[Shawn49424]

I have just laid and leveled my new 3/4" plywood subfloor and moving to the tile installation. I was wondering if anyone knew which would be more efficient for the job of installing the 1/4" cement board and 12"x12" ceramic tiles.

See attached picture for mortar selections.

[DannyT]

don't use anything in a bucket, only the bag stuff that you mix on site.

[joecaption]

Also make sure you lay a bed of thin set under the tile board, and tape all the seams with thin set.

[JazMan]

Unfortunately the adhesive manufacturers have been stretching the meaning of "thinset" and "mortar" for many years. I don't know who was the first abuser, but I guess once one did it the rest thought they also had to.

Thinset Mortar & Mortar by definition must be made from Portland Cement. Portland Cement can not be stored once mixed, it hardens in a matter of hours. Pre-mixed products do not contain Portland, and so can not be thinset mortar. But who's gonna tell them they have to tell the truth?

That product and those made by all the other manufacturers are really mastic with a little sand or ? mixed in the give it some texture. They are fine for vertical dry areas such as backsplashes, not a good product for wet areas and makes no sense to use them on floors.

Jaz

[ChrisDIY]

Originally Posted by JazMan

They are fine for vertical dry areas such as backsplashes, not a good product for wet areas and makes no sense to use them on floors.

Jaz

Would that include an entire wall(s) in the DRY portion of a bathroom? Will be using mortar in shower and the floor.

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[JazMan]

The mastic would be ok to use on any wall away from moisture as long as you're not installing natural stone tiles. But, why would you want to?

It's not as good, plus for the cost of one 3.5 gal. pail you can buy two or 3 bags of quality thinset and get an equivalent of 10-13 gal. of mixed product.

Jaz

[ChrisDIY]

Once I start it will take me two to three weeks to tile this bathroom, tile floor to ceiling. Just feel all the mixing will add to the time and labor. Thought mastic would be easier to stop and start...?

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[zakany]

It's not that hard to mix thinset, and it cleans up easier than it looks like it should.

[DannyT]

Originally Posted by Shawn49424

I have just laid and leveled my new 3/4" plywood subfloor .

what steps did you use to lay and level your floor?

[ChrisDIY]

Originally Posted by zakany

It's not that hard to mix thinset, and it cleans up easier than it looks like it should.

I have already completed one bathroom, I guess I follow the mix, wait, mix again too closely, along with measuring out exact amounts of water...

Mixed 1/4 a bag at a time the last time and wound up wasting too much. Working alone.

[cleveman]

A bathroom scale and a liquid measuring device are your friends.

After a few times, you can do it by sight.

Especially the grout is important to mix in small batches. I would not hesitate to start with 3 lbs. if you have a digital scale or baking scale. With all the additives, the stuff is not getting any easier to work with. And I still feel the optimum temperature is about 55 degrees F.

You can always mix a bigger batch the next time.

[zakany]

You measure when mixing thinset?

I just put an inch of water in the bottom of a bucket and keep adding the thinset and mixing until it reaches the right consistency. Then I follow the mixing instructions on the bag (5 min mix, 5-10 min slake, remix).

Cleveman is right - a little grout goes a long way.

[jeffnc]

Originally Posted by JazMan

The mastic would be ok to use...But, why would you want to?

Convenience. Convenience is a multi-billion dollar industry.

Having said that, I'm very surprised that such a reputable company such as Mapei would resort to such a decription on its product label. After the misleading title, they describe it as an "alternative to traditional thin-set mortars that require water and mixing."

As written, it's a little ambiguous as to whether they're trying to say it's an alternative to thin-set mortar, or it's a thin-set mortar that doesn't need to be mixed. I suppose they worded it this way on purpose, so that someone might interpret it as the latter. Nowhere in the technical spec sheet does it mention "mastic". So shame on them for that. They do mention all the limitations that you mentioned though.

[Awoodfloorguy]

I agree with Jazz. I have used both and would recommend thinset over mastic.

[jeffnc]

Originally Posted by ChrisDIY

Mixed 1/4 a bag at a time the last time and wound up wasting too much. Working alone.

You probably wasted about $1 of thinset in that case. Don't worry about that.