TIL a $5 bag of sand saved my bathroom tile job

I was laying 12x24 inch porcelain tiles in my upstairs bathroom and the floor had a slight dip in the center. After leveling the first few, I realized my thinset was setting up too fast and the tiles were starting to sag before I could adjust them. My buddy, who used to do concrete work, told me to mix a handful of clean play sand into the thinset for the next batch. I was skeptical, but it gave me a solid extra 20 minutes of working time. The sand added just enough grit to hold the tile in place while I got the level right. Has anyone else used a weird additive like that to fix a timing issue?

2 comments

2 Comments

murray.grace1d ago

Makes total sense that sand would help. It acts like a filler, so the thinset isn't just sticky glue trying to slide down. I've heard of guys using a little bit of the powdered grout for the same trick, since it's basically fine sand and cement. The key is just adding something dry to soak up a bit of the water and slow the whole chemical set. You have to be careful not to add too much or you wreck the bond, but a handful is the sweet spot.

roberts.jordan21h ago

Wow, so we're just out here making our own mortar now, huh?