What am i doing wrong?

[GARYF123]

Hi everybody,

I am trying to put some large format tiles on a shower cubicle wall. I have tanked the area and now am trying to apply the adhesive. I am using Dunlop set fast plus with a 10mm rad trowel. How do i get the correct thickness on wall? I am mixing in a bucket, transferring to a board then applying to wall with a plastering trowel then putting 10mm rad ribs in horizontally using tilers trowel. Is this the correct method? I am having trouble spreading it thickly enough and evenly. Is there something i am missing? It is going to cost a fortune in adhesive as most of it is ending up on the floor! Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Gary.

 

[andywatson]

As a totally non expert tiler, I found it easier to lay a solid bed of adhesive, then use the notches on the trowel to cut the grooves out of the solid bed, if that makes sense!

Hope that is helpful.

 

[iaith]

Hi Gary. I'm no expert either, but is the mixture thick enough? If it's looser than the readymix stuff then things may get messy. personally I dab the stuff onto the wall,then flatten it with the ungrooved part of the trowel , then when it's reasonably flat I comb it with the grooved part of the trowel. If the walls arent flat and you're using large tiles it might be better to butter up (dab 5 big blobs of adhesive) the tiles.

 

[jefoss]

Hi everybody,

I am trying to put some large format tiles on a shower cubicle wall. I have tanked the area and now am trying to apply the adhesive. I am using Dunlop set fast plus with a 10mm rad trowel. How do i get the correct thickness on wall? I am mixing in a bucket, transferring to a board then applying to wall with a plastering trowel then putting 10mm rad ribs in horizontally using tilers trowel. Is this the correct method? I am having trouble spreading it thickly enough and evenly. Is there something i am missing? It is going to cost a fortune in adhesive as most of it is ending up on the floor! Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Gary.

longest way round i ever heard, just use your notched trowel straight into your adhesive onto the wall then go over till its even through the notches, wont take you long to master it. oh yeah and bin that **** your using go for weber or bal adhesive, you can use one part on walls if you like if the tiles are very heavy but otherwise just get some ready mixed, be far easier for you fella.

 

[gcol]

As mentioned, it sounds as though you've got your mix a bit loose. Sounds like you've mixed it to a plaster consistency - mix it thicker than that, then you should find it easier to use straight off your notched trowel.
Everyone has their own favourite brand of adhesive that they use, Dunlop tackle ain't that bad, and for walls, spending the extra on Bal is wasted in my opinion (for wooden floors though, Bal is a must ).
Personally, on a tanked wall and using large tiles, I wouldn't use pre-mixed adhesive because it'll take an age to go off properly.