# Can Deck Glue Instead of Thin Set For Ceramic Tile?



## caseyleen (Feb 5, 2010)

The specs on Acrylic Pro says it it latex but not water based. I have seen paint and adhesive in a Sherwin Williams store where it claims to be a combination of latex & oil based. How that is possible, I don't know. Anyway I have used this product many times and have had no problems with call backs. If it weren't for the fact that the 36 to 72 hours drying time is not practical in most cases, I would use this instead of thin set. The jobs I did use adhesive, I never had a tile come loose or crack, unless someone drop an object heavy enough to break it. If it is a solvent/oil based you want, Home Depot sells that also


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

caseyleen said:


> The specs on Acrylic Pro says it it latex but not water based. I have seen paint and adhesive in a Sherwin Williams store where it claims to be a combination of latex & oil based. How that is possible, I don't know. Anyway I have used this product many times and have had no problems with call backs. If it weren't for the fact that the 36 to 72 hours drying time is not practical in most cases, I would use this instead of thin set. The jobs I did use adhesive, I never had a tile come loose or crack, unless someone drop an object heavy enough to break it. If it is a solvent/oil based you want, Home Depot sells that also


you gotta be ****ting me! a framer giving advice on what products to use for tiling :blink: You have a lot to learn about tiling. stick around and you may learn something. :thumbsup:

this may give you an idea of why no one uses these products who know what they are doing

*Limitations*
Do not bond directly to hardwood, Luan plywood, particle board, parquet, cushion or sponge-back vinyl flooring, metal, fiberglass, plastic or OSB panels.
When setting moisture sensitive natural stone, cement or agglomerate tile, check with Custom Technical Services; use EBM-Lite™ Epoxy Bonding Mortar 100% Solids or CEG-Lite™ 100% Solids Commercial Epoxy Grout.
Not recommended for installing tile larger than 6"x6" over waterproofing membranes.
Do not use to install resin-backed marble of stone; use EBM-Lite™ Epoxy Bonding Mortar 100% Solids or CEG-Lite™ 100% Solids Commercial Epoxy Grout.
Recommended for interior use only. Do not use for steam rooms, shower floors or underwater. For those installations, use CUSTOM® Polymer-Modified Mortar Systems.
Not for use over radiant heat systems.
Installation dry time varies depending on tile size and density, substrate porosity and ambient conditions.
Do not use to install fixtures, ungauged natural stone, gauged stone thicker than 3/8" (9.5 mm), transparent glass tile, Saltillo pavers or lug back tile on floors


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## caseyleen (Feb 5, 2010)

There is always some clown on these boards trying to prove how much smarter he is than the next guy.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

caseyleen said:


> There is always some clown on these boards trying to prove how much smarter he is than the next guy.


Pot, kettle:blink:

Lets just say there are guys on here who know vastly more about tiling than you could ever hope to know. Im not one of them but i know enough to not make my self look like an idiot. 

Pro installers dont use thinset because its cheaper. they use it because its better. It dont matter if its $20 a bag thinset or $70 a bag thinset its better than any bucket adhesive. The limitations of the product will prove that alone.


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## caseyleen (Feb 5, 2010)

rstarre.....I forgot to mention, always use a primer. Henry's makes excellent products. Like I mentioned earlier, the tiling jobs where I used adhesive with primer on top of plywood, I never had a customer call me back on a broken or loose tile. I remodeled a friends bathroom last month. I did his kitchen floor in 1999 using adhesive on top of primed plywood. He never had a loose or cracked tile. I did the same on a relatives floor 6 years ago. Same results. Use your own judgement on what to use. I'm not here to prove I a smarter than anyone else. I've been a contractor for 38 years and posting what has given me good results over the years.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

caseyleen said:


> rstarre.....I forgot to mention, always use a primer. Henry's makes excellent products. Like I mentioned earlier, the tiling jobs where I used adhesive with primer on top of plywood, I never had a customer call me back on a broken or loose tile. I remodeled a friends bathroom last month. I did his kitchen floor in 1999 using adhesive on top of primed plywood. He never had a loose or cracked tile. I did the same on a relatives floor 6 years ago. Same results. Use your own judgement on what to use. I'm not here to prove I a smarter than anyone else. I've been a contractor for 38 years and posting what has given me good results over the years.


I find primers work well on dusty walls or floors. As i learned here its not really needed if the surface it correctly prepped and i have since stopped using it with zero issues. 

My mum laid 18x18 tile with bucket adhesive and a wooden spoon. its still down after 7-8 years. I doubt it would last 20 years but for her it worked. Bucket adhesive is nothing more than a DIY product for the DIY market. yet i see it used all the time in the totally wrong situations. it works but dont expect it to last our perform like a thinset. 

Also every single job i ever seen done with bucket adhesive had serious amounts of mold behind the tile. That is not a good thing.


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## ccoffer (Jan 30, 2005)

Latex but not water based? Was that written on purpose? What the effing fudge?


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## ccoffer (Jan 30, 2005)

_The jobs I did use adhesive, I never had a tile come loose or crack, unless someone drop an object heavy enough to break it._

Ahhh. Unless.

The truth is that properly supported tile will not (and cannot) break from static or dynamic load. Movement can break tile, but impact can't if it's fully supported. 

Don't believe me? Buy a bag of the cheapest unmodified crap you can find go to your garage and comb straight with a quarter quarter quarter and stick a tile in it til it farts.

Come back the next day and you won't be able to crack it. You can dig a hole in it with a sledge hammer, but you won't be able to crack that tile.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

caseyleen said:


> There is always some clown on these boards trying to prove how much smarter he is than the next guy.


Yeah and I'm that guy that will prove you don't know jack **** about tiling a floor. Show me a TCNA, manufacturer's, or for that matter ANY other spec that lists mastic use on floors as being the preferred method and I'll kiss your ass at the half time show of the Superbowl. Please tell me why waiting 24-48 hours is preferable to setting an entry with speed-set and grouting it the same day. Not only do you use a hack method but you take three days to do it. Priceless.


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## Floormasta78 (Apr 6, 2011)

LMFAO !! You guys actually answered this question ?



Well I will add , that I've used PL on tile base . That's the only time I use a " construction " adhesive for tile.. other than that, I use #LATICRETE 310 

http://www.laticrete.com/dealers/products/adhesives/epoxy_adhesives/productid/23.aspx


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

Floormasta78 said:


> LMFAO !! You guys actually answered this question ?
> 
> 
> 
> It was raining---what can I say?:whistling


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## Floormasta78 (Apr 6, 2011)

caseyleen said:


> There is always some clown on these boards trying to prove how much smarter he is than the next guy.


Is not even about being smarter than someone else.. but in this case... YES , APPARENTLY NOT ONLY A BIT SMARTER, BUT A PROFESSIONAL.. .. and yet another reason we need more moderators to keep a lid on poor or unprofessional advice and send these guys to DIY forum.. let them sort it out


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

PrecisionFloors said:


> Yeah and I'm that guy that will prove you don't know jack **** about tiling a floor. Show me a TCNA, manufacturer's, or for that matter ANY other spec that lists mastic use on floors as being the preferred method and I'll kiss your ass at the half time show of the Superbowl.


I don't want to see when you kiss his ass, but in case you wanted to know.

Tile Council of North America (TCNA) TCNA Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installation, TCNA Method EJ171


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## ArtisanRemod (Dec 25, 2012)

KennMacMoragh said:


> I don't want to see when you kiss his ass, but in case you wanted to know.
> 
> Tile Council of North America (TCNA) TCNA Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installation, TCNA Method EJ171


EJ171 references movement joints, not the suitability of mastic as preferred method of installing floor tile.


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## Floormasta78 (Apr 6, 2011)

It's just getting worst and worst for that fella...


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

ArtisanRemod said:


> EJ171 references movement joints, not the suitability of mastic as preferred method of installing floor tile.


Doesn't say that it's a preferred method but still lists it as an option. They illustrate bond coat in all of their drawings. If you have the same TCNA copy I have, they define bond coat on page 281.

Bond Coats: The estimated weights assume a 3/16"-thick cementitious, epoxy, or *organic adhesive* bond coat, and the typical weights for such were calculated based on manufacturers' literature. For uncoupling membrane methods, the weight of a 3/16"-thick bond coat was used in addition to the weight of mortar required to fill the cavities of an uncoupling membrane. For electric radiant heating systems, the weight of a 3/16"-thick bond coat was used in addition to the weight of a 1/4" layer of material needed to encapsulate the heating system.


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## ArtisanRemod (Dec 25, 2012)

KennMacMoragh said:


> Doesn't say that it's a preferred method but still lists it as an option. They illustrate bond coat in all of their drawings. If you have the same TCNA copy I have, they define bond coat on page 281.
> 
> Bond Coats: The estimated weights assume a 3/16"-thick cementitious, epoxy, or *organic adhesive* bond coat, and the typical weights for such were calculated based on manufacturers' literature. For uncoupling membrane methods, the weight of a 3/16"-thick bond coat was used in addition to the weight of mortar required to fill the cavities of an uncoupling membrane. For electric radiant heating systems, the weight of a 3/16"-thick bond coat was used in addition to the weight of a 1/4" layer of material needed to encapsulate the heating system.


With all due respect, it's your job as a professional to know when to do something right, or do something to spec, even if you know it to be the poorer of two choices. Just because the tcna says it's ok to put a tile floor in with mastic, does not mean that I will ever do that, and stand behind the install. Customers pay us for our expertise. 
I respect the TCNA very much, and refer to it as needed. I was given the latest copy when I attended the Shluter 2.5day workshop in may. Do I think there isn't a single mistake in it? No.


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## Floormasta78 (Apr 6, 2011)

And that's another great point, rules , regulations and standards are set to for a reason, with that being said, real world expertise and scenarios make for different approaches to each individual job. It is our duty to correct errors that even governing bodies make.. in this case of mastic , it has it's place. But not on a floor or a shower, or not with large format tiles...


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

ccoffer said:


> _The jobs I did use adhesive, I never had a tile come loose or crack, unless someone drop an object heavy enough to break it._
> 
> The truth is that properly supported tile will not (and cannot) break from static or dynamic load. Movement can break tile, but impact can't if it's fully supported.


oh yes you can, and it isn't that hard to break one.
DAMHIK -_don't ask me how i know_-


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## sunkist (Apr 27, 2012)

Just use fast dry caulk to set the tile, Then use the same to fill in the 1/4" plus gap between the tiles. Foot traffic in a hour.


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