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Here’s the deal, we get A LOT of questions about tiling bathroom shower walls…so today I share which thinset we like best for ceramic and porcelain on bathroom walls and floors.
First things first…why do we like thinset better than mastic?
Mastic doesn’t have the bond strength of a modified thinset.
PLUS: mastic is petroleum based and can discolor certain tiles like marble.
Which companies do we like when it comes to thinset?
Ardex, Mapei, and Custom Building Products.
When it comes to hanging ceramic and porcelain tile on walls we belive Ardex X77 is the way to go. This thinset is excellent for holding large format tiles on the wall in showers. You can also use it on floors and for DITRA installation.
It is considered a modified thinset and therefore can be used between DITRA and wood subfloors.
Because Ardex X77 has phenomenal bond strength it helps prevent large tiles from sliding and causing issues with mosaic accent tiles.
Watch the video to see if you agree or disagree with us.
AND please tell us which in the comments which thinset you like using.
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Hi there,,, I've laid several floors and walls using ceramic tiles with no problem, using standard low cost Custom brand thinset.
I recently layed a porcelain floor, well two years ago. And had a couple of spots that bridged or buckeled after two years. I layed with standard non fortied thinset and found the thin set stuck great to concrete floor but very little stick to the porcelain tiles 18x18. So,,,do you recommend a more fortied thinset with porcelain ,,and though i left plenty of perimeter gap, does porcelain expand more that ceramic? In your opinion? I used a good 1/2 x 1/2 inch trowel as well. Thanks
Ardex X 77 is not exactly the easiest stuff to source locally. Where do you recommend buying it without having to pay as much to ship it as the bag itself costs? TIA.
Laticrete Tri-lite and 4-XLT are great products.
Hi what thin set is best for floor and wall in the shower room , all water proof with red guard floor and wall. I heard modified thin set won't dry over water proof with red guard system, is that true??
Hi , I’m sold on x77 for shower and flooring! I do plan on tiling my backyard brick wall as well, Also plan on tiling concrete slab outside as wel. Do you recommend X77 for those as well? Thanks for the recommendation!
Have a question for you and/ or Sal Deblasi. I am working on a shower tub tiling project for Wounded Warriors Project. I have used a kerdi membrane on the shower/tub surround. I am using a large heavy 8 by 36 in tile on the back shower wall. Here's the question... Can I use a regular thinset mortar on the tile as long as my first course has plenty of time to dry; say 24 hours?. What I have available for us to use is a versabond 2 set or a mapei ultraflex 2...?
Can this thin set be used for the tile floor in the shower?
Excellent information. My bathroom would be a disaster without you so thank you!
In a pinch can you use x5 on the tub with 12x24 tile