Tiles Not Holding To #52 Mortar

rotarex

i dont know whats going on here, i used #52 grey mortar from the Olympia Group, and the tile is limestone and about 15 tiles out of 110 has popped up already with no mortar on the tile it self, i did make the consistency a little stiff so i can level the floor properly but it was still wet if you touch it, i also used a spray bottle on areas of the motar when it was getting old and stale so its wet... thats one area


not i did a wet mix for elswhere and same thing happen tiles popped up

i did leave it in the garage for a week in the cold could that have anything to do with it???

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kevjob

first always use white thinset for natural stone, might be a bad batch could be you let it kick off too long, you mentioned wetting the thinset down, how thick was the mortar on the floor? I like to use marble and granite mix because it is white and medium bed.

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rotarex

well with the 52 its hard to say how thick it was, because it never slops after you run it, that's the reason why i like it so much over other products....usually ill get the versabond from HD and around 3 min you will see the humps go down after you run it on the floor.

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Chris Johnson

Was the limestone dusty?

Did you use a wet rag and wipe the tile before setting?

Did you backbutter the tile before setting?

Flextile #52 is a good product if used properly

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Forry

Sprayed water on "stale" mortar? That's a nono as far as I'm concerned. I always re-rake it if it's skinned over. I've scraped it up and tossed it 'cause it didn't feel right too. I'd bet all the tiles in that area didn't stick. Did you set 'em in there good? Or did you just drop 'em on top of the mortar and think they'd stick? I'm thinking operator error.

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Chris Johnson

Did you mix it up, let it slake for 10-15 mins and remix before use?

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Mike Finley

Bingo. This is the problem I'd say . If tiles that popped are not bonding when you flip them over to examine them it's a moisture problem.

Back when I used to do this, I would always be very careful with the thinset, never try to extend it's usage, throw it out and start a new batch, and I would wet the back of those tiles with a sponge soaking them and then back butter if any problems when pulling a test tile every now and then.

Saying you started off thick in your thinset and what you are describing is surely the symptoms of this.

Floordude

Stone requires 100% bond. To achieve this, they highly recommend back buttering the tiles.

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rotarex

wasn't dusty, didn't wipe them.......all tho that would seem like the most logical answer to me

didnt back butter the tiles that also is something i learned that i should do


PS whats wired is the $5 bag of thinset has worked the best for me so far vs the $30 and up bags

i did a 750 sq ft place with all cheap stuff the client bought and not one problem in that place then again i did use the mix pretty fast vs in a house i have to cut and set which uses the lifespan of the mix in the bucket


i do think its my fault somewhere in this .....

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ChrWright

Sounds like your mix was way too dry. How much leveling were you trying to do?

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rotarex

not much leveling at all, the weired part is they came out in all diffrent places, and 4 of them came out in a place i started a new batch and tiles was clean as ever, but now i know for next time to so a skim coat on tile for safety...................live and learn

wow after about 2500 sq ft of tiling this happen, something to learn new everyday

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Floordude

If your going to do natural stone, and make a living from it, it would behoove you to get the Marble Institute of America's technical manual. It is for all natural stone installations. It differs greatly from ceramic requirements.

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platinumLLC

Floordude, do you have a link to the marble institute of america manual?Thanks

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kevjob

http://www.marble-institute.com/

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Basement Finishing Highlands Ranch Colorado
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