Ceramic Tile Thinset Thickness

For most tile installations a square notched trowel with 1 4 inch notches produces grooves of the right thickness.

Ceramic tile thinset thickness.

Large format tiles such as 18 by 18 inch and. For thicker tiles larger notches are recommended. When you use a square notched trowel with the same size notch and teeth i e. The terms thinset cement thinset mortar dryset mortar and drybond mortar are synonymous.

A 1 2 x 1 2 the bed of thinset will be half of that measurement or 1 4 beneath a flat tile over a flat substrate. I would say a typical thickness is close to but most tiles do not have flat backs. Imagine your house transformed. The trowel size determines how much thinset to put on the substrate as well as how thick the bed of thinset should be under the tile.

This type of cement is designed to adhere well in a thin layer typically not greater than 3 16th thick. Medium 6 by 6 inch and 12 by 12 inch tiles are typically 3 8 inch thick. How to spread thinset for ceramic tile. The terms thinset cement thinset mortar dryset mortar and drybond mortar are synonymous.

The thinset manufacturers want a minimum of 3 32 cured thickness. If the mortar starts to harden while you work either on the surface or in the bucket discard it and mix a new batch. 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. For example a 3 8 notch trowel will produce a 3.

Tile thickness small 1 inch mosaic tiles can be as thin as 1 8 inch. This type of cement is designed to adhere well in a thin layer typically not greater than 3 16th thick. If your tiles vary a lot in thickness such as handmade tiles then a larger notch might be required to accommodate the variations and your resultant thinset layer will be thicker. So in regards to how much the thinset will raise the tiles you should figure 3 32 1 4x3 8 trowel leaves ridges that are no more than 5 16 high.

For example a 3 8 notch trowel will produce a 3 16th inch thick coating after the tiles are pressed in to the cement. Most 12 x 12 tiles that are fairly flat wind up with a 1 4 notched trowel and that would probably be a good starting point with 15 x 15 tiles as well.