Mud Work Hints and Methods

[MDtile]

Cool story Richard. I felt kinda special when my boss gave me the nod to do this 'computer nerd with millions of bucks' (his behind-the-customer's back dig) who paid T and M for the work (told me to take my time of course). I thought I was really milking it when I spent about a week in each room



I don't think I have a single one of my original tools with the exception of my extra tall mud stand I special ordered, which I just recently gave to one of my setters Paul, who is also tall and has a bad back, so now he has it. He needs it a lot more than I do

[Peerless Tile]

So is that panel where it's supposed to be or does it come forward and just look like a framed accent? Pretty slick none the less

[MDtile]

Originally Posted by Peerless Tile

So is that panel where it's supposed to be or does it come forward and just look like a framed accent? Pretty slick none the less

It's stuck to its magnets as pictured. No caulk around the edges. It has a small piano wire loop right at the top edge to enable it to be removed by pulling on it.

The builder and I sat down and figured it out for this project. He wanted something that looked better than the various other approaches he had seen and I had never done one before, so I was open for suggestions. I suggested tiling into the opening, so that he could put a hinged door in there. He said ok, but came up with the magnetic catch and tiled removable panel.

It is a nifty way to deal with it, but I have always most liked the access hidden in a closet or even on the exterior of an outside wall

[tilejoe]

That's my straight edge on 3 of the 5 studs...there's a solid 1.5" of space between the stud and edge.

Oh look, they're bowed the other way too. That's an inch out over 2". Sweet jesus, glad I saw this on the blue prints while I was bidding. Meh.


Flat as can be now, and covered in orange.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Davy]

Yeah, you may have to mud it extra on the sides to keep from being down to the lath in the center. I've seen that in the past also. Looks like you have it under control.

[madronatile]

Hear you Joe. I've started putting "corrections to framing not included" at the bottom of our bids taken off plans. Covers floor leveling too.

[Chad Deiter Company]

Originally Posted by madronatile

Hear you Joe. I've started putting "corrections to framing not included" at the bottom of our bids taken off plans. Covers floor leveling too.

That's genius Matt

[tilelayer]

Mark,

Hows that foam float working out for ya?

[Lou_MA]

Is type S mason mix the same as fat mud?

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-80...3680/100318510

[dhagin]

Search this thread for "type s". Lots of discussion right in this thread.

Here ya go
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/...archid=6836444

[Davy]

The type tells the compressive strength of the mortar. Here is a good read about mud types.
http://construction.about.com/od/Mas...rtar-Types.htm

But, when it comes to tile work, the grit of sand is important. A type S mix of fine sand may would work well for brick work but a courser sand would work best for tile work.

[Lou_MA]

Thanks guys. I ended up using Quikrete Mason Mix, and it seemed to work ok.

Some pics below of my first attempt at floating walls. Or more accurately, *a* wall. I won't amuse you with the amount of time it took. Or the amount of mud I dropped. Or the fact that using a hawk and trowel is apparently a mystery to me. Or that my edges need to get a lot neater. I'm counting on all those getting better...maybe not on the second wall, but with future projects.

That being said, the wall came out plumb and pretty flat. Not dead flat, but good. At least, I didn't make the wall more wavy or less plumb than it was, so I counted it as a good day.

Some questions that came up during the day -

1. I didn't slake the mason mix. Is that a problem? Should I have?

2. If the mix stiffens up, can I add water and re-mix? I know not to for thinset, but does it also go for fat mud?

Thanks

[jwmezzanotte]

Lou

Looks fun! I get to do some more mud next week

I use quickrete mason mix, all thats available here unless I want to mix my own. Dont see the point for a small job. The mason mix works good for me.

Ive added water and remixed. Donno if one is "supposed" to, but it worked for me. Ive even scooped up what I dropped on the floor and remixed with water. Im sure theres a time limit there somewhere, and a loss of strength and "stickiness" too maybe. But it worked fine for me.

Maybe one of the pros can tell us both why its a bad idea
(Dont tell anyone, but ive done it with thinset too )

[blue_can]

After seeing this I'm also considering using the mason mix for my next project. It is a bit of a pain to be mixing the ingredients from scratch although as advised on this forum I used "concrete sand" which is coarser than the "masonry sand" they sell for making mortar for my shower project. The mason mix will be using finer sand as Davy pointed out

I'm not a pro but based on what I have read you are not supposed to remix and add water once the mix starts to stiffen as it is supposed to weaken the mix. There are admixes to increase set time - I have a few packets some manufacturer gave me as samples but never tried them out.

[MDtile]

The best way to keep fat mud good is by constantly re-mixing it, before it sits long enough to start to set. I've always maintained that the most primo of the primo gets mixed by a stucco mixer, and after being churned for a good 20-30 minutes. I have no idea why, but it becomes the most "fat" with the least amount of lime added, stays good on the mud stand longer, but then "goes off"sooner after its up on the wall: exactly what you want

Fat mud needs to be "worked up" constantly: mash it up on the board, comb some on the hawk. Most guys do the "drop" onto the hawk to make it stick good to the hawk, but I don't. Anyway, all these things keep the mud "worked up". The worst thing is for fat mud to sit in buckets for awhile. Water will migrate to the top, and the mud will begin to set. It is best that this never happens. As long as it is kept "worked up", you will not need to add water or work about it becoming weak due to re-mixing after initial set has started.

A good example of what I mean is how concrete is kept turning in a cement truck until it is poured. They are keeping it "worked up"