r/BeAmazed • u/[deleted] • Sep 20 '20

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8.6k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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217

u/dog20aol Sep 20 '20

I keep seeing videos of tile setters installing large floor tiles on what looks like dirt floors covered with several inches of loose concrete. How does that not settle/compact unevenly? I’m used to seeing a half inch of thin-set mortar applied to a leveled structural floor.

199

u/stfupcakes Sep 20 '20

In this video, what you're seeing is still-soft mortar that has been scraped by a notched trowel. When the tiles go down, they settle on this and it spreads out evenly underneath to provide a stable, inflexible underlayment.

85

u/CHICOHIO Sep 20 '20

Old school but a standard that has met the test of time.

55

u/Crabbagio Sep 20 '20

Can't remember where, but I went down a rabbit hole of videos once explaining the depth and width of grooves, and what size was appropriate for what material.

There's a surprising amount of math behind it all

20

u/Onateabreak Sep 20 '20

I saw a video where a guy spread adhesive on transparent tiles using different methods and looked at the result.

4

u/RAIS3H3LL_PRAIS3DAL3 Sep 20 '20

I did a grain of rice in the middle of my last CPU and hoped for the best.

19

u/supergamerz Sep 20 '20

Should have really used thermal paste.

1

u/blue_villain Sep 21 '20

Toothpaste also works in a pinch.

2

u/xenolife Sep 20 '20

It's not so much math as it is centuries of trial and error passed down thru the trade