Which trowel for stone tiles?

Posted by admin on March 26th, 2010 and filed under tiling jobs | 3 Comments »

I’m tiling a bathroom counter and have all my supplies but not sure I purchased the right trowel. I purchased a square-notched trowel 1/4×1/4×1/4. What is the difference between this one and the one I see commonly used on tv and on other tiling jobs…the razor tooth edge type?

I tile every day of my life, and I want to assume these "Stone Tiles" are at least Milled flat on one side, though if they are RAW, not production glazed, I wouldn’t be using them on a counter top.

I also don’t always use 1/4 inch mortar beads on counter tops, often choosing 1/8, (In the same Tool you purchased). Floor tiles yes, always. That’s just a personal choice and not a Law set in stone (no pun intended). You have the correct tool for Thinset.

The saw edge applicators, are usually used for mastics/Adhesive tile setting materials, which are also, often used for counter tops, Not very practical for tile or stone.

Steven Wolf
just my two "sense"

3 Responses

  1. vince p Says:

    The size of tiles makes a difference in the trowel,say if you where using a smaller trowel it needs less mortar or glue so you would use a smaller notched trowel, for larger tiles you use larger sized trowels, because of needing more mortar or glue to stick to . also they use different trowels with vinyl flooring as well. Id contact the place where you got the trowel and make sure you have the right 1 for the job your doing. hope this helps ……..
    References :

  2. colin f Says:

    If you are setting your tiles with thinset mortar, you have the correct trowel. If you are using a mastic glue, then you nee the smaller notched trowel probably 1/8 by 1/8.

    Thinset needs more thickness for the material to properly bond. If spread too thin it will dry to a power form and fail rather quickly. In the years that I worked in commercial and residential flooring, we always used the 1/4" notched trowel for thinset and 1/8" trowel for all glues.

    I hope this helps to answer your question.
    References :
    almost 25 years in construction – commercial and residential

  3. DIY Doc Says:

    I tile every day of my life, and I want to assume these "Stone Tiles" are at least Milled flat on one side, though if they are RAW, not production glazed, I wouldn’t be using them on a counter top.

    I also don’t always use 1/4 inch mortar beads on counter tops, often choosing 1/8, (In the same Tool you purchased). Floor tiles yes, always. That’s just a personal choice and not a Law set in stone (no pun intended). You have the correct tool for Thinset.

    The saw edge applicators, are usually used for mastics/Adhesive tile setting materials, which are also, often used for counter tops, Not very practical for tile or stone.

    Steven Wolf
    just my two "sense"
    References :
    45 plus years as a contractor

Leave a Comment

Please note: Comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.