Old timer told me to stop back buttering every single tile and he was right

I used to back butter everything no matter what, but a guy with 40 years in told me to stop wasting my time on flat walls with good coverage. Tried it on a backsplash in a kitchen remodel last week and saved almost 2 hours. Anyone else been doing this wrong for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantnelson22d ago

Man, I've been doing tile work for about 15 years now and I just don't get this mindset. I back butter every single tile still because it's about insurance, not speed. Yeah you save two hours on a backsplash but what about when you get a call six months later because a tile popped loose from a little movement in the wall? That's not worth the time you saved, at least to me. The old timers around here always said you pay for it later if you cut corners now, and I've seen enough shady work to believe it. I'd rather take the extra time and not have to worry about it personally.

logan27122d ago

Funny you mention old timers. My uncle used to swear by this trick where he'd spit on the back of a tile before setting it. Said it helped the thinset grab better. We were doing a bathroom floor for my aunt and I watched him do it on every single tile. About a year later half the floor started sounding hollow. Never let him forget that one. He still claims it wasn't the spit, said it was because we used cheap thinset that day. Point is, everyone's got their superstitions about tile. Back buttering makes sense to me, but I've also seen guys use nothing but notch work and it holds up fine for decades. Just depends on what kind of luck you're running with I guess.

kimblack22d ago

That's just life man. Cut corners anywhere and it'll bite you later.