Perry's Last Big Tile Project

[masonary]

Just finished laying my first 3 courses of 12x24 tiles (on
Ditra with 1/2"x1/2" notched tile and Kerabond unmod as the mortar). I pulled up a couple and got real solid coverage (its not that easy to pull up a tile... lotsa suction there).

1. Can I knock out the LASH clips after say... 18 hours? I started install about 10am this morning and knocked off around 3pm. So If I start again around 9am tomorrow, the last tiles will have been set about 18 hours. I don't know how easy these things snap off... which gives me pause.

2. Should I just kick them out (like the promotional video)... or use a rubber hammer?

Cheers!

Perry

[nelsonkoehn]

Nothing wrong with hitting them out with a hammer, but why not give your weary knees a rest and use the toe of your boot!

Works great for me

[Houston Remodeler]

I knock mine out with a rubber mallet the next day.

What's the rush?

[masonary]

I'm on vacation to do the tiling, so I'm trying to give myself the most optimum schedule.... I'm a slow worker, but I try to be accurate. We have kitchen cabinets installed in about two weeks, I wanted to give the floor a good week as completed (grout and all), before we have to move the fridge/stove back into the room.

I've done tiling in the past, on a small scale (bathrooms), but no project schedule. If I had my way, I'd let it set for 2 days between sections.

So tomorrow I can give it the boot (or hammer).

Thanks for the help!

Perry

[Steve C]

My 11D boots work well for me. Other sizes should work o.k. too.

I've knocked them out the next day with no problem.

[masonary]

I gave a go with 10.5 boots this morning... worked just fine.
Now... mix up a pot and start again.

Thanks again!

[masonary]

I've seen some debate on whether pre-filling waffles is OK or not. But to be safe, I'm using the end of the bucket to pre-fill areas that will be under the kitchen cabinets.

My question is while laying the tiles I tend to catch the adjoining areas/rows.

If you let these waffles skin over, and then put another layer of thinset on top, do they bond together correctly? Or does it even matter?

[cwilde72]

Yes, they will bond Perry. No worries...

[Steve C]

Here's a thread with 224 posts, just about filling waffles:

http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/...hlight=waffles

The search feature can be your good friend.

[masonary]

I can hear you thinking.... "ahhh.... Newbies..." LOL!

Perfect, and thank-you

Cheers,
Perry

[cwilde72]

No, not at all Perry. Totally legitimate question and a valid concern.

[cx]

Welcome, Perry.

It'll help if you'll keep all your project questions on one thread so folks can see what you're working on and what's been previously asked and answered. We can give it a more generic title any time you'd like to suggest one.

[masonary]

sure thing CX... How do I change the title?

Steve C.... I read the waffle thread before, but don't remember that specific question. Maybe I missed it. I'm out of research and into "production" now... so am in a rush for specific answers sometimes.

[masonary]

CX... you are a mod, yes? can you change the thread title to "Perry's Last Big Tile Project"

More questions for today.

1. Can I mix modified and unmodfied thinset together? I've got about 1/2 bag of mod left over and I'd like to add it to the batches as I go along.

2. I have some spaces along the walls where I didn't quite cut the Ditra to fit, gaps about 1". Any problem with filling this in with thinset?

Thanks
Perry

[Pete1972]

1.) You can, but you shouldn't. Different mortars are designed with a specific formula in mind. Mixing them together would not improve that performance and more than likely hinder the effectiveness of the thinset. I'd spend the extra $12 on a fresh new bag of Versabond myself.

2.) I'm not sure about that one; seems like that area could be prone to developing a hairline crack down the road since part of the tile is bonded to an uncoupling membrane and the other part bonded with thinset to your plywood subfloor. Or maybe not....I dunno.