Caught myself back-buttering wrong for years after watching a pro do a demo at a supply house

I was at a local flooring supply showroom in Cleveland last month and this old timer was doing a live install demo. I've been laying tile for about 8 years now and thought I had my technique down. He showed me how I was holding the trowel at too steep of an angle, which meant my notch lines were collapsing before I set the tile. He said I was leaving maybe 30 percent less coverage than I should have been. I went back to a bathroom floor I did three months ago and pulled up a corner piece, sure enough it was barely half covered. Anyone else had a basic technique they thought was solid but turned out to be way off?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_mary29d ago

my buddy @the_wyatt swore by his old angle until he saw that same demo. total game changer for him too.

cora86329d ago

Man honestly that's just how life works with everything. I've noticed the same thing with cooking or even something simple like mowing the lawn. You do something a certain way for years because nobody tells you different then one small adjustment changes the whole outcome. It's wild how many little habits we pick up without ever questioning them until someone shows us a better way.

the_wyatt29d ago

80 bucks for a trowel at that same supply house. I bought it anyway. Been using a 1/4x3/8 square notch for years and thought I had coverage nailed. Watched that same kind of demo online and the guy said hold it at 45 degrees not 60. Changed my angle and my next bathroom job had maybe 90 percent coverage when I pulled a test tile. Felt like an idiot for wasting 8 years of thin set. But hey you learn something new every day in this trade.