Wall Tile Adhesive Trowel Size

This trowel size is good for uncoupling membrane.

Wall tile adhesive trowel size.

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. This trowel size is used for thinner membrane installation and not typically used for tile. 1 4 x 1 4 square notch. Use this for 8 8 s and some of the 5 16 thick 12 12 builder grade tile.

Mosaic installations up to 2 inches can use a 1 8 inch notch as can wall tiles of up to 4. The larger the tile the larger the trowel. The other main consideration is where the tiles will be set on the floor or on the walls and ceilings. 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.

1 8 x 1 8 notch. 1 4 x 1 4 u notch. 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. 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.

Twelve inch square tiles for instance are best applied using a trowel with 1 2 inch by 1 2 inch notches. 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 6mm x 6mm trowel will leave a 3mm bed of adhesive beneath the tile. Tile trowels come in many shapes and sizes generally starting out from a 3 16 v notch up to the 1 2 square notch.

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. 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. Smaller tiles are smaller notches and vice versa.

1 4 x 3 8 square notch.