Wall Tile Installation

[Chillimau]

Jerry and the others are right.

Mastic is the quick easy, but not the best way. Mastic has a better "hang" when wet than thinset, but thinset will have a much better "grip" when cured. Micheal Byrnes tile setting book is an excellent tile book. Check out Fine Homebuilding books web site for more info.

Just because someone is a professional doesn't mean they do professional work. I just bought some wall tile and the sales person asked if I needed mastic for that too. Looked at me totally crazy when I said mastic was the wrong product for that.

ONLY place I would use mastic is on the old aluminum tiles. Cement based product will corrode the alum.

Gary

[MikePA]

How smooth do the screwheads and joints have to be? Just the rough edges knocked down or drywall smooth?

Also, is the notch size a function of the adhesive used or the tile? I want to make sure I have the right sized notches before I start. [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

Attached are pictures of the 6" x 6" tile I'll be using.

[Stoneheartfarm]

Mike,

Your tile looks just about like the 12x12 tile that we used.

To answer your questions:
1. Just knock the rough edges down, drywall smooth is not necessary. Try to make sure that you don't have "high" spots though, since these will tend to tip your tiles. Spend a little extra time on prepping the wall to get it plumb and relatively smooth, it will make it alot easier later on.

2. I used a 1/4" notched trowel for 8x8 and 12x12, and used it with a couple of different thinsets and bonding mortars. I noticed no real difference. I would guess that with thin or small (4x4) tiles, you might want to go to a smaller notch. You can always run a test by mixing a little mortar, trowling it on and pressing a tile in place. Then pull the tile loose and look at the back of it to see if the mortar spread out evenly. That is the purpose of the notches, to allow you to get a thinner, even coat after the tile has been pressed into place.

Steve

[DocHeb]

You can use a "rubbing stone" to knock down small peaks of thinset that stick up at your seams. These stones are about 1" x 3" x 6", and are made of a material that looks like a very coarse grinding wheel. Don't worry about setting the screws below the surface in a low water exposure installation. The notches should deposit enough material so that when you push firmly on the tile (or tap it gently with a rubber mallet) the entire back surface of the tile is covered with thinset.

[MikePA]

What's the best way to cut these (see attached picture) tiles? I have to cut a row of 12 of them roughly in half. I bought a cheap score-and-snap tile cutter and it's not working...or I don't know how to use it. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[Stoneheartfarm]

Did you buy enough extra tile to practice? I broke about a half a dozen before I got the hang of the score and snap. My wife broke about the same number. You could also try a nibbler. Wear gloves though, I blistered my hand pretty good trying to cut out for a sink. Best way is probably with a tile saw, which is about $100.00 (cheap one) at Depot. On the other hand, the place where you bought the tile might cut some for you if you have the dimensions, or you might rent a tile saw for a day. Just make sure you have some extra to cover breakage while the learning curves.

(Try the nibblers first.)

Steve

[MikePA]

Steve, thanks for the info about the tile nibbler. I have plenty of extra tiles. I only need 13 tiles and I have 1.5 of the sheets for a total of 76 individual tiles for my learning curve. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Stoneheartfarm]

Cool!

Nibbler worked pretty good for me. It's surprising how close you can get to a dead straight line. Just take real small nibbles.

I forgot to tell you that you may be able to buy a dry tile blade that would fit your skillsaw or table saw. I found one or two at Depot, but they were rather expensive. I tried a diamond coated blade for my sawzall and it worked okay, but the nibbler was faster.

Steve

[DocHeb]

Many tile stores will do cuts with a wet saw if you bought the tile from them. It is very helpful for non-linear cutting.

[Argee]

You can buy a wet saw from HD for about $99. Bought one a couple of years ago. Looks like a little table saw, has a stainless steel top and fence. You can also freehand or use the rim of the blade to make a radius cut. Really slick. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]