# Back Buttering vs Back Troweling



## TNTRenovate

BCConstruction said:


> Nope not pva drywall primer. Have no idea how that stuff is formulated and prob way too thick. The primer I use is either unibond where I can find it or Henry's 336 bond enhancer.
> 
> Best way to test how well your paint is stuck to the wall is a couple lengths of duck tape. Stick it on the wall and leave for few mins then come back a tear it off. It gives you a good idea if your gonna be replacing drywall or keeping existing surface but I will still use primer on both either way.


1) "How it Feels" test

2) "Duct Tape" test

I can't wait to see what other tests you have in your arsenal. :thumbsup:


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## iDAHOchris

How tile prep is done around here..looks right to me. Back buttering looks more pro IMO. Some pros will float entire wall:thumbsup:


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## Ethos

iDAHOchris said:


> How tile prep is done around here..looks right to me. Back buttering looks more pro IMO. Some pros will float entire wall:thumbsup:


I still do walls by back troweling the tile, as floating the wall usually gets messy for me. I will float a wall with a small v-notch for little mosaic strips and such, but that's about it. I'm sure there are plenty of people that can float a wall with no mess, but I'm not one of them.


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## AustinDB

the laticrete article defines backbuttering as spreading thinset across the back of the tile-I am unclear on the terms used. I 'backbutter' the tile but then trowel it out (having to spin the tile 360 degrees in my hand to get all corners). Does THIS make it backtroweling? Then I lay my tile so that the direction of the troweling on the tile is perpindicular to the troweling on the floor.


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## Groutface

Yep thats backtroweling


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## AustinDB

if you backbutter, then backtrowel, isn't more thinset on the tile? I could see is some were to trowel on the back of the tile without filling the voids, seems like my method is getting more material down.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

TNTSERVICES said:


> 1) "How it Feels" test
> 
> 2) "Duct Tape" test
> 
> I can't wait to see what other tests you have in your arsenal. :thumbsup:


It's never failed me yet. 15+ years of testing that way with zero failures. I know it ain't luck as I'm not that lucky. Sometimes it don't go as planned though. Once I pulled the tape of and half the wall paint come of with it and I was only tiling a back splash :blink: I now hit the area with a knife before tearing it off.

By the way I was taught by a guy who had been tiling for over 40 years who tiled all over the world. He even tiled here in the US for 3 years a long time back. He is still doing it to this day. I know I wouldn't wanna be doing it for that amount of time that's for sure. A couple times a week is enough for me.


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## skyhook

Ethos said:


> I still do walls by back troweling the tile, as floating the wall usually gets messy for me. I will float a wall with a small v-notch for little mosaic strips and such, but that's about it.


That's ^^ not really floating a wall. 

Floating is hanging redwood lathe strips plumb on lathe, in wet mud (hence the term floating), then coming back when the mud is set, filing in the wall and screeding it flat, vertically or horizontally as shown in the picture below. :thumbsup:


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## Groutface

72chevy4x4 said:


> if you backbutter, then backtrowel, isn't more thinset on the tile? I could see is some were to trowel on the back of the tile without filling the voids, seems like my method is getting more material down.


yep you are getting more contact than just backbuttering for sure.....twice the mud as a normal install......probrably getting the same rating as backbutter though.....depending on size of trowel you use.....


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## pgc555

Guys,
I know this is an OLD thread. I wanted to jump back in. At risk of being tagged as SPAM by a mod, I'm going to put this out there. I had been working on developing a tool for back-buttering tiles. Between the time this thread started and now it is on the market and actually was featured at this years Coverings 2013 Installation Showcases. The " Back Butter Buddy" - http://www.primo-tools.com/
Let me know what you think.


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## GO Remodeling

one more tool to carry and move around. I really don't see the benefit except for maybe 12x12 tile which I rarely do anymore. Sorry.


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## Floormasta78

Phil... im known as a spammer already.. so here i go .....



#backbuddy .. # backbutter #tile #orlando car # certified floorcovering 

:whistling:whistling



http://www.backbutterbuddy.com/


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## pgc555

Olzo,
Actually it's more for large format - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3uOxPmrhRw&feature=em-upload_owner
Here's a video with 24x24

Here's one with 36x36 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slbCTKanz3g

These were done by guys that used it and sent them to me.


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## Ethos

It looks like a decent tool for super large format, but I have no problem with anything less than 12 x 24 on my hand.


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## charimon

What i want to see is a video of when some other tradesman decides to use a BBB 5 gal bucket as a step stool.:whistling


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## jlsconstruction

pgc555 said:


> Olzo,
> Actually it's more for large format - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3uOxPmrhRw&feature=em-upload_owner
> Here's a video with 24x24
> 
> Here's one with 36x36 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slbCTKanz3g
> 
> These were done by guys that used it and sent them to me.


We've actually talk about it on here before.


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## pgc555

Can you find the thread where the BBB was talked about already? I did a search but didn't find it.


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## GO Remodeling

if I have large format tile, it's on a flat 12"x 36"dolly already. It's stable and the thinset bucket and tile travel together.


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## schaefercs

I got a back butter buddy a few months ago for a 1200sf, 12x12 granite tile job. The "spinning" action was a little tight, but a quick adjustment and it worked great. No complaints, especially for 20 bucks.


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## GO Remodeling

Why would you need to spin a 12" tile? The trowel is 12" long.


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