Productivity !

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Back Butter Buddy

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And now for the Rest Of The Story:

Message from a tile guy who is a clever inventor:

                               TO BB or Not to BB, That is the question       

                                                by tile contractor Phil Green

Shakespeare said it a little different in the opening of Hamlet. But, if he was talking about the concept of back-buttering tile, he may of stated it as above.

Back-Buttering tile may not of been an issue in his day but it is still debated among seasoned tile setters in 2013.

To educate, or refresh what is meant by “Back-Buttering”. The phase Back-buttering describes the process of applying a thin layer of thin set adhesive to the back of the tiles using the flat side of the trowel . This is done in an attempt to provide as close to 100% coverage of the setting mortar to the tile just prior to setting it into the combed thin set that has been applied to the surface wished to be tiled. The objective here is clear. Set the tiles in such a way to reduce the possibility of failure. Many factors must be taken into account in every tiling situation, and no two installations are exactly the same.  

The folks in tile industry have provided us with many exciting choices these days. Many of the tiles are large format tile. The TCNA ( Tile Council of North America ) and the NTCA (National Tile Contractor’s Association ) describe large format tiles as “any tile measuring 15 inches or more on any one side.” With these types of tiles it is VERY important to apply enough supporting adhesive under them. One of the best ways to insure proper amount - and coverage - to these tiles is by back-buttering them. All natural stone products also need to be back-buttered. Travertine, marble, granite, slate …. etc. are “natural” materials. Many have voids in the reverse side of the materials. By back-buttering these types of tiles the installer is filling in these voids giving additional strength to the weaker areas. This is again done in the attempt to achieve the original goal, “Set the tiles in such a way to reduce the possibility of failure.” 

I think by now you have figured out which side of the fence I have landed on.

I can’t see why an installer wouldn’t back-butter every tile he or she installed.

The additional time it takes to back-butter tile can be greatly reduced safely by using a tool called, “The Back-Butter Buddy.“ Tiles can be stacked safely and securely onto the tool and with a simple spinning action, thin set can by applied to the tiles.

 
Phil Green
backbutterbuddy@aol.com
www.primo-tools.com/products/back-butter-buddy.html