What Coverage and Price will I get with thin-set Adhesive?

QUESTION

What Coverage and Price will I get with the thin-set Adhesive? - What is the average price per square foot of Ceramic Tile Adhesive (The Cementitious Kind)? How many square feet can a standard package of Ceramic Tile Adhesive cover when laying tile?

ANSWER

ANSWER - Your questions about thin-set dry set mortars (cementitious adhesive for ceramic tile and stone) can not be simply answered for the following reasons.

The cost of thin-set mortar can vary tremendously depending on the type.  There are non-modified thin-sets that can be used on more porous tiles over concrete that sell from $5 to $10 per 50lbs.  The more expensive ones have more cement and polymers, and perform better.  Then there are latex or polymer modified thin-set mortars that can range from $10 to $25 per 50lbs.  The more expensive ones have significantly better bond strength and working properties such as non-sag.

Then to compound the complexity of answering your question the amount of square coverage you get out of a 50lb bag of thin-set will vary significantly.  An irregular stone or mexican paver that requires a thicker application of the thin-set might only get about 25 to 50 sf per 50lbs particularly if the substrate is also irregular requiring more thin-set.  A mosaic porcelain tile might get over 200 sf per 50lb bag of thin-set.

So the answer to your question is it depends on which type of tile you are using, what the condition of the substrate is, and what type of thin-set you are using.

 

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