| Flooring Tile Ceramic, Marble, Terrazzo, Granite, Terracotta, Natural Stone, Etc. |  08-09-09, 07:36 AM |  | Member | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 13 | | | first time laying tile. need help!
This is going to be my first time laying tile. I have some questions. In all the tile videos i looked i saw them installing the tiles with some grey sticky stuff. What is that stuff? I need to go buy some but i dont know what its called. Im going to be installing ceramic tile, i already started taking off the old tile. Here is what it looks like underneath.   | 08-09-09, 07:49 AM |  | Member | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Moore, Oklahoma Posts: 7,598 | | | It's called thinset. Don't buy any adhesive that comes in a bucket, it's more expensive and has been known to have lots of failures. Get a 50lb bag of Versabond if you have Home Depot or a Mapei product from Lowes.
Now, it is recommended and industry practice to install a cement backerboard onto that wood, then install tile on top. | 08-09-09, 08:50 AM | | Group Moderator | | Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Farther north than I like Posts: 5,606 | | | I'm a little concerned you plan to do this and don't know what thinset is. Putting down ceramic is pretty straight forward and definitely a DIY job, but I think you might see a big difference in your results if you hit Home Depot or Lowes and pick up a book about tiling.
And definitely come back here with questions. | 08-09-09, 09:21 AM | | Member | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Texas Gulfcoast Posts: 4,136 | | | The floor looks wood not concrete. Around here at least most of the thinset is not intended for wood and the ones that are are very expensive ($5 vs $25 /bag) but that is what you must be sure to use unless you use cement backer board underlayment.
P.S. You really need to read up on the subject not just watch videos. | 08-09-09, 02:39 PM | | Member | | Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: new york Posts: 1 | | | Help Ceramic tiles and wetsaw
Hi I am a novice, but have otten my hands dirty before. I am installing new ceramic tiles on the walls 4X4 and I am using versabond 85% of tiles are up. Now I need to cut some two inch tiles for around the window. HELP HELP, how do I use a wetsaw  | 08-10-09, 04:47 AM | | Member | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 13 | | Quote: Originally Posted by ray2047  The floor looks wood not concrete. Around here at least most of the thinset is not intended for wood and the ones that are are very expensive ($5 vs $25 /bag) but that is what you must be sure to use unless you use cement backer board underlayment.
P.S. You really need to read up on the subject not just watch videos. | yup the floor is wood not concrete. And i am not planning on putting down cement backerboard. So what should i use that is intended for wood? | 08-10-09, 05:10 AM | | Member | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 13 | | | | 08-10-09, 06:57 AM | | Member | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,616 | | | You currently have ceramic over a plywood subfloor. You have no underlayment, and thats not acceptable by today's standards. Remove all the tile and as much of the mastic as you can.
You must install an underlayment before you can install the tile. The cement board you mention will work. Make sure you read the installation instructions before you intall the cement board, as its important to get everything right to prevent a failure. This means that you must set the cement board in a bed of fresh thinset and screw or nail it down to the subfloor. You must tape and mud (with thinset) the seams of the cement board.
The flexbond in your post will work just fine. Stay away from the mastic in a bucket as it will cause nothing but problems. | 08-22-09, 10:09 PM |  | Member | | Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: connecticut shoreline Posts: 32 | | | free tiling classes at Home Depot are absolutely necessary if you've never done tiles. We spent 1 hour there and it was very worth the time. | 08-23-09, 07:42 AM | | Member | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Moore, Oklahoma Posts: 7,598 | | | Nursepammi,
I'de be careful with that. I've seen some very scary tiling classes at HD. The people get no training in tiling before they make them teach the class. They give them a few pieces of paper with some "how-to" information and thats it. I used to work there and I was feeling sorry for the customers who were watching other employees teach it. | 11-06-09, 09:34 AM | | Member | | Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Costa Rica Posts: 1 | | | How to Tile a Bathroom
I found this site to be helpful for my tiling project:
Link Removed
And if you can get some instruction from Home Depot on how to do it as well, that will reinforce your knowledge and make you able to do a better job. Don't rush into it and start doing things without a little knowledge.
Last edited by mitch17; 11-06-09 at 11:19 AM. | 11-06-09, 09:50 AM | | Member | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,616 | | | Liberia
I read that link just now. There is some inaccurate info there, as well as some not so good advice and a whole lot of missing info. I'd not rely on this article as a basis to install tile.
Also, I'll assume the original poster is probably done with this job since this thead is 3 months old.
Last edited by HeresJohnny; 11-06-09 at 11:33 AM. | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode |  Posting Rules | You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
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