68 FINE HOMEBUILDING

It’s the hottest thing on the market, but theinstallation is trickier than with ceramic tile

Glass

Tile

t has been used for cen-turies, but until recently,glass tile was relegated tomuseums and specialty

shops. Today, it comes in an arrayof styles, from iridescent mosaicsto luminous squares of recycledand sandblasted beer bottles(sidebar p. 73). Tile shops likemine see glass-tile sales doubleevery year. However, lots of folksare in for a shock if they try to in-stall it like ceramic tile: The thin-set and its application aredifferent; the paper backing forsmall tiles is stuck to the front,not to the back of the tiles; andtiming becomes an importantpart of the job.

Layout needs room to move On this particular job, the showerarea was to be covered with 1-in.tiles grouped into 12-in. squaresheets. When I work with smalltiles, I try to make sure that thebackerboard is smooth and flat;any imperfections will show asbumps in the tile. This phenom-enon is especially true of glasstiles, which catch the light evenmore than ceramic or stone. OnceI’ve installed the backerboard, Iseal the joints between the sheetswith thinset and mesh tape, andsmooth any bumps with a steelfloating trowel and thinset. Thethinset should set overnight be-fore the tile is installed.

BY TOM MEEHAN

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2. Even out the thinset

3. Smooth the ridges

1. Spread thinset on the wall

TROWELINGMany glasstiles aretranslucent,so you needto use whitethinsetbecause graywill showthrough anddarken the tile. With a3⁄16-in. V-notch trowel,roughly distribute thethinset over a smallarea (photo 1). Evenout the material usingthe trowel’s notchededge (photo 2), thensmooth the ridges(photo 3) so that theywon’t show throughthe tile.

When laying out a back wall,don’t be tempted to squeeze thesheets together so that you can geta full tile and avoid cutting. Be-lieve it or not, glass tiles expandand contract with changes intemperature, much more so thanceramic tiles. Direct sunlight canheat tiles enough to make themmove. If tiles are too tight, anymovement can make them popoff the wall or crack—or evencrack the backerboard. I try toleave 1⁄4 in. of space in each corner;intersecting walls hide the gap.

I begin the layout with a levelhorizontal line halfway up theback wall, equivalent to an evencourse of tile, which in this caseworked out to be 48 in. from thetop of the tub. This horizontalline serves not only as a referencefor spacing but also, as you’ll seelater, marks the extent of the firstround of applying the glass tile.Next, I measure up to determinethe width of the row at the ceil-ing. Anything over a half-pieceworks well, and I can adjust thecut to make up the differencewhen the ceiling is uneven.

Thinset? Make mine extra-stickyBecause it’s vitreous, glass doesn’tabsorb liquid like ceramic tile, andit requires a higher grade of acrylicor latex-modified thinset to bondto the backerboard. Most glass-tile manufacturers specify whatbrands of thinset to use; on thisjob, I used Durabond Superflex(Durabond Products; 877-387-2266; www.durabond.com). Be-cause the tile often is translucent,the thinset should be white; graymixes darken the tile’s color. Anypattern the trowel leaves in thethinset will show through, too, sothe thinset must be spread andleveled with a 3⁄16-in. V-notchtrowel, then smoothed out (pho-tos right).

I start laying the tile sheets fromthe level line, then work down

1. Set the tile

rather than working with a fullsheet off the tub. If the tub is outof level, it’s easier to adjust thecuts as measured from the courseabove. Once I press the sheetsinto the thinset and finish thehalf-wall, I use a block of woodand a hammer to bed the tilefully and evenly into the thinset.You also can use a beater block (awooden block padded on oneside with a piece of rubber, avail-able from most tile distributors)and a rubber mallet. I make anycuts with a wet saw (photo facingpage) fitted with a diamondblade; a pair of tile nippers ishandy to make minor adjust-ments in a cut.

Timing is crucial when removing paper facingThe main reason I don’t installtoo much glass tile at one time isthat while the thinset is wet, Ineed to move individual tiles anderase any pattern inadvertentlycreated by the 12-in. tile sheets.But first I have to peel off the pa-per facing carefully so that I don’tdisturb the majority of tiles. Af-ter waiting 15 or 20 minutes forthe thinset to bond, I wet the paper with a sponge and warmwater. After a minute or so, thepaper can be pulled off slowlydownward at an angle. One ortwo tiles may pop off, but that’sno big deal; I just stick them backin place with a dab of thinset.

The trickiest part of this processis that the timing varies accord-ing to the room’s temperatureand humidity. Heat and dry con-ditions make the thinset bondfaster and give me less time towork, so I start to check the bondin an inconspicuous place afterabout 10 minutes. If the tilesmove around too easily as I peeloff a bit of paper, I know that Ishould wait a few more minutes.Once the paper is off, the glasstiles must be examined to make

sure none has slipped. Neverwait until the next day to removethe paper; the tiles have to be ex-amined and straightened whilethe thinset is fresh.

When grouting, less water is betterAfter the thinset has bonded fully for 48 hours, the tile must bewashed to prepare it for grout-ing. I use a nylon-bristle brushand a sponge with warm waterto clean any residue or paperbacking from the surface of thetile. I use a utility knife to removeany excess thinset in the joints,but I’m careful doing so; glass tilescratches easily.

Grouting glass tiles is not dif-ficult, but again, it’s differentthan grouting ceramic tile. Somemanufacturers specify sanded ornonsanded grout; here, I used arecommended sanded groutwhose color complemented thetile. After I spread the grout onthe walls, I let it set for about 20minutes; the wait is longer thanfor ceramic tile because the glasstile doesn’t absorb moisture fromthe grout. Before starting to cleanwith water, I use cheesecloth orpaper towels to rub down thewalls to get rid of any extra groutand to fill in any voids betweenthe tiles. The dry method alsolets me clean the surface withoutadding any extra moisture thatmight dilute the grout.

Once the tile is clean, I go backover it with clean water and adamp sponge to do a finer clean-ing and to reduce any topicalfilm. Less water is better. As inany grouting job, it’s importantto strike corners or intersectionsof wall and tile with a trowel orputty knife to make sure thesejoints are tight and neat. Onceeverything is set and a slight filmhas developed over the tile, I usea rag to bring the glass tile to ashine. I try not to wait more than

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SIMPLE JIG FOR CUTTING SMALL TILE

Cut with a wet saw,small glass tilesoften are difficult tohold and cutaccurately. Theauthor makes an L-shaped cut in alarger piece of tileand uses it as a jigthat holds thesmaller tiles in linewith the sawblade.

Many varieties of small glassfield tile are held together insheets by a paper facing on thefront (photo 1) rather than amesh fabric on the back. (Meshon the back might be visiblethrough the translucentmaterial.) To make a wall of tileappear unified and not looklike a grid of 12-in. squares, thepaper must be removed andindividual tiles adjusted tomask the pattern. The trick liesin waiting for the thinset tobecome tacky; in normalconditions, this might be 15 or20 minutes. If the thinset isallowed to dry beyond thattime, say an hour, the bondbecomes more fragile, andmore tiles will pull off with thepaper. If the thinset is left todry overnight, the bond sets,and the tile will be impossibleto adjust.

The author first wets thepaper with a spongedampened with warm water(photo 2); after a few minutes,the water-based glue softens,and the paper can be peeledoff gently (photo 3).

During the process of peelingthe paper, individual tiles willfall off occasionally (photo 4). Aquick coat of thinset on thetile’s back is enough to set itback in place.

SETTING

2. Dampen the paper

3. Peel carefully

4. Make an easy fix

15 minutes after sponging; anylonger, and the film starts to setup and becomes too hard to re-move easily.

Cleaning and sealing are just as important as thinset and groutA day or two after grouting, Ismooth exposed tile edges with adiamond-abrasive pad (Diapad;3M Inc.; www.3m.com), thenclean the tile with a commercialtile cleaner. I wet down the wallsbefore applying the cleaner andalso protect any chrome or brassplumbing fixtures with tape andplastic bags. Rather than usestronger cleaners that mightcompromise the grout, I use afine nylon scrubbing pad to cleanoff heavy grout residue. I alwaysgive the walls a double rinse toflush away any cleaner residue.

Sealing grout is simple andshould not be overlooked; ithelps to keep grout lines fromabsorbing mildew and otherstains. I use a wet, clean cloth ragand apply a double coat of sealeron the grout and tile as well. Ithen towel off the wall with a dryrag. I used Miracle Sealants 511Impregnator (Miracle SealantsCo.; www.miraclesealants.com;800-350-1901) on this project.One key to sealing walls is tostart from the bottom and workup from floor to ceiling to avoidstreaking. Once the sealer is dry,glass-tile maintenance is mini-mal; I use dish soap and water toclean it on a regular basis. �

When not installing tile, TomMeehan can be found atCape Cod Tileworks in Har-wich, Mass. Photos byCharles Bickford, exceptwhere noted.

72 FINE HOMEBUILDING

Each tile manufacturerspecifies what type of groutto use on a particular tile.After the grout is spread(photo 1) and has set up forabout 20 minutes, the authorwipes away the excess withcheesecloth or paper towels(photo 2). A spongedampened with clean water(photo 3) works well to cleanany residue from the tile.

SIMPLE TIP FOR EDGING TILE

Instead of using aspecialized edgetile, the authorsometimes runsthe field tile tothe wall edge andsmooths anysharp edges with a diamond-impregnated pad.

GROUTING

1. Pack the seams

2. Wipe the excess

3. Clean the tile

Photos this page: Dan Thornton

Oceanside offers a variety of tilewith an 85% recycled content,ranging from 1-in.-sq. mosaics to 5x5 field tiles, specialtyborders, and decorative singletiles. Many feature a metallicglaze that’s applied to thesurface of the tile; a goodexample is the tile featured onthe cover. Prices for mostmosaics and field tiles are in therange of $25 to $30 per sq. ft.

Oceanside Glasstilewww.glasstile.com760-929-4000

These 4-in.-sq. clear-glass tileshave textured faces and ribbedbacks; a glaze bonded to thetile back gives them their color.The cost runs about $60 to $80per sq. ft. The company alsooffers a higher-end integralcolor tile and custom designs.

Architectural Glass Inc.www.architecturalglassinc.com845-733-4720

Made from 100%recycled content, Bedrock tilesare available in many sizes, from2-in. squares to 5x10 rectanglesto hexagonal shapes. Finish canbe glossy or matte, but the coloris integral and ranges from clear to solidlyopaque. Price is about $90 per sq. ft.

Bedrock Industrieswww.bedrockindustries.com877-283-7625

Hakatai sells mesh-backedmosaics (instead of paper-faced) in 3⁄4-in. and 1-in. sizesin many opaque and solidcolors, priced from $8 to $11per sq. ft. They also offer 2-in. squares of clear glasswith color fired onto the tileback and irregularly shaped

pebbles, both priced at $24per sq. ft.

Hakatai Enterprises Inc. www.hakatai.com541-552-0855

Texture with a variety of color

Iridescence

A peek intothe world of glass tile

Glass tile is versatile stuff; it’s available in stylesthat range from clear to opaque, from glossy andiridescent to the eroded look of beach glass.

Colors range from gaudy lollipop primaries tomuted earth tones and just about every shadein between. Commonly seen in sheets of 1-in.squares, glass tile now is made in sizes thatapproximate ceramic tiles (2-in., 4-in., andeven 12-in. squares), rectangles, textured

borders, and tiny mosaics. And like ceramics,it can be used on walls, counters, and floors, al-though glass tiles used on floors should have amatte finish or texture that makes them slip-proof.One big factor to consider: Glass is more likely toshow scratches than ceramics or stone; finishes ap-plied to the tile are susceptible to scratches, too.

Prices range from $10 to $30 per sq. ft. forsome of the more common field tiles to up-ward of $100 per sq. ft. for custom tiles.

Solid colors in mosaics

Earth tones in recycled glass

Broad palette of recycled color

Sandhillmakes mosaic,field, andspecialty tile from100% recycledglass in 36different shadesof integral color,glossy or matte. They also offer customborder and mosaic designs. The pricefor stock tiles is about $60 per sq. ft.

Sandhill Industrieswww.sandhillind.com208-345-6508

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