2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 22:24
- What is a special spatula for?
- Characteristics when choosing a comb
- Tooth shape
- Tooth size
- How to apply glue correctly
- Conclusion
Those who are new to tiling work, especially when it comes to ceramic materials, often have questions about which trowel to use for laying tiles. Indeed, in reality, there are enough of them. And let some people think that laying tiles on a continuous layer of glue is of better quality, but in the meantime we will consider the choice of a tool, and we will do everything right, observing a reasonable economy of tile glue.
What is a special spatula for?
First, let's figure out why you need a comb for laying tiles. Everything is quite simple here. When applying the adhesive mixture, it is leveled with a notched trowel, as a result of which grooves are formed. They also determine the uniform distribution of the adhesive mixture over the tile surface.
This gives us the following benefits:
- High quality styling. This is due to the distribution of the adhesive mixture in an even layer over the entire area of the tile. Accordingly, the material itself will lie as flat as possible, of course, if the base is previously prepared and leveled.
- Also, this approach increases the speed of work, since in this case you do not have to press the tiles and remove excess glue every time.
- The connection strength is ensured. In the case of a lack or an excess of glue, it, on the contrary, decreases, and the use of a tile spatula helps to apply the precisely required amount of the mixture.
- And the last is economy, since the spatula will help eliminate the waste of material by applying a clearly required amount.
A small recommendation on which tile spatula to choose. It is most convenient to work with a tool in which two sides are serrated, while the other two are even, which allows you to do all the work with one tool, without constantly changing one to the other.
Characteristics when choosing a comb
Different types of comb can be determined by the shape of the teeth, since in different cases it is different, and here it is important to know which trowel is needed for laying tiles.
Tooth shape
The difference in shape is directly due to the thickness of the layer, and differs as follows:
- When laying tiles on a layer of glue from 6 to 12 millimeters, use combs with square teeth.
- With a larger layer, over 12 millimeters, tools with semicircular teeth are used. Since when using square, the path is combed poorly, and besides, the furrows fall off. In the case of the round shape, this is not observed.
- Also, sometimes, there are spatulas with triangular teeth, such are used when laying tiles on a layer up to 5 mm, in particular for PVC tiles.
Like any other tool, spatulas also have their own markings, which indicate the size and shape of the teeth. It is registered in a combination of letters and numbers. Examples of markings are shown in the table below:
And now a little about decoding:
- Small triangular teeth with small intervals are marked with the letter - A.
- Tool with large spaces between triangles - B.
- With no gaps - S.
- Square-shaped teeth - C.
- For rectangular, the designation becomes - R.
- And the last, semicircular - M.
What kind of tile comb can be sorted out, but that's not all.
Tooth size
The size of the teeth is also an important factor as it controls the adhesive layer. Thus, which comb to choose for tiling will depend directly on the expected thickness of the tile adhesive layer.
Let's consider the approximate dimensions of the teeth, depending on the area of the tile, with the condition that the trowel itself is slightly wider than the width of the tile.
In the case of laying tiles on the floor, the dimensions must be chosen slightly larger than those indicated. Now you can already decide which spatula is needed for laying tiles, depending on the size of the material itself and the thickness of the layer of adhesive mixture. Tile adhesive consumption calculator.
How to apply glue correctly
And the last question that requires consideration after choosing which comb to lay the tiles is the distribution of the solution over the surface, or rather the technology of its application.
- First, you need to understand the behavior of the glue, depending on this, the level of its application will be selected in order to avoid voids.
- Direct application of the mixture becomes important, as a result, perfectly straight grooves should be obtained, without any twists.
- The glue itself is applied to the base at an angle of 30-40 degrees.
- After that, the comb is created, which is performed at an angle of up to 75 degrees.
- It is necessary to apply the mixture immediately to the base. Some, of course, apply it to the tiles, which significantly slows down the progress of work.
- After the mixture has been applied, the tile is applied and pressed, for a more even distribution of the glue, it is compacted with a rubber hammer. Learn more about the quick way to apply tile adhesive.
In some countries, this technique is used only for laying on a semi-dry screed. In other cases, the tiles are laid, and then moved to the width of the tooth, which allows you to completely eliminate the voids.
Another option for increasing adhesion is laying on a sdir. This technology is assumed by the fact that the glue is applied simultaneously to the base and to the tile itself, after which the solution is peeled off and applied from the tile.
To prevent grout protrusion and to ensure clean seams, a trowel without an outer notch is used, which helps to reduce the amount of adhesive that comes out of the tile. By the way, this technique will help save tile adhesive.
Conclusion
The main thing is, when choosing which comb to put tiles on the floor or walls, you should not buy a rubber one, because it is very inconvenient to use and significantly slows down the whole process of work. In addition, do not forget to immediately wash the construction tool from the mortar, because after it hardens, it may completely fail. How to choose the right tile adhesive in detail.
