Flooring Tile - mortar question

I am part way thru a ceramic tile installation in my laundry room and have a few questions. I used thinset mortar mix to bond the hardiboard to the subfloor and also attached screws as indicated. I did not use the premixed material nor did I add any additives, just water.Did I use the right material? I have some gaps between joints, up to 1/2'' that I filled with the mortar. Is it necessary to tape all the joints? I'm using 12" tiles. What is the preferred tile adhesive to use at this stage and also grout. I will have 3/16" seams. How soon can the washer and dryer be placed onto the tile? Thanks in advance for your help.

You used the right material under the board. The 1/2" is a little too much, 1/8" is ideal but fill it with thinset and tape it with mesh tape as you go about setting the tile. Use a modified thinset, it has the latex or polymers in powder form in the bag and you just add water. 3/16" is the right size grout line. use a sanded grout. Let the tile and grout set up for two days before the appliances go back in. W/D are usually not to heavy, a big refrig I would wait 4 days