Current tiling preferences?

[Agile]

With the lockdown it looks as if I am going to have to finally tile my kitchen!

Talking about larger tiles about 300mm square or similar rectangular tiles!

Floor tiles seem to be normally laid on adhesive spread all over using a 6mm notched trowel and I presume that is still the usually preferred choice. My substrate is 1930s quarry tiles and very flat!

Wall tiles? The pinned advice is to again use the all over 6mm notched trowel just like floors!

However, many ( most! ) of the old tiles I remove have been fitted with 4 or 5 dabs! Has the dab method been completely superceded now?

On my outside walls, which are 9" solid, I would rather prefer the dab system as it will probably give a little added insulation???

Is there any easy to use wall insulation available which can be easily tiled over?

I realise that the best way is to use batons and plasterboard but that seems to be rather more labour intensive! Or should I use that method and just accept that the extra work is well worth it for the better performance?

Thanks for any useful advice!

 

[JaimieH]

Hello, if your quarry tiles are solid and not showing signs of damp then prime with acrylic primer or SBR and you should be.ok to tile over. Use a flexible adhesive, probably even S2 rated. 6mm is too small for floor tiles of that size. For 300mm I tend to use a 10mm square notch if the floor is flat enough or possibly 12mm. Always back skim the floor tiles before laying. Don't ever dot and dab, it's not good practice. The added problem of dot and dab on your solid walls is that in certain situations and with some tiles moisture can migrate through the dabs of adhesive and show on the surface of your tiles in the form of dark patches. Solid bed fixing is the way to go, same as your floor tiles. As for insulation, have a look online at Marmox multiboard, this comes in thicknesses from 4mm upwards and is excellent for tiling over. Good luck.