C_Dave45, have a tile question for you

[blindsight]

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[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by blindsight
When setting travertine, what brand and type of thin-set do you trust and what consistency do you find best for this? I've always just used Custom products, or Mapei depending on supplier/store.

Any tricks to aftercare or sealing?

The house was built in '86 and has 2x10 (1.5x9) joists with 12" spacing.

I know what I was taught, but things have changed since I switched careers and was hoping you could give me quick insight on how you would prep this job too. It's a kitchen and will be meeting 3/4" maple hardwood. I assume I'd be replacing the floor in 10 years because... but gluing the subfloor = future nightmare.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

First question is; Is it REAL Trav, and have you already purchased it?
The reason I ask is because with today's porcelains you can get it with any emulated surface you want. Travertine, Marble, Granite, etc. and it's bullet proof, no maintenance and can be cut with a "score n snap" cutter, as opposed to every single cut having to be done on a wet saw. The "real" stone is very soft, scratches easily, the finish wears down, and requires constant maintenance. Plus it's harder to install, cut etc. You'll find the big box stores like HD and Rona are selling these older stones at dirt cheap prices, because they are a dying trend.

However..having said all that, answers to your questions;

Doesn't matter what brand. Custom, Mapei, Laticrete etc. All you want to know is that it's "modified".
You want to mix it to a "Peanut butter" consistency. It should be able to hold it's "peaks" when you dip your trowel in it and pull up.
If you're going to use a light coloured grout, then use white thinset. Darker colours, you can just use grey. Cost difference is about $5 per bag.

Also, use WAY more thinset than you think. 1/2" trowel minimum, and I notch the floor AS WELL as on the tile itself. (back butter) With any "rectified" tile (edges are sharp, as opposed to a "pressed" tile, where they're rounded) you don't want any lippage. If the floor deviates even a 1/4" within 10 feet, you'll have lippage. To get away from this you want a very thick "bed". Your coverage will be about 30 square feet per 50lb bag of thinset.

Also, do yourself a favor and buy "LASH leveling clips" from Home Depot. There are two parts. The Clips and the Wedges, (which are re-usable). You'll want to use 4 clips/wedges per tile. Video

As for prepping. You didn't say what you're going onto. Old vinyl, old plywood, new plywood...
Ideally, you want plywood (not OSB, unless you use Ditra over it). Nothing to prep, just have it clean and dust free. *edit: you want 3/8th's ply on TOP of the 5/8th's T&G main subfloor.

Old plywood (old tile removed) will have ridges and crap from old thinset. Doesn't have to be perfectly clean or smooth. You're going over it with a thick bed of thinset.
Old vinyl: Will be installed over K3 most likely. In a perfect world, you'd remove all of this. But it's a BITCH of a job. You CAN go directly onto the old vinyl, as long as it's not lifting anywhere (corners and around heat vents, you can cut the loose vinyl back to the glued areas). Then take a 40-grit belt sander and roughen up the entire vinyl. Then use modified thinset as per normal installation. The only downside to this is if in the future you have a major flood (dishwasher, toilet) and the water hits the old K3...it will expand and pop the tile. But if you get that major of a flood...call your insurance agent and get an entirely new floor for free!!

With real Trav, aftercare sealing can be done using any brand of natural stone sealer. There are a ton out there. Don't get the solvent based. They're a great product, but they stink for days, and are about 10x the cost.

[jeffh]

Wow, awesome advice Dave. I'm going to save this for future reference.

[90_Shelby]

Since this is the ask Dave thread...
What silicone do you use for inside corners in a shower and how long should it last before needing replacement? I have a bench in my shower and either the silicone job was crap or excessive scrubbing with a brush when cleaning, damaged it causing it to lift a bit, I think.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by 90_Shelby
Since this is the ask Dave thread...
What silicone do you use for inside corners in a shower and how long should it last before needing replacement? I have a bench in my shower and either the silicone job was crap or excessive scrubbing with a brush when cleaning, damaged it causing it to lift a bit, I think.

I just use plain-jane ole' silicone. I like the Dow tubes because their tips are removable. Put in properly you should never need to re-do it. Well, maybe 10 years down the road, depending on how clean you maintain your shower. If it lifts at all within that time, just take an Olfa knife or razor scraper and remove all the silicone completely and re-do.

Something to keep in mind, though. The purpose of silicone in the corners of your shower, are not to keep water from penetrating and leaking through the substrate. (Whether that be walls, into the next room, or a floor down into the ceiling below). The silicone is merely a cosmetic function. Corners tend to crack, and the silicone keeps these areas from losing the grout. Also just so you don't have to see the ugly cracks.

Customers call me all the time saying "my shower leaks, can you come and redo the silicone?" I get there, and there's a bead of silicone that looks like it was put in with someone's elbow over and over again. That is not where the leaking is coming from.

Also, the ONLY time you will use white silicone is if you have WHITE tile against WHITE acrylic. Any other colour of either surface and you will want to use either CLEAR or if it's white-ish grout/tile on one side, use TRANSLUCENT.

Also....a tiny, TINY bead of silicone. None of this 1/4" hole at the tip. The smallest hole you can make. 1/16th to 1/8th tops. Make sure both surfaces are completely dry and dust free. Then "pull" the tube as you squeeze your gun at about a 45 degree angle. Never "push" with your nozzle. Go from each corner and meet somewhere in the middle. Then lick your finger and gently push into a corner and "tool" the silicone with your finger. Don't smear it halfway up the wall. You want your finger to just barely touch the bead, just enough to smooth it's texture. Stop midway, and repeat again from the other corner.

One other thing: Never EVER use silicone between tile and a painted surface. If you see some tradesman using silicone at the top of a tile base and against a painted surface....tell him to hit the road. I see this all the time. You CANNOT paint over silicone. So the next time you go to repaint that wall, your paint will "flash" where the silicone is, and you'll see a big ugly squigly line of silicone against new paint. If you want to do that, use DAP!! Not silicone!!


Silicone

» Click image for larger version Dap

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[90_Shelby]

Awesome. Thanks!

[Buster]

I usually mask my silicone beads when I do it. Not sure if that's proper, but it's better than my usual ham fist beads.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Buster
I usually mask my silicone beads when I do it. Not sure if that's proper, but it's better than my usual ham fist beads.

LOL...masking is good if you're not confident with your beads.

[Alterac]

We have 12x12 tis through our main floor and bathrooms, but the grout line is so rough it's destroying socks and my daughter's pants since she is crawling all over.

Is there any way to fix this without removing all the grout and redoing it?

1/4 to 3/8 thick grout lines depending in how shitty a job this is. (It's crap, tons of tiles cracking, popping)

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Alterac
We have 12x12 tis through our main floor and bathrooms, but the grout line is so rough it's destroying socks and my daughter's pants since she is crawling all over.

Is there any way to fix this without removing all the grout and redoing it?

1/4 to 3/8 thick grout lines depending in how shitty a job this is. (It's crap, tons of tiles cracking, popping)

No there's not sorry. If tile and grout are cracking it's because the tile hasn't been bonded properly. Only solution is a complete re-do.

[Alterac]

I don't even really care about the tile cracking, I just want my socks to last haha.

The grout line is so rough it's ridiculous.

Eventually we will be replacing it all, but for now I'm just looking to see what I can do to make them smoother instead of rough.


Image

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[speedog]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
LOL...masking is good if you're not confident with your beads.

For most, a good bead comes with practice. The current 250 unit supportive care facility I've been working in for the last 5 months has given me plenty of practice and I can say without a doubt that my beading skills are much, much better than before this build.

[blindsight]

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[C_Dave45]

If you're ripping out down to the main subfloor, don't use 1/2" ply. That will put you 1/8th above your hardwood before any building up that might be required with thinset. A total of 1" ply is more than strong enough (5/8th's plus 3/8th's). or for even more room for build up, use Ditra XL instead of plywood. That way you'll gain another 8th of an inch as well as a 10 year warranty against cracks.
Ditra XL is $1.59/sq ft.

[blindsight]

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