Outside tiling - sand and cement or adhesive ?

[Andrew Dwyer]

I have a little project going on which I’m trying to do myself and am going to attempt the tiling ( gulp ) .

 

It’s 10 m2 and ,as you can see from the photo , should be fairly straightforward !

 

 

My question is:

 

Is sand and cement a good idea for outside tiling, I have seen some locals using this method and the results seem good.

Or is it just a cheap way of of doing it and has pitfalls ?

 

Looking for some recommendations either way !!

 

TIA

 

Andy

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Looking for some recommendations either way !!

You can use tile adhesive or sand and cement or premixed tile adhesives whatever you regard is a reasonable cost or convenient.

[Andrew Dwyer]

No rush, I have to evict the squatters first !!

[Chopperboy]

I would recommend using a proper tile adhesive like crocodile gold which is a modified thinset. 

Tile leveling kits are available these days from Do Home and others.

[kelboy]

Just mix tile cement, cement and fine sand for best results. 

[fredob43]

You more than likely wont have the cutters to go round the poles ETC so may I suggest you get a local to do it.

If you are going to attempt it yourself, tip start from the middle and work outwards. That's once you have worked out if it would be a tile bridging the middle line or one each side of it. All depends on size of tile you will use. Re cement or Tile adhesive both work well just make sure they are wet enough allowing for the heat here. Might even have to water the tile & concrete base prior to laying them. Or you could end up with the things coming up in a few months.

[Kwasaki]

41 minutes ago, fredob43 said:

You more than likely wont have the cutters to go round the poles ETC so may I suggest you get a local to do it.

If OP uses a 100mm disc small grinder that will do the job just takes some time and patients.

Personally for ease of progress I'd just square up to the poles and fill any gaps with grout after.

[Andrew Dwyer]

You more than likely wont have the cutters to go round the poles ETC so may I suggest you get a local to do it.
If you are going to attempt it yourself, tip start from the middle and work outwards. That's once you have worked out if it would be a tile bridging the middle line or one each side of it. All depends on size of tile you will use. Re cement or Tile adhesive both work well just make sure they are wet enough allowing for the heat here. Might even have to water the tile & concrete base prior to laying them. Or you could end up with the things coming up in a few months.

Thanks,

I did a dummy run , started in the middle and when I got to the outside found the slab is a bit out of square ! Bloody builders ( actually was me who made the slab ???? ) so a slight adjustment and should be good to go !

Tried to set the uprights to match the tiles I’ve bought:



But fully expect that it won’t turn out as i hoped.

I plan to cut the tiles myself with a small grinding wheel, I did look at tile cutter but they seem to be expensive for an 18” tile !!

[Chopperboy]

Watch on Youtube for how to cut round holes with an angle grinder. 

 

I am a perfectionist, so I take tiles like that to the local waterjet cutting shop but it needs a accurate CAD file drawn of what they are to cut.

[fredob43]

1 hour ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Thanks,

I did a dummy run , started in the middle and when I got to the outside found the slab is a bit out of square ! Bloody builders ( actually was me who made the slab ???? ) so a slight adjustment and should be good to go !

Tried to set the uprights to match the tiles I’ve bought:



But fully expect that it won’t turn out as i hoped.

I plan to cut the tiles myself with a small grinding wheel, I did look at tile cutter but they seem to be expensive for an 18” tile !!

One of the problems with large tiles you need a big cutter.

I would have measured each end and found the middle struck a string line. Even if the thing is out of square you could have made it square with the tiles then made up the concrete base to match. 

Just be careful and you should be fine cutting tiles with disc cutter although it'll take a bit longer. Just make sure that the edges are smooth as they can be sharp. Or you can fit a plastic edge strip.

[fredob43]

2 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

If OP uses a 100mm disc small grinder that will do the job just takes some time and patients.

Personally for ease of progress I'd just square up to the poles and fill any gaps with grout after.

It's not the poles he'll have problems with it's the edges. They will take forever to get strait. If your not to good with a disc cutter it could end up like a rat has chewed it. With a zip cutter. They have a measure thing that will make every tile the same size. (But he doesn't have one) so it's going to be hard work.

[how241]

Either way will be fine.

[Chopperboy]

It very hard to get clean edges with a diamond disc cutter.

The top quality cutters and saw equipment only seem to be available in the west.

[Andrew Dwyer]

54 minutes ago, fredob43 said:

One of the problems with large tiles you need a big cutter.

I would have measured each end and found the middle struck a string line. Even if the thing is out of square you could have made it square with the tiles then made up the concrete base to match. 

Just be careful and you should be fine cutting tiles with disc cutter although it'll take a bit longer. Just make sure that the edges are smooth as they can be sharp. Or you can fit a plastic edge strip.

Yes , I found the middle and placed the tiles accordingly working my way out.

It should work out with a full tile on the outside + an aluminium edge strip ( same as on my front porch ) 7 x 7 tiles, then half a tile on the edges. 

So only to cut round the 4 uprights and for the edges ( that’s the theory anyway ????).

[Andrew Dwyer]

56 minutes ago, fredob43 said:

It's not the poles he'll have problems with it's the edges. They will take forever to get strait. If your not to good with a disc cutter it could end up like a rat has chewed it. With a zip cutter. They have a measure thing that will make every tile the same size. (But he doesn't have one) so it's going to be hard work.

If all goes to plan ( and that’s a big IF ????) I just need to cut round the poles and then cut tiles in half for the edges

[Andrew Dwyer]

8 minutes ago, Chopperboy said:

It very hard to get clean edges with a diamond disc cutter.

The top quality cutters and saw equipment only seem to be available in the west.

Yes, I looked at tile cutters and a robust one capable of an 18” tile seems very expensive.

Hopefully I only have round the posts to make a neat cut, the edge tiles will be buried in the gravel .

[Kwasaki]

3 hours ago, fredob43 said:

It's not the poles he'll have problems with it's the edges. They will take forever to get strait. If your not to good with a disc cutter it could end up like a rat has chewed it. With a zip cutter. They have a measure thing that will make every tile the same size. (But he doesn't have one) so it's going to be hard work.

Not so buddy with the right tools he can finish it with a professional Bkk builders finish, I am or was a builder I know.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Not so buddy with the right tools he can finish it with a professional Bkk builders finish, I am or was a builder I know.

A professional BKK builders finish ??

I was hoping it was gonna look good [emoji20]

[fredob43]

6 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Not so buddy with the right tools he can finish it with a professional Bkk builders finish, I am or was a builder I know.

So you were a builder well done you. Please let me inform you I owned a tiling Marble company for over 25 years in the UK, so not short of a bit of knowledge on the subject myself. The main problem he has is that he doesn't have the correct tools.

[chickenslegs]

To make a tidy job around the posts you could use the same aluminium edging that you are using around the deck. Install it vertically rather than horizontally. It is easily cut and will cover any rough tile edges.

 

 

[lanng khao]

To make the cut neat and tidy round the posts, measure the exact place of the post on the tile and cut a square out with a hand grinder then take the roof off the salsa, slide the tile down the post, then put the roof back on, nice and neat cut round the post then...

Sent from my SHT-W09 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Andrew Dwyer]

To make the cut neat and tidy round the posts, measure the exact place of the post on the tile and cut a square out with a hand grinder then take the roof off the salsa, slide the tile down the post, then put the roof back on, nice and neat cut round the post then...

Sent from my SHT-W09 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Thanks for the tip .

I think I’ve read some of your other tips in Viz magazine [emoji51]

Here’s a couple from your alter egos:





[emoji51]

[cooked]

15 hours ago, Chopperboy said:

It very hard to get clean edges with a diamond disc cutter.

The top quality cutters and saw equipment only seem to be available in the west.

.. which is why the cut edge should be on the inside and disguised with grout.

[Kwasaki]

8 hours ago, fredob43 said:

The main problem he has is that he doesn't have the correct tools.

Didn't know he didn't have any tools, well he can borrow mine.????

[fredob43]

2 hours ago, cooked said:

.. which is why the cut edge should be on the inside and disguised with grout.

Tiles for your information have bevelled edges. Doing it your way you will get strait edges on the out side, but the cut bit will be rough and will cause a problem as they wont taper. Leaving the inside edge sticking up. That's unless you lift the outer edge. That will lead to water not draining. I don't know if you know but a cut on a tile will be very sharp and you can cut yourself very easily unless you lift the outer edges, then you will have a water draining problem. Also the pattern won't match.

[fredob43]

16 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Didn't know he didn't have any tools, well he can borrow mine.????

If you had bothered to read the OP posts you would have seen that he didn't want to buy a proper cuter as they were to expensive.

[Kwasaki]

18 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Yes, I looked at tile cutters and a robust one capable of an 18” tile seems very expensive.

Hopefully I only have round the posts to make a neat cut, the edge tiles will be buried in the gravel .

A small grinder is not expensive and no need for diamond disc just use the ordinary stone cutting disc.

[fredob43]

21 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

A small grinder is not expensive and no need for diamond disc just use the ordinary stone cutting disc.

You still don't get it do you.

He has a disc cutter it's a zip cutter he doesn't have. Suggest you reread.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Okay guys, calm down calm down !!

( best done in a scouse accent ????)

 

Just to clarify, I aim to make the least cuts possible.

Round the posts, which if I’m not happy with the cut I’m getting I will probably put a small trim round the post to cover up.

The edges will be a full tile and finished off with this strip:

 

to match my front porch.

Then on the faces round the outside I will use half a tile, the cut edges buried in the gravel. The same aluminium strip back to back coming down the corner to retain the symmetry.

 

I have a small De Walt grinder and discs for steel and stone etc.

 

I’ve done the whole thing on my own ( except for the welding ) and a little guidance from my welder/builder on the roof.

I did attempt the welding but it soon became apparent that the welding I had learnt  in college in 1977 was not up to scratch !! ( if I had been persistent and done the welding to the best of my ability I would probably be buried under a mess of my own making right now )

 

I even pulled and  levelled the 1.5 cube of concrete on my own as I assumed the concrete company would come with a couple of guys not just the driver. ????

Luckily the chute came over my garden wall and straight into the hole .

[Andrew Dwyer]

To make a tidy job around the posts you could use the same aluminium edging that you are using around the deck. Install it vertically rather than horizontally. It is easily cut and will cover any rough tile edges.
 
 

The alu strip is wide ( 35 mm ) and won’t look too good but I do plan to put a smaller strip round the posts of a similar colour to the tiles.