Traditionally mastic was an organic plant based resin from the pistacia lentiscus shrub and its term is related to the word masticate due to its sticky gummy consistency.
Thinset for 12x24 tile wall of shower.
I never recommended using drywall as a base for the installation only a rated tile backerboard as well as the.
Since thinset tile mortar may crack you may wish to mix it with a special latex additive to increase its strength.
Using a u notched trowel and embedding the tile into the thinset leaves you with a bed of thinset beneath the tile a little over 1 3 the size of the trowel teeth.
Mastic is a vague term that generally refers to fast grab glues for tile.
Installing ceramic tile for shower walls.
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Today the term mastic is infrequently used and it is difficult to find tile adhesives that go under the mastic banner at your local.
You ll need a design plan before you start attaching the tile.
A 3 8 x 3 8 trowel will leave a 3 16 bed of thinset beneath the tile.
If you attempt to set wall tiles using thinset without spacers you ll end up with a bunch of tiles that have slid into each other before the thinset has had time to set resulting in a giant mess.
For our shower we chose a running bond pattern.
Add up the wall areas and add 10 so you have extra tile for mistakes or future repairs.
Because thinset is not affected by moisture it is best for floor tile and any tile in wet areas including shower floors walls and ceilings and tub surrounds.
Measure each wall area calculating the width times height.
What s best to use even if it says it s a pre mixed thin set mortar.
The thin set in a bag would be as much weight once installed as the tile it is adhering even if it was rated to hold.
When used to tile walls it s strength allows you to set tile and if you re good with eyeballing you can set tile without the use of spacers.
Therefore i almost always recommend a pre mixed mastic when installing light subway tiles over a shower wall.
Insert tile spacers between the tiles.
Apply the thinset with a 3 8 inch square notched trowel and press the tiles into this mix.
So a 3 8 u notched trowel leaves a 1 8 bed of thinset beneath the installed tile.
Determine how much tile you ll need.