I just finished laying tile in my shower. How long do I need to wait before I grout? If it makes any difference they are simple 4 inch white tiles.Also, just out of curiosity, I was told I needed to spread the adhesive on the wall and place the tiles over that. It seems like it would have been easier to apply the adhesive to the back of the tiles. Especially the last few tiles. Does this make any difference?
if it's a shower.spread the adhisive on the wall.it helps to water proof that material that you have on the wall.as for the floor you can grout a few hours later.the floor should be put down after the wall.if you did it already ver it with plastic and tape.when you tile and grout the wall.it will mess the floor up.good luck.
I put adhesive on wall as base and lightly spread adhesive onto back of tile to help create stronger bond. Follow adhesive instructions for grouting, cure times vary with adhesives. Better to wait than not to have adhesive set and wind up with moisture troubles and loose tiles from adhesion loss.
I would wait 24 hours before grouting especially if it is cool in the room. You can try to grout it sooner but you risk moving the tiles although 4 x 4 tiles usually touch each other and therefore don't move too much. For large areas it is always faster and neater to apply the adhesive to the wall and it is applied more evenly.
No the adhesive goes on the surface to be tiled. You're not just gluing tiles to a surface, you are actually building a new surface - backer+adhesive+tile+grout. As far as drying time the type tile doesn't really matter as much as the type/consistency adhesive you used (should have drying time on label) and the temperature/condition of the room (is it a used heated space or new damp construction). We tiled one day and grouted the next.
I always butter the tiles before I fix them to the wall. With the floor, it's easier to put the adhesive on the floor and then set the tiles. We just did our whole 2,000 square foot house in tile. You only need to wait about a day before you grout. You just want to make sure that the glue has had a chance to dry before you grout. If it's particularly cold where you put in the new tiles, you may want to wait two days.
