# What is the correct ratio of thinset mortar to water?



## tripower

What is the correct ratio of thinset mortar to water and what should the consistency be when fully mixed? Also if I put a sealed top on my bucket how long will the thinset last?


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## Bud Cline

> What is the correct ratio of thinset mortar to water


All thinset mortars come with mixing instructions, read the instructions that come with the product you buy.




> and what should the consistency be when fully mixed?


Depends on the product but generally creamy peanutbutter is a good place to be. The product must hold a ridge when combed with a notched trowel.



> Also if I put a sealed top on my bucket how long will the thinset last?


:laughing::laughing:About four hours.


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## tpolk

are you sure? read the instructions on the bag> wow


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## Bud Cline

Mixing ratios vary by product. Most of them talk about mixing an entire fifty pound bag so a little math may be in order, or hence the peanutbutter suggestion.

Some makers recommend five quarts of water per fifty pounds of mix some require six quarts per fifty pounds. When a brand isn't mentioned the thing to do is to read the instructions when the brand is selected.


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## tpolk

sounded like reading the bag and taking responsibility for his mix was something he was trying to get someone else to take responsibilty for. makes for great finger pointing


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## Bud Cline

There are times when I don't understnd the questions then there are times when I understand the questions but can't for the life of me understand why the questions were asked.:no:

Especially on an Internet forum. Anyone that has access to an Internet forum has access to the websites of every product available and all of those websites have all the information anyone could need.

I just don't get it!


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## tpolk

sorry sometimes i speak with my foot in my mouth meant no harm. i have to remember whats obvious to me is not to others


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## firehawkmph

Gentleman, can't we all just get along?
While I generally read instructions on stuff I'm not familiar with, sometimes they don't tell the whole story. 
Tripower, you were wondering about the open working time. Like Bud said, it differs with each product. I have never tried to cover a mixed batch in hopes of extending its working time. If you are concerned with how much time you have, as you should be, get all your prep work done first before mixing any mud. Get you layout figured out, dry place some tiles if necessary, move anything out of the way, set your saw up, etc. When everything's ready, then mix up your mud. Don't add all the water at first, especially if mixing a partial batch. I put a little more than half what I figure I need and start adding as I am mixing. Creamy peanutbutter is a good description. You don't want soup. Don't forget to let is sit for 10-15 minutes to set up and remix one more time. Good luck,
Mike Hawkins


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## tacomahardwood.

put a little water in the bucket , Use a drill and paint mixer , Mix it till it is stif enough to stand on the side of the bucket sideways and not dribble down when you apply with the notched trowel sideways , Mix a little at a time . I have no idea what the ratio is , But I put about 1 quart of water then a quarter bag , Then add one or the other till i get the consistancy , If it dribbles down or droops it is too wet and it will NOT stand up on a wall , And will flatten on a floor , It has to be sort of stiff , so you have the high ridges to be able to set the tile in a way that allows it to be pressed down a little to lever the tiles to each other , If it goes flat ,It will have no adjustment room, and will squeeze up and juise the tiles , Then you have a lot more clean up , , think of it as , If you painted it wet then tried to set tiles there would be no cushy bed , You need a cushy bed ,to push them into , typically new people get the thinset too wet , Read the directions , Better yet dry cut and fit s bunch of tiles lay them out , mark the cut ones and be ready to lay some before you mix the mortar , tacomahardwoodfloors.com


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## oh'mike

Just a tip---When I add water to the mix I use a sponge--Easy to control the amount of water
and it can be done one handed!


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## ktevlin

*Thanks to everyone who gave a real answer*

Thanks to everyone who actually answered this question instead of making judgments. I am tiling for the first time and only need a small amount of mortar to complete my project. FlexBond packaging uses pictures only -- thank you IKEA for creating this genre of useless instructions -- so it did not help me. I will work with the 3:1 ratio and peanut butter consistency. Thanks again.


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## Geedavey

*sheesh, here's a straight answer*



tripower said:


> What is the correct ratio of thinset mortar to water and what should the consistency be when fully mixed? Also if I put a sealed top on my bucket how long will the thinset last?


Wow, no one is ready to give a straight answer to the question? Of course the OP can read the instructions on a bag of mortar, but who wants to mix powder by weight with water by volume??

After a quick test, I can tell you that the ratio is 8 parts thinset mortar by volume to three parts water. Start with that, and if the mixture isn't like a super-thick milkshake (Wendy's Frosty), add 1/2 part water or mortar mix at a time until it sticks to the side of the mixing bucket without sagging but spreads easily.


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## heliskier

Geedavey said:


> Wow, no one is ready to give a straight answer to the question? Of course the OP can read the instructions on a bag of mortar, but who wants to mix powder by weight with water by volume??
> 
> After a quick test, I can tell you that the ratio is 8 parts thinset mortar by volume to three parts water. Start with that, and if the mixture isn't like a super-thick milkshake (Wendy's Frosty), add 1/2 part water or mortar mix at a time until it sticks to the side of the mixing bucket without sagging but spreads easily.


Hey Geedavey,

If there were only more people like you, this world would be a better place. Thank you for your straight, postive and most helpful response. Exactly what I (DIYer NOT professional) was looking for, thanks for the SIMPLE 8:3 ratio (as part of the original question).


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## JazMan

Heliskier,

Your comments of commendation are misplaced. There is no set formula that will cover all the brands and types of thin set available. Some say about 6 qts per #50, while some suggest 5. There's also a difference between gray and white. 

What is so hard with starting with about 1/2 the recommended water per #50 and adding approx 1/2 a bag, tweaking as you mix? You should almost never mix the whole bag anyway. On a humid day you may need less water, large tiles, small tiles might be mixed differently. Plus the personal preference of mortar consistency. 

Jaz


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## heliskier

Thanks JazMan,
1) Small area, not mixing full bag.
2) agree wi Geedavey ... who wants to mix powder by weight with water by volume.
3) Will stick with recommendations of Wendys frosty or peanut butter consistency.
4) Like the sponge tip from oh mike


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## DIY505

I think this is a good question too, despite all the wise guy answers from the "experts". Maybe they do not really know a good answer so they use sarcasm to make themselves feel better.

This is what I did. I measured the 50lb bag before I opened it. This gets me the rough approximation of volume (cubic inches) per 50lb bag. I then converted cubic inches to cups. 1 [US] Cup = 14.4375 Cubic Inches(http://www.asknumbers.com/CubicInchToCup.aspx#.UGLmfa7y_HU)
I then converted quarts to cups. (4 cups to 1 quart.) Reading the bag will tell you the number of quarts of water to add per bag so you can ratio down from that.

Using this method got me the consistency described as creamy peanut butter. I mixed a very small amount at a time because I was tiling a back splash and did not need much. 

I wish the bag would give a table of mix using volume since it is easier to measure volume than weight. I cannot imagine trying to bake something where every ingredient was given in weight.


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## Gio59

Geedavey said:


> *sheesh, here's a straight answer*
> After a quick test, I can tell you that the ratio is 8 parts thinset mortar by volume to three parts water.


Okay, thanks Geedavey! I tried it with this:

floor tile 12 x 24"
1/4" notched trowel
modified thinset: 50 lb bag, recommended 6 qt water
I did 8:3 ratio, specifically:

a measuring pail with *64 oz of thinset*. This was a top level line on the pail, so that drove me to use it for the first batch
Then added *24 oz of water*. (64:24 => 8x8:8x3 => 8:3 ratio)
mixed with a power drill stirring tool. Note not battery powered (not enough torque)
Came out like "peanut butter" (smooth kind, not crunchy  Only on one batch I added a few ounces more water to get it "smoother". Be extremely careful with the extra water! A few ounces makes a huge difference.
waited 5 minutes and then re-stirred as instructed
this was enough to lay 7 tiles => *14 sq. ft.*
very consistent: mixed the same volume multiple times and each time it was almost exactly 14 sq ft (i.e. 7 tiles). I did have a little left over here and there and I used that to fill any gaps in the floor. That may have an impact on how much I need for those rows of tiles.
Your mileage may vary:

notch size will make a big difference but you may be able to calculate that difference (I didn't even try).
wall tile is probably slightly different than floor tile
humidity and temperature of the room where the tile is laid may have some impact
the actual thinset you use will have some impact
any additives to the thinset will have some impact
(Note: that's why the thinset instructions are so flaky. It looks like a ton of things will impact it.)


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## chandler48

@Gio59 You are responding to a 12 year old thread. Possibly falling on deaf ears.


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## Gio59

chandler48 said:


> @Gio59 You are responding to a 12 year old thread. Possibly falling on deaf ears.


Understood. But when you do a google search for "ratio of thinset to water" this page is returned.


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