Your thinset should be about 1/8th of an inch thick between your Ditra membrane and your substrate. When using thinset between Ditra and your tiles, it should be between 3/16ths of an inch and 1/4th of an inch thick. How do you apply thinset to cement board?
What thinset do you use with Ditra?
Thinset Mortar for Schluter Products like Kerdi and Ditra
- Schluter Set (unmodified)
- Schluter All-Set
- Schluter Fast-Set
- OR an unmodified ANSI 118.1 mortar
Which thinset for Ditra?
What Is Better: Ditra or Cement Board?
- Advantages of Ditra. Readily available in more areas.
- Drawbacks of Ditra. Requires a lot of thin-set and specific varieties in certain situations. Costly compared to alternatives, especially over larger areas.
- Advantages of Cement Boards
- Drawbacks of Cement Boards. Not the best option for floors, at least for smaller projects. Which One Should You Use? ...
How much does it cost to install Ditra heat?
The DITRA-XL cost is $1.75 to $2.25 per square foot. By comparison, CBU backer board cost is $0.70 to $1.10 per square foot. Many professional tile setters believe that the higher cost of DITRA is offset by the fact that it takes less time to install than CBU does due to its ease of use.
How to install Ditra over plywood?
- plywood
- existing vinyl floors
- structural plank subfloors
- concrete and heated floors.
Can you use thin set mortar over tile?
Do you need to extend the cure time for DITRA grout?
How thick should thinset be under DITRA?
In most installations, a layer of thinset 3/16 to 1/8-inch thick is sufficient. Too much thinset creates a mess and inhibits proper bonding between the tile and the substrate. For most tiles, apply a layer of thinset 3/16–1/8-inch thick.May 1, 2020
How thick is Ditra heat with thinset and tile?
1/4"Only 1/4" (5.5 mm)-thick, DITRA-HEAT provides the thinnest possible assembly without sacrificing performance.
How much thickness does thinset add?
When a tile is pressed to this thinset, it spreads to fill the spaces between the ridges, resulting in a thinset layer 3/16ths of an inch thick. A square-notched trowel with tooth spacing that is the same as the tooth depth creates a thinset layer that is one-half the tooth depth.
How thick should subfloor be under DITRA?
Proper Floor Preparation However, the plywood subfloor must be thick enough to support the tile floor. This means: A minimum of 5/8” nominal plywood or OSB thickness installed over joists on 16” centers.Dec 2, 2020
How thick is Ditra XL?
5/16" thickDITRA-XL is 5/16" thick to create an even transition between typical thick tile and 3/4" hardwood flooring.
How much height does DITRA-HEAT add?
Here is how heating with a thin-set system works: Schlüter-DITRA-HEAT-E is comprised of an uncoupling mat and a heating cable (joint assembly height only 5.5 mm), which are combined directly on site. This results in an integrated heating mat.
How thick should thinset be under tile?
First, you must know how much thinset mortar you want beneath the tile in the finished installation. A finished installation requires a minimum of 3/32” beneath the finished installation, aiming for a 1/8” minimum makes it easier to calculate the proper tile trowel size.Mar 9, 2022
How thick is Ditra when installed?
1/8"DITRA is 1/8" (3 mm) thick, which minimizes tile assembly thickness and reduces transitions to lower surface coverings (e.g., carpet, engineered wood, and vinyl). DITRA allows for ceramic tile application over single-layer plywood or OSB subfloors on joists spaced up to 19.2" (488 mm) o.c.
What happens if thinset is too thick?
If the thinset is too thick, this creates an uneven surface that's difficult to clean and maintain. It also increases the drying phase causing the project to come to a halt. It's recommended to be methodical with the use of thinset mortar.Jan 20, 2022
What thinset do you use with DITRA?
For example, to set DITRA over plywood or OSB, a modified thin-set mortar meeting the requirements of ANSI A118. 11 is used. To set DITRA over concrete or gypsum, Schluter-Systems recommends an unmodified thin-set mortar meeting the requirements of ANSI A118.
What happens if you use modified thinset on DITRA?
Since DITRA is impervious, it does not deprive the mortar of its moisture. This allows the cement to properly hydrate, resulting in a strong, dense bond coat. In general, we don't recommend the use of modified thin-set mortar to set tile over the membranes because these mortars must air dry to cure properly.
How long does thinset take to dry under DITRA?
24 hoursThe thin-set used on the Ditra surface takes almost 24 hours to dry. After tiling, ensure that no pressure or weight is applied to the tiles for the next 24 hours.
Walking on Ditra before Tiling
In general, Ditra protects against excessive movement and deflects any weight applied to the surface. It can neutralize the weight deflection because of its structure, eliminating the chances of tiles cracking. Ditra also provides waterproofing, vapor management, and load distribution.
How to install Ditra, step by step
The installation of Ditra is not as simple as it looks. As such, Ditra installation requires some patience, practice.
Ditra Mat Tiling, what is the best way?
First, mix the unmodified thin-set and spread it over the Ditra mat. Use the flat end of a trowel to fill the gaps or the cavities on the Ditra mat. Use a notched trowel to make even rows of thin-set on the Ditra mat. It would be best if you then put the mortar on the back of the tile.
Tiling On Ditra Matting, what thin-set to use?
In general, use a non-modified thin-set for effective results. After matting the surface with Ditra, you can start to lay ceramic or stone tiles over the Ditra matting. The unmodified thin-set helps to maintain a strong bond between the tiles and Ditra matting, even with a higher moisture level.
Tiling over Ditra Heat, what should I pay attention to?
In general, before matting the surface with Ditra, seal the edges of the surface and then spread the Ditra mat over it. Put the heating cables between the studs and cover them with underlayment. When tiling over the Ditra heat, make the thin-set by mixing more water than usual to allow the tiles to stick to the surface properly.
Final Words
Through this article, you have learned if you can walk on the Ditra mat before tiling it. Since Ditra protects the tiles from any unnecessary movement, deflection, or moisture on the surface, walking over it before tiling or even after installing it for tiling will cause no harm to the mat.
Can you use thin set mortar over tile?
In general, we don't recommend the use of modified thin-set mortar to set tile over the membranes because these mortars must air dry to cure properly. When sandwiched between two impervious layers such as DITRA and porcelain tile, drying takes place very slowly through the open grout joints.
Do you need to extend the cure time for DITRA grout?
Therefore, extended cure times would be required before grouting if using modified thin-set mortars between DITRA and ceramic tile, including porcelain tile. If extended cure times were not observed, the results could be unpredictable.
How to remove kerdi?
1/ to peel off the kerdi, refill all the voids with unmodified thinset then glue a new kerdi on it with liquid form thinset. 2/ peel off the kerdi, refill all the voids with unmodified thinset, let it dry, and aftewards paint liquid membrane on it. 3/ do nothing, let it so, it will be ok.
Can you put vinyl planks over ditra heat?
Short answer, yes you can install other materials over Ditra Heat Duo, they sent me a bulletin explaining what to do. In my case, I’m installing vinyl plank (floating) over the Ditra. The bulletin says use a “cementious self-levelling underlayment” for which I used Levelquik RS.
Can you use Ditra heat TB over concrete?
An additional benefit of prefilling Ditra mats is being able to snap chalk lines and actually being able to read them. Ditra Heat TB has additional insulation for going over concrete floors.
Can you use thin set mortar over tile?
In general, we don't recommend the use of modified thin-set mortar to set tile over the membranes because these mortars must air dry to cure properly. When sandwiched between two impervious layers such as DITRA and porcelain tile, drying takes place very slowly through the open grout joints.
Do you need to extend the cure time for DITRA grout?
Therefore, extended cure times would be required before grouting if using modified thin-set mortars between DITRA and ceramic tile, including porcelain tile. If extended cure times were not observed, the results could be unpredictable.
