I will be installing an 8x12 custom mural. The substrate is drywall over block. The client wants it installed so it could be removed (not easily) in the distant future and reset at another location without damaging the individual tiles. It is considered a work of art and falls into a different category than field tile. My plan was to attach CBU using countersunk Tapcon screws placed along grout lines and areas where they can be accessed by removing the grout, and then provide a diagram of their location for future removal.
Two primary questions:
(1) Are mechanical fastener (blue screws) enough to hold CBU to a block wall for a large tile mural with heavy tiles?
(2) Some of these tiles are huge. Should I switch to medium-set for tiles that weigh as much as 20lbs and 17” diameter? They are high-relief, not perfectly flat and have deeply recessed areas on the back that prevented them from cracking when being fired. Do I fill them with medium-set to be flush with the rest of the tile before setting, to create one bonding surface?
Two primary questions:
(1) Are mechanical fastener (blue screws) enough to hold CBU to a block wall for a large tile mural with heavy tiles?
(2) Some of these tiles are huge. Should I switch to medium-set for tiles that weigh as much as 20lbs and 17” diameter? They are high-relief, not perfectly flat and have deeply recessed areas on the back that prevented them from cracking when being fired. Do I fill them with medium-set to be flush with the rest of the tile before setting, to create one bonding surface?