Could I ask another?

We will be putting floor tile in kitchen and dining room. Additionally, if the second layer of underlayment is OSB then it has to be covered. I like Versabond Flex over Redgard because they are the same brand. Otherwise, Ultraflex 2 or Laticrete gold are good choices also.

There is not enough space between the rows to grout from outside of tile One possibility is to grout by spreading open each row and put in mapei flexcolor grout and squeeze rows together then wipe off excess on face of tile — would that work?

If it would not work and water gets behind the tile, what problems would it cause? Water will get behind the mosaic piece though. Because of the shape, design, and type of material that the mosaic piece is. One possible way I thought of to keep water from getting between the rows is to spread open each row and put in mapei flexcolor grout and squeeze rows together then wipe off excess on face of tile — would that work?

In my previous post I meant to say from last sentence: Approx. Especially with the material itself bring porous. But if you do a good job I think it would definitely help. I think some of it has to do with warm water and repeatedly drying out. I also think shampoo and grooming products play a part. But I think if you do what you are talking about I would say maybe soak it for a day then dry it out and repeat a few times. Maybe over the course of a week? You might try it for a week and see what happens.

But it would be hard to give a timeframe problems to develop. Have you heard of it and do you think it would be better to use than the Ditra behind the mosaic tiles? I understand what you are saying about the direction of Ditra. If you want to reverse it you would have to completely prefill the waffles.

I can see how the waffles would trap water and the smooth side it being an advantage. I suppose you could Kerdi over the waffles also. I let dry for 24 hours and worked perfect. Will be a lot of work doing that but will be worth it. Thanks for your advice. My main question is will the thinset stick to the sealant in the joints? Do I have to make sure I have a certain amount of each tile actually on the bare backer board vs over the sealant?

I had read good things about Ardex X77 thinset but that may be overkill for a simple shower. Looks like if I go with any of your listed LFT thinsets I should be covered for anything large or small correct? Bathroom has been gutted. Correct if wrong. Wall or floor tiles walls will be tile floor to ceiling. The tiles have been thoroughly cleaned of old mastic and grout. What thinset, trowel and procedure do you recommend? Put plastic over the studs if no other waterproofing is being installed.

Therefore, I decided to abandon using the mosaic tile and instead use solid 12 x 12 honey onyx. If I cut the black marble from the mosaic tiles, would there be any issues with using this as the pencil tile between the solid sheets of onyx since grout would be between the sides of the onyx and the sides of the black marble?

If any water penetrated between the black marble pieces it would not go past the platinum thinset behind it. As I said before, the platinum is waterproof. My thinking is that water would not leech to the onyx on the sides since there would be grout between them and any water between the black marble would evaporate before mold could form.

Is my thinking correct? I would like to use this wavy shaped black marble because it looks nicer than flat pencil tile I could buy. Is that the best or is there better product to use?

If you do not recommend silicone to fill the gaps, any suggestions what to use? I was considering using a Mapei flex color grout about the same color as the honey onyx between the onyx and the thin black marble pieces. Is it ok to use different grout color in center accent row than the color of the grout used on the porcelain on the sides? I installed flat against the porcelain using platinum thinset. No part of the trim installed behind the porcelain. I am considering removing the trim.

Any suggestions how to remove it without damaging the porcelain? With that in mind, I think grouting with Flexcolor would be the simpler, more effective, and give a better appearance than using silicone.

However, I believe either would work. But grouting with a non-cement grout like Flexcolor and using a good sealer is probably going to be your best bet. The best stone sealer that I know of is Stain-Proof by Drytreat affiliate link. Judging by the price tag it had better be good.

But, as always, testing beforehand is your best bet. For the Schluter trim, it sounds like you installed it so that it tucks behind the center mosaic as opposed to tucking behind the porcelain tile?

As long as you have access to the center mosaic part of the wall then you should be able to pull it straight out. I would start with getting a putty knife behind it and loosening it from one end. I would not expect to save the Schluter strip. Since I submitted previous post, I called Miracle Sealants technical help desk and asked if any of their products would prevent water from seeping into groutless mosaics and the rep.

Do you think rep. Essentially, the purpose of the sealer would be to take the place of grout or another kind of sealant. If it was in there thick enough then it could.

So I would be skeptical of this method but real world testing is your best bet. It would just be speculation on my part. I would guess that Flexcolor CQ is the same. Drytreat Stain-Proof is definitely a solvent based sealer and has the smell to prove it. This mortar can be used in interior, exterior, and submerged installations, and can be used over concrete, exterior glue plywood, and a number of other substrates.

If you find yourself installing a lot of glass or porcelain tile, this Laticrete mortar is an excellent choice for those looking to save money — you can install two types of tile with the same product! At the end of the day, the thinset you use for your porcelain tile is your preference.

You may have a loyalty to a specific brand, or like how a rapid set mortar works more so than a traditional set mortar. Do some research, experiment, and learn. At Tile Pro Depot, we strive to carry all the products you need to complete a quality tile installation. Whether it be thinset for porcelain tile, adhesive for other tiles, underlayment, tools, or grout — we can deliver it all. Visit our website to place an order and to view our wide selection of tile installation products, including several options for thinset for porcelain tile.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us online or by phone at Welcome to Tile Pro Depot! We established this site to service the specific needs of the tile installation professional.

Tile installation tools , tile setting materials, premixed grout and more tile installation products online at Tile Pro Depot. Using the right thinset for porcelain tile is an important part of any job. And sometimes the type of tile itself is a determining factor. Thinset mortar is your default tile mortar for most indoor and outdoor applications. Thinset is a mortar that is made of Portland cement, silica sand, and moisture-retaining agents. Thinset tile mortar has a smooth, slippery consistency, similar to mud.

It is applied to the substrate with a notched trowel. Standard thinset comes as a bagged powder that is mixed with water. The mortar begins setting once it is mixed, so you have to use up the entire batch or discard any excess. Premixed thinset comes in big tubs and is ready to apply right out of the package. Even though it is heavy to carry and more expensive than dry mortar mix, the ease and convenience of premixed thinset mortar make it ideal for do-it-yourselfers.

Use premixed mortar for spaces such as small bathrooms, mudrooms, or utility rooms. If you are dealing with multiple spaces, then you may want to consider a dry mix to save money.

Thinset tile mortar provides a very strong bond and is resistant to moisture and mold growth. Thinset is also heatproof, so it will not lose its grip in hot environments. Because it is cementitious, thinset is dimensionally stable—it will not shrink or contract.

Another advantage of thinset is that it allows you to level uneven surfaces to some degree. You cannot level wildly out-of-level surfaces, but you can bridge gaps and compensate for slight level changes. Because thinset is not affected by moisture, it is best for floor tile and any tile in wet areas, including shower floors, walls, and ceilings and tub surrounds. Since thinset tile mortar may crack, you may wish to mix it with a special latex additive to increase its strength.

Epoxy tile mortar comes in two or three separate components that must be mixed by the user right before use. Relative to thinset, epoxy mortar sets quickly, allowing you to get to the grouting of the tile within just a couple of hours. It is impervious to water, so it does not need any special latex additives, as does some thinset.

Epoxy mortars work well for porcelain and ceramic, as well as for glass, stone, metal, mosaic, and pebbles. Epoxy mortars can even be used for installing rubber flooring or wood block flooring.