glass mosaic tile advice

[Felirod]

hi everyone! i'm about to start tiling my bathtub area using 1"x1" glass mosaic tiles on 12"x12" mesh. what's the right way of butting on the inside corners? and also how about the 1/4" gap between the hardibacker and tub? should i overlap the tile on the board? by the way, i applied caulking between the board end and top of tub. will the thinset adhere to it? thanks!

[jadnashua]

You need to leave a small gap in the corners and caulk it. Thinset probably won't stick to the caulk at the tub. WIth a small tile, you want it to be over 1/2 supported well, you can put thinset there, but leave a gap so you can caulk under it at the tub junction. Whether you run the short wall or the longer wall under depends on the layout, then bring the other wall's tile to it. You need a clean line, so see which wall is straighter and will look better. Use the appropriate thinset (often a highly modified thinset) specified by the tile manufacturer. Usually, you'll want to use white which costs a little more, but you'll get less of a color change. If you don't get full coverage, and the tile is not opaque, you'll see the thinset underneath, so be careful. You need to bed it in the thinset so you can no longer see the notches in the thinset. Sometimes, it is a good idea to burn in a layer of thinset on the backs of the tile first to ensure a good consistent layer, but then you end up with a major pain getting it out of the joints. Glass tile is not something I'd want to do as a first tiling job, but take your time and do good cleanup while you go and you'll be okay. DO NOT let the thinset skin over before setting the tile. It will take you awhile, so don't spread too much at one time.

[Felirod]

Jadnashua,

Thanks! So should I just leave the caulking between the tub and hardi as it is? By the way, I have a shower door that was screwed on the old tile before. can i still screw it on the glass tile? How do i do it?

Felirod

[jadnashua]

You'll need to buy a glass or diamond bit to drill holes. It might crack, but some of that depends on how good coverage you get on the back, and how carefully you drill. The bracket should cover it anyways. A picture would help, but probably just tile it. How far is the bottom of the cbu to the tub, in other words, how much of the bottom tile won't be attached with thinset?

[Felirod]

Jadnashua,

1/4" gap most of it. but there are some small areas that are almost 1/2" gap due to my imperfect cutting. so probably 1/2" of the 1"x1" tile won't be attached to the hardi. what do you think?

Felirod

[jadnashua]

Not sure...I'd want more than 1/2 of the tile to be supported, plus, without the thinset behind it, it might not look the same as those above it. Ask over at www.johnbridge.com and get some more opinions. It's not like you are going to be standing on it where you want nearly 100% coverage. You didn't mention if these are opaque or translucent.

[Felirod]

Jadnashua,

the glass tiles are colored. do you think it i can just put thinset at the back of the tiles?

felirod

[jadnashua]

Hold them up to the light and see if you can see anything. Then, set one on a sheet of white paper and another on say some newspaper over some text and maybe a picture. See if you can see anything because of the different backing. That will give you an idea how consistent the bedding material has to be. I'd still ask over at www.johnbridge.com lot's of tile pros over there.

[Felirod]

Jadnashua,

Thank you for all the advice!

felirod