Tile application process help needed

[FrankTroy]

I have had some tiles come off due to the grout failing. The surface of the concrete still has much of the old thin-set still on it and I am not sure if I should scrape it off or just go over it with the new thin-set. In another post someone mentioned hydrolic cement, but I dont think i need to go that far since the surface looks fairly good and smooth.

Also, anyone have recommendations on thin-set specifically made for pools or is it all the same thing?

Any recommendations would be helpfull.

Thanks
Frank

[waste]

Frank, welcome to the forum! 'Thinset' should be the same whether for pools or not. Just be careful to clean the joints if the thinset is not the same color as the grout you'll be using. You seem to know what's going on, so I won't go into notched trowels and grouting sponge, but if you need some help, just give a whistle. Happy Mem Day!

[duraleigh]

Frank,

It is a good idea to start your own thread. I'll follow this one so please reply and stay on this one....it'll help us all follow your progress.

That said, read the response I posted to your question on the thread started by Carolina

[FrankTroy]

Well, believe it or not, I finished the job and it came out pretty good.

The worst of it all was cleaning the old tile so I could re-use them. These are not tile easily found in Home Depot, so I had no choice. Cleaning the tile took me an entire weekend of scraping. To clean the tile I let them soak in muratic acid and then used paint scrapers and steel wool to remove the old grout and thinset. Maybe someone else has a better idea but this worked for me.

Here are a few things I learned in the process:

1. Take pictures of the original installation so you have a guide.
2. After removing the tile and old thinset, fill any cracks in the concrete by grinding them out and filling them with hydraulic cement.
3. When applying the tiles, follow the old tile lines, don’t try to plumb it up since the previous installation may not have been plumb.
4. Don’t apply thinset on hot sunny days, it will dry up too quickly and you will end up scraping it off again.
5. During the application, make sure you follow the previous pattern! I have a row of alternating tile patterns. I missed it when I started and had to remove about 50 tiles and start over (I was not happy).
6. If you have small tiles, remember that now you have no backing you will be replacing the tiles one-by-one (not in sheets like they were installed originally) so the installation will go very slow.
7. Buy some cheap tarps to cover your work to keep it dry.
8. Clean up any thinset or grout drops quickly.

Thanks for the tips from everyone!
Frank

[duraleigh]

Hi, Frank,

Congrats! I hate tile work but I hate paying someone else to do what I know how to do.

All of your "learning pointers" are great info. I have "been there, done that" on virtually every one.