Wall Tile Adhesive Trowel Size

All tile manufacturers offer a recommended trowel size.

Wall tile adhesive trowel size.

Mosaic tiles and wall tiles up to about 4 by 4 inches call for a v notch trowel with 3 16 by 1 4 inch notches while larger tiles require a trowel with a square or u shaped notch to obtain proper adhesive coverage. Use this for 8 8 s and some of the 5 16 thick 12 12 builder grade tile. 1 4 x 3 8 square notch. 1 8 x 1 8 notch.

The other main consideration is where the tiles will be set on the floor or on the walls and ceilings. The trowel size determines how much thinset to put on the substrate as well as how thick the bed of thinset should be under the tile. Using a u notched trowel and embedding the tile into the adhesive leaves you with a bed of adhesive beneath the tile a little over 1 3 the size of the trowel teeth. A great trowel for installing small ceramic tile such as 4 25 x 4 25 6 6 and 3 6 subway tile is this 1 4 inch square notch trowel.

A 1 2 x 1 2 the bed of thinset will be half of that measurement or 1 4 beneath a flat tile over a flat substrate. So a 10mm u notched trowel leaves a 3mm bed of adhesive beneath the installed tile. This may also be a good trowel size for thicker 5 16 mosaics. Mosaic installations up to 2 inches can use a 1 8 inch notch as can wall tiles of up to 4.

Smaller tiles are smaller notches and vice versa. Finding the right trowel for the job is quite simple when you know that generally speaking the trowel size should match up to the tile size the smaller the tile the smaller the trowel. Twelve inch square tiles for instance are best applied using a trowel with 1 2 inch by 1 2 inch notches. This trowel size is used for thinner membrane installation and not typically used for tile.

This trowel size is good for uncoupling membrane. 1 4 x 1 4 square notch. When you use a square notched trowel with the same size notch and teeth i e. Here is a list of the most common trowel sizes and what they re used for.

The larger the tile the larger the trowel.