My bathroom tile job turned into a slip and slide

I was laying down some subway tile in my bathroom in Austin last weekend, using a new brand of thin-set mortar. About an hour in, I stepped back to check my work and my foot went straight through a section that hadn't set at all. I fell right into the wet mortar, getting it all over my jeans. I had to peel the tiles off the wall, clean everything with a sponge and bucket, and start over the next day after letting the floor dry. Has anyone else had a mortar not set properly? I'm wondering if I mixed it wrong or if it was a bad batch.

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

jesse_nguyen6mo ago

Oh man, "foot went straight through" is the worst feeling... That thin-set was way too wet. If it's soupy, it won't hold the tile up at all. You want it like thick peanut butter, not pancake batter. Letting it slake for 10 minutes after mixing is key too.

4

nina_knight996mo ago

My buddy learned that the hard way, @jesse_nguyen.

1

jessica_miller6mo ago

Ugh, that slaking step is so easy to skip when you're in a rush. I mixed a batch too dry once and it was like trying to spread concrete. Took forever to get the tiles to bed down, and I'm pretty sure my knees haven't forgiven me. You just can't win if you don't follow the mixing directions on the bag, right?

2