# To all you mapei users



## Tweed11 (Mar 6, 2012)

I have been a carpenter for 15 years and my dad 40. I work for my old man and we started doing most of our own tile jobs now. I have learned a lot from all your guys post and appreciate your knowledge. With most of are work 60 miles west of Chicago mapei products are more readily available and I am more familiar with them. I know every thinset has a disadvantage or advantage to others. But with mapei I feel they have so many different products its hard to know what is the best or proper one to use. 
Right now I'm laying ceramic tile 12x12 over cbu thinset and screwed down over 3/4 advanced over 2x10s on 16 inch center with every other joist doubled up for strength my trowel size is most likely going to be 1x4x3/8x1x4

My question is I have ultafex1, ultaflex2, ultraflex3 ultracontact, ultra flex lft,and keraset+keriply available. When I helped our hired tile guy he always used ultra flex 2 for everything (floors and walls) Then he was to busy for are last shower and floor so he recommended his buddy which we used and he told me he always used ultra contact on floors and lft on walls in shower. I feel like I'm back in college trying to learn all the different products and applications. Just wait my next post will be on all the different waterproof products. Thanks in advance.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Ultraflex 2 is fine for 12x12 floor tile.


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## Tweed11 (Mar 6, 2012)

I know it's fine but I was looking for more detailed information about all the products just to learn more about the craft. In your opinion and I respect it from all your other posts what is the best. The dip **** and Menards was trying to sell me keraset mixed with keraply.


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## country_huck (Dec 2, 2009)

Have you gotten on the Mapie website and look at all the specs. I would start there.


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## Tweed11 (Mar 6, 2012)

Yeah been on it for awhile some of it makes sense to me but I like hearing it from people and applications. I'm really a visual learner I did see on the website they had aqua defense in a powder form wonder If anyone has used it.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Sorry, I didn't want to compose a tiling novel. Each situation has its own set of issues. There is not such a simplistic chart available. 

Give me a scenario and I'll give you my opinion and why.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Tweed11 said:


> they had aqua defense in a powder form wonder


I don't think so.


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## We Fix Houses (Aug 15, 2007)

Not to dissuade you from these forums but try calling MAPEI tech support to review your concerns and gather information.

I hope their support is as good as the support from Laticrete and Custom. I've called both while planning and in the field regarding proper app of their products. The folks there really know the products and apps and seem to have years / decades of product experience. 

I understand your reservations about calling some of these places as we envision talking to some flip - chart answer girls but its not my experience. The guys I talked to seem to have their sleeves rolled up and know what's going on out here. 

This is a huge industry and tech support is a make / break for many a contractor / installer as far as product selection.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

The other thing to keep in mind is a lot of products overlap and it comes down to personal preference too. Just like your confusion between Ultraflex 2 and LFT. The can very well both be used in the same situation but one becomes easier due to properties of the mix. One setter may like one over the other for a given situation while the other setter hasn't even used the other one so to him it doesn't enter the thought process.


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## Tweed11 (Mar 6, 2012)

What Is your thoughts on the keresat keraply thinset combo. Better or worse than ultra contact or ultraflex2


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

It is difficult for me to keep up with all the brand names. Then you have numbers on top of that.

I think the Keraset is the thinset used for laying on concrete, correct?

Used to be, there was no tilebacker and most tile was laid on concrete or a mud bed or on plywood.

The additive came into play when you were laying on plywood.

I have always just used the stuff with the additive in it already because I thought it was easier to mix with water. Even on concrete, a couple of dollars more per bag was no big deal, and you could use any leftover thinset on the next job on tilebacker.

But I did use the keraset once with the additive. My neighbor got it as recommended by the big box store, to lay on CONCRETE. So we went with it. I noticed immediately that it is much stickier than the stuff with the latex in the mix which you mix with water.

To sum it up, it seemed stickier and therefore "better quality" than the dry mix. But I've never had any quality problems with the dry mix. So the "better quality" just meant more of a clean up problem for me. Instead of a masonry type mortar on my arm, which you can usually get to crumble off, I had stuff which wanted to stick like a synthetic product.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Tweed11 said:


> What Is your thoughts on the keresat keraply thinset combo. Better or worse than ultra contact or ultraflex2


I wouldn't use Keraset as a boat anchor.


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## Tweed11 (Mar 6, 2012)

I guess I have a lot to learn so I take it angus it's junk and I should return And use ultra contact or ultra flex 2


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

angus242 said:


> I wouldn't use Keraset as a boat anchor.


To be fair it would be a great boat anchor which would get better and better over time.. :laughing:


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Noticed the other day that the porcelain tile mortar is exactly the same as Ultraflex2. Not sure why they sell the same product under different names. Perhaps they do this with more than just the above products.


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## Tweed11 (Mar 6, 2012)

When I went to century tile even the tile guru there liked mapei's keraset and keraply over the other thinsets I mentioned. I always want the best so I think I'm going to just get ultra flex 3 and be done. Thanks for all your guys help and to all you rubi haters I was able to take 3/8 off the tiles with no breakage


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Keraset and Ultraflex 1 are considered "economical" versions of thinsets and are only available to compete with the other manufacturer cheapo offerings at the box stores.


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## Tweed11 (Mar 6, 2012)

Well finished the tile in the addition we did I ended up using keraset keraply what a ****ty product in my opinion. I can not say one thing I liked about it. I didn't think it burned into the cbu as well as others and then when troweling I felt it didn't stay up as well as other products. First and last time for that and it cost more than ultra flex 2 and ultra contact.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

angus242 said:


> I wouldn't use Keraset as a boat anchor.





Tweed11 said:


> Well finished the tile in the addition we did I ended up using keraset keraply what a ****ty product in my opinion. I can not say one thing I liked about it. I didn't think it burned into the cbu as well as others and then when troweling I felt it didn't stay up as well as other products. First and last time for that and it cost more than ultra flex 2 and ultra contact.


Good thing you asked my opinion first :laughing:


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## Mud Master (Feb 26, 2007)

You know what they say about having an opinion


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