SLC vs Thick bed adhesive

[tilemania]

i have a job that requires laying 800 x 600 tiles.

weber thick bed adhesive is about the same price as a decent SLC, so why not just use thick bed adhesive and tile the floor level as you go rather than use SLC to level a floor?

it is quicker (i can start tiling today), requires less priming (thick bed adhesive will stick to pretty much anything) and no messing about getting the SLC level and true (which is a difficult task in itself). i think it will be more accurate too as i will be levelling the actual tiles.

am i missing something?

 

[Ian]

It depends how much thick bed you're going to use, it's always better to sort the substrate before you start tiling IMO, it will save you time over the whole job.

 

[nybor62]

you can get rapid set slc , can start tiling the same day ultra 30 is very good imo , thats the way i would go

 

[Alan.P]

Depends how far the floor is out as to what way to proceed imho.

 

[cam_low]

Weber tba only recommends packing out to an inch iirc. You will need to work out your levels before just jumping straight in. Sort out the substrate first then get a lovely finish and guarantee the work, especially with those large format tiles, much less forgiving.

 

[Peter]

A thick bed will break your heart if it starts to slump.

 

[Gazzer]

Always get the preparation done first and then it easier to tile.

 

[AliGage]

I wouldn't fancy pulling something of that sizes out of it's bed if i was too low and didn't have enough. I think using SLC is quicker in the long run.

How much does the floor need levelling?

 

[tilemania]

thanks guys. you make some good points and it looks like the general consensus is do the prep right and the tiling will be easier.

i guess i find it easier and quicker to directly tile level and flat on an uneven floor rather than level it first, as the levelling is never quite perfect and i find the floor takes just as long to tile even after it has been prepped with SLC.

@ AliGAge, the floor needs on average about 10 - 15mm bed where it's worst (about 1/3 of the floor) and then the rest isn't as bad. in some places (very small areas) it's closer to 25mm but no more than that.

 

[Alan.P]

That's a lot of slc or adhesive, what about fixing a backer board instead ?