I've just spent 20 minutes reading that you should NOT use mastic in the bathtub/shower (wet) area in the bathroom. I've spent weeks remodeling my bathroom and the people at the tile place said with strong conviction to use mastic...which I did. I thought they new what was best since they've been in the business for so long. All that is left to do is seal the grout.

How long will the mastic hold up before I have to rip all this new tile out from the tub walls and replace with thinset and new tile????

All I was trying to find out tonite was whether or not Aquamix Grout sealer is better than Tilelab and now I'm thinking that's the least of my problems....

Any advice? At this point it seems I should just see how long the tile stays on the wall and try to use the best grout sealer I can find.

 

Now that the tile is up, don't worry yourself into a frazzle. As long as the grout is OK there should be no problems. It is when that mastic gets wet that you will start to have problem. Just take really good care that the grout does not come out, or fix it quickly. From the sounds of your question, the grout is already installed, yes??? Premixed or dry grout mix??? What did you use for a backer for the tile??

 

Doitmyself - I went through the same drill several months ago. I used mastic on the walls for a shower stall. I posted a question here about it and got a bunch of responses about how it was a bad product and they predicted dire consequences. A couple of the posts even recommended ripping the tile off and starting over.

I called the product manufacturer and they assured me that the product was OK for shower walls but not recommended for areas that could be immersed - like a shower floor.

I also did an experiment. I stuck a few tiles together and after the mastic dried I dropped them in a bucket of water. I also stuck a half dozen tiles to a scrap of backer board and sprayed them twice a day with a garden hose.

The tiles in the bucket came loose after a couple of hours in the bucket. The sprayed tiles were still adhered after a couple of weeks of twice daily hosing.

I use this shower daily, it's been months and the tile is fine.

 

Great response CWBUFF!!

We all have our preferences and way of doing things - but technology continues to advance and the "old way" isn't always the "only way" any longer.

I "would" recommend that the grout be sealed well to avoid potential issues in the future - but would recommend the same be it thinset or mastic.

 

Ok, you’re responses have really helped me relax a little about this. Thank you very much!!!

Just Bill – I used Perma Base Brand Cement board for the backer board. The tile is grouted and I used a dry grout mix. I’m now just trying to determine the best grout sealer to use. Aquamix appears to be one of the better ones from what I’ve read in several postings.

CWBuff – Your idea of calling the manufacturer and you’re experiments were great ideas. I saw a posting that suggested ripping the tiles off the wall and reinstalling them and after thinking about it, that would probably be easier to do that if a problem does occur than right now when everything is securely attached to the wall. I don’t think it makes sense to even think about that right now. After I seal the grout, I’ll just watch it carefully for any cracking and fix it right away if there is a problem.

thezster - what is a good sealer to use on the grout? you recommend that the grout be sealed well....what is the best way to do that? just use a good sealer and put on several coats of sealer?

Thanks again for your quick responses and help.

 

I have no brand recommendations... I try to avoid the cheapest one on the shelf (get what you pay for??). Apply liberally with a thin brush - trying to avoid getting it all over the tile. And wipe off the tile before it cures.