Shower Wall Tile Thinset Thickness

A 3 8 x 3 8 trowel will leave a 3 16 bed of thinset beneath the tile.

Shower wall tile thinset thickness. In the case of travertine the back of the tile is smooth so a larger notched trowel wouldn t necessarily be required. Thinset tile mortar. Thinset is slow to set which leads to tile sag on vertical applications. Most ceramic tiles are between 1 4 inch to 5 16th inch thick in modern construction they are glued to water resistant gypsum board 5 8 inch thick or 1 2 inch thick cement board.

It is applied to the substrate with a notched trowel. So a 1 2 x 1 2 trowel will leave a 1 4 high bed of thinset beneath the tile. Walls wainscots dry backsplashes are key areas where tile mastic tends to be used. A chemical reaction takes place within 30 minutes of mixing that starts the bonding process between the tile and the underlayment or wall.

Thinset is a mortar that is made of portland cement silica sand and moisture retaining agents. Thinset is inexpensive and it fills in gaps and depressions. The terms thinset cement thinset mortar dryset mortar and drybond mortar are synonymous. Thinset mortar is your default tile mortar for most indoor and outdoor applications.

I never recommended using drywall as a base for the installation only a rated tile backerboard as well as the. Using a u notched trowel and embedding the tile into the thinset leaves you with a bed of thinset beneath the tile a little over 1 3 the size of the trowel teeth. Spread the mixture using a notched trowel whose notch size. For example a 3 8 notch trowel will produce a 3 16th inch thick coating after the tiles are pressed in to the cement.

Therefore i almost always recommend a pre mixed mastic when installing light subway tiles over a shower wall. The thin set in a bag would be as much weight once installed as the tile it is adhering even if it was rated to hold. For example a 3 8 notch trowel will produce a 3. This type of cement is designed to adhere well in a thin layer typically not greater than 3 16th thick.

Jun 11 2011 the thinset thickness is determined by the size of the trowel used and the size of the trowel is determined by how the back of the tile is constructed and the size of the tile. Thinset tile mortar has a smooth slippery consistency similar to mud.