Update: My bathroom tile job in Phoenix went sideways when the thinset dried too fast

I was halfway through laying subway tile in my guest bathroom last July when the mix on my hawk just turned to concrete in about 20 minutes. The Arizona heat cooked it before I could even get a few rows up. I had to stop, chip off the half-set tiles with a putty knife, and remix a much smaller batch, working in tiny sections. Has anyone in a dry climate found a good slow-set mortar they like?

3 comments

3 Comments

paul_stone411mo ago

Turned to concrete in 20 minutes" sounds like a bit of an exaggeration. That's about the normal working time for a lot of standard thinsets. Maybe you just mixed too much at once for the conditions. Working in small batches is just part of the job in the summer, even here. I've never needed a special mortar, just a faster pace and cooler water.

sethk431mo ago

My first tile job in Mesa turned into a brick of thinset on a trowel in what felt like ten minutes flat. I respect what Paul_Stone41 is saying about normal working time, but Arizona in July is a different kind of beast. I started mixing in the garage with the AC on and using ice water, which helped a little. At this point I'm pretty sure my sweat was the only thing keeping the last batch workable.

abby83629d ago

sethk43 your sweat keeping thinset workable is honestly the most Arizona thing Ive ever heard. But heres something nobody brought up yet. What about the alkalinity in your water? Mesa has crazy hard water with all that calcium and mineral content. Thats going to speed up the chemical reaction in thinset way faster than just heat alone. You might have better luck mixing with bottled or filtered water next time. Your sweat is probably more neutral pH than what comes out of the tap out there.