What do you need to do to tile a wall with slate?

Answer 1

its isnt a very hard project to do if you take your time. tools needed are: 1/2"x1/2"x1/2" square notch trowl, spacers(for a 12x12 tile I say use a 1/4" spacer, for 6x6 or 4x4 use a 1/8" spacer), sponge, grout float(rubber not foam), and a wet saw(a must cant do without-rent at home depot). you should also get some sealer to protect from stains and water and I would use a fortified thinset(flexbond), do not use a adheasive(glue) for this job. it will not set properly. first thing you should do is dry lay your tiles to see what it will look like and to find out where and what tiles will need to be cut. when its time to mix your thinset you want your mixture to be that of cookiedough or like mud when you run your finger through it it doesnt fall into itself. you do not want this runny as it will not hold the tile effectivly. work in smaller areas lile a 5x5 foot section your thinset will not dry on you can you wont be rushed. that said make sure you put your thinset on the wall going horizontally, if you go vertally the tile will slide on the wall and you will have troubles. you may also want to backbutter your tiles( put a very little layer on the back of the tile. this will ensure that all the pits in the slate will have thinset to addhere on the wall. once the first row is done place the spacers(standing style and not flat)and then move to the second row. after all this is done you will have to wait 24hrs for the thinset to dry. so day two- mix the grout the same way as thinset. cookiedough, you may think that the grout is too dry but when you are spreading it on with the grout float you will see the water pressing out. whejn spreading go on a 45degree angle. this will ensure the grout is in and will allow you to remove the excess so clean up is easier. again work in smaller areas with this as grout dries quicklly. you will want to remove all the excess once you start to see a haze fors(dry at corners of tile) this will be about 10mins 15mins max. remove excess with clean water in a damp not soaking sponge. you may have to do this several times till clean. after all this is done in 24hrs the wall is good to go, take pride in your project..you did good. I mentioned the sealer, wait 7days to apply it.if this wall is in the bathroom you can still use the area before the sealer. but when its time to appy the sealer makesure the wall is very clean and dry of water. apply the sealer with the same sponge and go all over tile and grout. the sealer to use is Tilelab its a green bottle(has teflon in it and will last 20yrs). this will dry in about 4hrs or less. If all this is a little over welming attend a Home Depot tile seminar. they will teach you hands on.

Answer 2

If you're going to do it yourself you'll probably premade slate tiles or a tile cutter, whatever you're using to bond it to the wall, and a knotched trowel. Its almost like doing a floor, except what you bond it with might be a little different and you also can only do a little bit at a time because the weight of the other stacked tiles could make it collapse.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/TileTools.html
These are a sample of the typically tiling tools.

Answer 3

Real slate??
this is not a do-it-yourself job if you've never done it before. there is way too much you have to consider if you want a good-loking job that will last.
Please call a professional.
and remember... if someone from home depot tells you that you can do this yourself, they are simply trying to sell you home depot products. There is no way IN HELL that you can teach somebody how to install tile in a 2 hour class.
good luck!

Answer 4

natural stone slate is different than regular tile
it will require a structural material like concrete board or greenboard
you'll need to use a sanded mortar (marble and granite mortar)
seal stone before grouting or grouting will be a nightmare
this is custom labour i would not suggest you try this for first time i'm a pro and it can be trying for me
stone is a natural product with gauge thickness issues,proper install could involve back buttering pryor to setting
many cutomers have had me redo their attempts

Answer 5

depends on wall and how thick the 'slate' is
slate is rarely if ever used on walls but the procedure is the same for all materials

1. clean dry (read instructions some adheasives like damp surface) (slightly rough if slick like formica ) surface
2. apply thin layer of glue ( or morter ) use the thingie that comes with it to spread it
3. apply material (grout if required)
4a. watch it fall off because you did something wrong if not goto 4b
4b. cleanup

Answer 6

Get some slate and an installer.

Answer 7

Check out hgtv.com or tlc.com.

I saw them do it on Trading Spaces, it looked really easy to do.
They used cement to stick the slate to to the wall & viola!

Answer 8

Go to Home Depot online and they may have detailed instructions for you, or you can go in and ask them when you pick up your slate.

Answer 9

You need tile glue, spacers, quick dry grout.