Should You Back Butter Floor Tiles

Sometimes i get asked how to backbutter mosaic tiles.

Should you back butter floor tiles. I use a round notch trowel on floors and areas that are subject to a lot of water this is a solid bed technique. Depends what size trowel you use most people use 6mm i prefer 8mm or if tiles are really bad 10mm on walls. Normally if you feel the need to backbutter mosaics it is easier to simply use a larger trowel on your substrate. When you back butter the tile you re keying it in.

If you want a more scientific analysis of whether you not you should back butter check out the video below. What you should do when fixing is every now and then is fix a tile then remove it and see what coverage you have on the back of the tile this s a good indication that you could be using the wrong trowel if you havent good a good coveage on the tiles. This will exhibit the need for backbuttering since you can actually see the open pores in the back of the tile. During back buttering it is not uncommon for thinset to push through the mesh which may partially fill the grout joints and rise above the surface of the tile once the sheet is applied to the wall.

How to back butter like a pro as a seasoned tiler who does back butter i have experienced the many difficulties associated with traditional back buttering techniques including arm fatigue and occasionally dropping tiles while trying to. This is a stronger move than merely pressing the tile to the floor. I constantly have to tell people that you really don t need to. Back buttering tile can be effective.

The same applies to porcelain or ceramic or any other type of tile as well just on a more microscopic level. However there is more to this process which we will see in the following paragraphs. How to back butter tile correctly. The thinset is well adhered and then when the wet thinset touches the wet thinset on the floor that s a much easier bond to make than thinset to dry tile with depressions in it.

Although not necessary for tile coverage back buttering can be effective by increasing the bond of the mortar to the back of the tile which is an excellent benefit. I am also using a tool called the back butter buddy.