Mastic or thinset???

So you've decided to hire a tile setter to handle your next project because it seemed a bit out of reach to you. With times being harder then they have been you decide to check up on your installer and see their work as each day progresses. Well here's a couple tips to make sure your getting a proper install.

Make sure you installer is using the appropriate setting material, I would say 90% of the time thinset is the required setting material. With tiles being larger and more intricate these days mastic (the bucket glue) doesn't really fit the picture.

If you've decided to redo your bathroom you should never see any buckets of glue on the job unless the installer is using them to mix his mortar (which is fine).

I have attached a few photos of mastic the no no, and thinset (the bagged powder which should be used). Here is the product that should not be used:

If you notice your installer using mastic make them remove the tiles and reset them with the proper mortar. The only time mastic is allowed is on wall area where the tile will not get wet. The hardest part is going to be convincing them to switch to thinset, they will claim they have been doing it this way for 20 years and never had a problem, do not buy into it!!

Mastic is not allowed in showers, on floors, ceilings or outside. You can remove a tile with mastic and soak it in hot water and the dried mastic will turn back into the paste it was like in the bucket this is called re-emulsifying. I just wanted to touch on the topic, good luck with your project I hope this helps answer any questions you may have.

Here is what you want to see on the job:

Full Bathroom in Westchester

Heres a kerdi shower I recently completed in WestChester, Edgemont Pa. The tile is from the tile shop in Wilmington Pike, Delaware. All the jambs are solid Travertine and theres a custom niche and alot of glass to compliment the shower. The floor is also tumbled marble.

Fireplace

Here is a fireplace I recently tore out and retied in Chestnut Hill, Mt Airy Area of Philadelphia. All the previous tile had been set in mud on the floor and mud on the walls, so in order to retile the area I had to mud my walls and mud my floor. I removed all the tiled with a demo hammer cleaned the area and mudded the walls and floor. The following day onyx was installed on all my fresh mud. The final day all was sealed with Aquamix Sealers Choice and grout with Tec Accucolor Cornsilk unsanded grout. Heres a before and after.

Another shower...

Here's a quick shower I knocked out for a friend in Broomall, Pa. I mudded this floor and installed a heating mat underneath for him so the floor is warm. The floor was badly out of level I had to to make it smooth. I mudded a custom shower pan and installed a few shelves and some glass. I used Schluter Kerdi on the walls and shower floor, this shower will outlive me.

Backsplashes...

A nice close up of the mosaic(feel free to click these photos)



Backsplashes are taken lightly but they are still difficult to do due to the new tiles coming out and the complexity of these tiles. Heres a mosaic tile splash I did in Manyunk out side Philadelphia.

Full bathroom

Above counter sink with custom faucet in wall

Tub surround with niche
Open wall on faucet side to enlarge the room





I know there are plenty of people in the area Delaware County, Montgomery County and Chester County who are in need of a new bathroom but are hesitant about hiring the right contractor. I have decided to tackle full bathroom jobs, using the same skills I focus on my tile setting and dedicating them to the entire job of a bathroom. Here are some pictures of one recently completed. The floor is mud and the walls I used Schluter Kerdi. I am confident this bathroom will outlast me. The tile came from Mohawk Tile in King of Prussia, the fixtures came from Weinstein in Lawrence Park(Broomall) and the trim and doors came from Tague Lumber in Media.

Full basement w/ custom shower install

This job was one of my favorite jobs, I wish I had pictures of the house before i arrived. Here's a house where the homeowner wanted the entire basement tiled and a custom shower installed where a tub surround previously stood. The problem was that the slab was badly out of level and dropped about 2" on one side of the house, I informed the H/O that prep work was a must in order to achieve the result he wanted. My method of attack was a mud bed, I knew I needed to add a couple inches to the floor and Self leveler wasn't fit for this application. I bonded the mud with thinset and leveled out about 200 sq ft of the 700 sq ft floor.

The next thing I did was change a tub surround to a shower stall, I removed sections of the slab cut into a cast iron pipe and installed pvc and centered the drain, then i filled the hole and patched with the proper concrete mix. I then constructed a curb out of 2x4s. Next I prepitched the shower to prepare for my CPE Noble pan. The following day I installed the pan performed a water test and installed the proper cbu on the walls. Next Laticrete Hydrobarrier was applied to the walls to act as a liquid membrane to waterproof the shower walls. I then mudded the floor of the shower, installed an Ebbe square drain and mudded the shower curb. Heres is the shower complete w/ the ceiling also tiled and the rest of the basement. I'll tell you what, this is one sweet pad!