Thinset mix debate: does it really need to sit for 10 minutes before you use it?

I was on a job in Phoenix last Tuesday and mixed a batch just like the bag says, let it sit for 10 minutes, then stirred again. But the guy next to me was mixing and slapping it down right away, said the wait is a waste of time and he's been laying tile for 20 years. I've always followed the directions because I thought it was about the chemicals bonding right. So which is it, is that rest time actually necessary or are we all just following rules that don't matter?

3 comments

3 Comments

cole_murphy14d ago

You ever wonder if that guy's tiles are gonna be fine or if they'll just give up and slide off the wall in a few years? I'd rather wait ten minutes than redo a kitchen floor.

pat_roberts5513d ago

I helped a buddy redo his backsplash last year and we rushed the thinset job - three months later tiles were popping off like popcorn. That ten minute wait is nothing compared to the headache of fixing that mess.

jordan_henderson1313d ago

That Phoenix heat changed my mind, watching thinset flash cure in minutes.