Border tiles fixing(one method)

[Sean fsy]

this is just one method of doing small border, mosaics, theres no specially adapted tools, battons used at all. just everyday tilers tools that you have on the job. theres no waiting for tiles to set etc its just a continuos job with no waiting time involved. this is the method with pics of the job in full aswell.

the job:







put adhesive on wall using 10mm trowel:



pat on the borders using a grout float:





border tiles flush:



all border tiles set on:



Place the relevent spacers into border to stop them crushing together:

[Sean fsy]

tiles now fixed ontop of borders:



close up:



Neat and tidy corner:



All tiles fitted above border now:





Grouted:

[Sean fsy]

grouted:


All silicon done by my gun and finger:





Nice and flush against main tiles:



Job sorted:

[TF Ed]

nicely demonstrated mate !

obviously a person thats very passionate about what they do...

best regards
ed

[whitebeam]

Nice work Sean, still prefer the dogs ear.

What addy was that.

[Sean fsy]

Nice work Sean, still prefer the dogs ear.

What addy was that.

mapei grip D1.

doing it this way theres no mess, addy to clean off no nothing. as i say this is just one method. we all have our ways of doing things, theres no rights and no wrongs.

[b30 villain]

nice job and great tip for newbie like me

[Phil Hobson]

Nice one Sean, nice job

[united]

Nice one mate

Thanks for taking the time to do the photos.

[Wingn]

Very neat and tidy job, nicely done.

I'd do borders the same way with the float and the spacers. Another handy fix if the borders will need bedded out is to lay your border down beside a long cut, mark the width of the border to the cut on either side and to rifle a few of these off. This can be used (with spacers on top and bottom) until your higher courses are dry enough to not slip. Works well with large format/heavy tiles.

[deanotile]

The dogs leg you are knocking is for boarders that are thinner than the field tile but nice demo

[whitebeam]

I agree but I leave a gap then fix the mosaic even if there the same thickness

[Dave]

Thanks for the pics..

What size trowel did you use on the borders and the main filed tiles..?

[jay]

finished job looks good im suprised that tubed stuff can be packed out that much is the main tile stone

[Sean fsy]

Thanks for the pics..

What size trowel did you use on the borders and the main filed tiles..?

the walls were the old concrete screed walls, nightmare!! they were all over the place and years of torture inflicted on them with tile after tile removal.i patched a lot of them up first but still used a 8mm trowel on field tiles and a 10mm to apply the addy for borders.

[doug boardley]

is D1 tubbed gear? am not really up on mapei tho

[brian c]

Sean job looks good,are the mosaics stone?

[Alan.P]

is D1 tubbed gear? am not really up on mapei tho

Yes mate, tubbed gear for ceramics

[Sean fsy]

yes they were stone, impregnated after i grouted them.

[hillhead]

i would not use D1 on walls like that,bagged gear for sure to be safe.
I'v seen tiles come off with tubbed gear before,i even use bagged on splashbacks,lol.
Nice work there sean.

[Alan.P]

yes they were stone, impregnated after i grouted them.

Oh dear, Mapei recommend that D1 is not to be used on natural stone, see the data sheet here under recommendations, sorry.

[brian c]

thats what i thought but didnt want to burst Seans bubble...sorry m8.

[Dave]

Tiz only a small mosaic border...

[Sean fsy]

i would not use D1 on walls like that,bagged gear for sure to be safe.
I'v seen tiles come off with tubbed gear before,i even use bagged on splashbacks,lol.
Nice work there sean.

the tiles are called roma topes, very light tile and very easy to work with,to cut. i removed some wall paper then cleaned the walls, then primed them all vigourously with bal apd.cant understand why a lot of people on here wont use tubbed adhesive, whats the problem with it???? why do they sell it then??? the mapei is a top adhesive with a lot better adhesion properties than a lot out there.

[brian c]

I use it all the time Sean but spf or rapid is better for larger tiles and if you need to pack the tiles out.The reason being the dispersion adhesive will not dry out properly and might result in tile failure.

[Alan.P]

thats what i thought but didnt want to burst Seans bubble...sorry m8.

No bubble bursting intended, only relaying the spec sheet, it's there for a reason

[Alan.P]

Tiz only a small mosaic border...

Of course it is

[hillhead]

Dispersion adhesives take a hell of a lot longer to dry out IMO,pain in ass and i just don't trust them.
I sent 6 tubs back to B&Q on monday with a customer,told them i wasn't using them.Also they charged £25 each,i sent then for bags at £15 each.

[diamondtiling]

the tiles are called roma topes, very light tile and very easy to work with,to cut. i removed some wall paper then cleaned the walls, then primed them all vigourously with bal apd.cant understand why a lot of people on here wont use tubbed adhesive, whats the problem with it???? why do they sell it then??? the mapei is a top adhesive with a lot better adhesion properties than a lot out there.

Tubbed adhesive is ready mixed for amateur tilers, It will never see the inside of my van.

[Sean fsy]

ive just rembered that when mixing the grouts up i only used 746mls of water instead of 750mls recommended, the consistency felt so right though. but i proceeded to apply it, now i cant sleep thinking about it and am worried ive affected the integrity of the grout, will go to work tomorrow and rake it all out and re do it.