I need to know if flexbond is the best stuff to use for this type of job for a do it yourselfer. I have never worked with this stuff. I have only used regular thin set mortar in the past. Is it hard to work with?? And to lay the tiles this large do I have to butter the mortar on or can I just trowel it onto the plywood floor?Thanks, Fran
Is the floor really straight, clean, and rigid? If so, thin set is better. How about a water or vapor barrier? Watch some of the Holmes on Homes shows from Canadian TV. He works in the Toronto area and is the best. Everyone kids him because his motto is :Make it right!. Shows #54, 72 and 67 might help.
Tile and use almost as a regular thin set. Flexbond like any stronger thin set will tend to set up a bit faster than standard thin set . This because of the added latex in the thin set. Mix a bit less than normal. Mix and let set for 5/10 minutes and mix again, being very important when using extra modified thin set. Although this is a stronger thin set and will bond to ply wood. But the minimum substrate thickness must be met to be able tile tile over. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there.. GL
Flexbond has the same consistency as other thin sets. So it isn't any harder to work with. As far as applying it to the back of the tiles and the floor, I typically don't. If you have high or low spots in the sub floor, use an appropriate floating material to feather those spots out before you lay any tile. You can use something as simple as a 4' level and just lay it on the floor moving it in every direction to look for high/low spots. That is the only reason to apply it to the back side, to fill low spots. Use a 1/2 notched trowel to spread the flexbond. The key is to not make it too soupy when you mix it. If you do, the thin set tends to drop some, typical to air out of a balloon (if that makes sense to you). That will be what makes tiles not adhere fully. You can tell this by tapping on the tile the next day. You will here the hollow sound. If you have that scenario, remove that tile and reset it before grouting. Here's a tip to make the grouting easier. Keep a bucket of water and sponge with you as you lay the tile. Wipe the excess flexbond off the tiles and from the spots between the tiles where the grout will be. If the flexbond is down 1/4 from the top of the tile, that's fine.
