Installation Guide

INSTALLATION 19
Solidly embed the tiles in the setting material,
making sure to observe the open time of the
bonding mortar. If the mortar skins over prior to
tile installation, remove and reapply.
Tile Installation
Tile can be installed over DITRA and DITRA-XL
immediately; no need to wait for the mortar to
cure. Fill the cut-back cavities with Schluter
SET
®
, Schluter ALL-SET
®
, Schluter FAST-SET
®
,
or unmodified thin-set mortar and comb additional
mortar over the matting using a trowel that is
appropriate for the size of the tile. Be sure the
trowel groves in the thin-set are all going the same
direction, as shown in the photo above.
1
Periodically remove and check a tile to ensure that
full coverage is being attained.
2 3
Note
Coverage may vary with mortar consistency, angle at which the trowel is held, substrate flatness, etc. If full coverage is not achieved, remove and reapply,
making sure to verify proper mortar consistency and application. For large-format tiles, e.g., 12" x 12" (305 mm x 305 mm) and larger, back-buttering
the tiles with a skim coat of thin-set mortar is a useful way to help ensure proper coverage. The skim coat can fill in the concave area on the back of the
tile (ceramic tiles are not perfectly flat) and improve contact with the mortar combed on the substrate.
At the joints, fill the cut-back cavities with Schluter
SET
®
, Schluter ALL-SET
®
, Schluter FAST-SET
®
, or
unmodified thin-set mortar, approximately 8" (203
mm) wide, centered over the joint.
Comb additional Schluter SET
®
, Schluter ALL-SET
®
, Schluter FAST-SET
®
, or unmodified thin-set mortar
over the joint using a 1/4" x 3/16" (6 mm x 5 mm) V-notched trowel or the Schluter
®
-KERDI trowel,
which features a 1/8" x 1/8" (3 mm x 3 mm) square-notched design. Using the flat side of the trowel,
firmly press the 5" (127 mm)-wide Schluter
®
-KERDI-BAND into the mortar to ensure 100% coverage
and to remove excess mortar and air pockets.
At all wall junctions, apply KERDI-BAND as described
in steps 1-3, ensuring a minimum of 2" overlap on
to DITRA/DITRA-XL.
Notes
KERDI-BAND must lap DITRA and DITRA-XL at seams and at floor/wall transitions by a minimum of
2" (50 mm) in order to maintain waterproof integrity.
In some applications the vertical section of the floor/wall transition will not accept a bond to
unmodified thin-set mortar. Connections to such elements can be achieved using Schluter
®
-KERDI-
FIX or suitable trowel-applied waterproofing materials, such as those that require atmospheric
moisture to cure (e.g., urethane sealant).
The following steps are required for waterproofing only:
Waterproofing
1
4
2 3