My kitchen backsplash tile was slightly uneven, so I tried using a 1/8 inch notch trowel instead of the standard 1/4 inch and it fixed the lippage completely.

Has anyone else found that adjusting the trowel size is the secret to a perfectly flat tile job, or was I just lucky this time?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisa_henderson332mo ago

Hold on, that sounds like a band-aid fix to me. A smaller trowel gives you less adhesive, which can mean a weaker bond over time, especially for bigger tiles. The real secret is getting your wall flat before you even start tiling with the right mortar. You might have gotten lucky this time, but I'd worry about tiles popping loose later.

green.mason2mo ago

Wait, are we talking about the same thing here? Lisa's point about wall prep is totally right, but a smaller trowel isn't always about less glue. Sometimes you use a smaller notch to get better coverage on a tricky tile back. The bond comes from full contact, not just globbing on more mortar. You can have a ton of adhesive and still get hollow spots if the trowel technique is off.

the_sage1mo ago

My cousin's bathroom reno used a 3/16" notch on those handmade zellige tiles. The coverage was perfect and not a single one has moved in five years.