Shower Wall Tile Thinset Thickness

Spread the mixture using a notched trowel whose notch size.

Shower wall tile thinset thickness.

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. 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. In the case of travertine the back of the tile is smooth so a larger notched trowel wouldn t necessarily be required. 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 slow to set which leads to tile sag on vertical applications. Thinset tile mortar. So a 1 2 x 1 2 trowel will leave a 1 4 high bed of thinset beneath the tile. Thinset is a mortar that is made of portland cement silica sand and moisture retaining agents.

This type of cement is designed to adhere well in a thin layer typically not greater than 3 16th thick. I never recommended using drywall as a base for the installation only a rated tile backerboard as well as the. Thinset tile mortar has a smooth slippery consistency similar to mud. Total wall thickness at least the surface on the bathroom side rarely exceeds 1 inch total unless marble tiles are used they are 1 2 inch 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. It is applied to the substrate with a notched trowel. Thinset mortar is your default tile mortar for most indoor and outdoor applications. A 3 8 x 3 8 trowel will leave a 3 16 bed of thinset beneath the tile.

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. Thinset is inexpensive and it fills in gaps and depressions. Mastic is very sticky grabs fast and is quick setting.

For example a 3 8 notch trowel will produce a 3. The terms thinset cement thinset mortar dryset mortar and drybond mortar are synonymous.