Schluter just came out with their brand-new thinset. And if you’re a tile setter, contractor,
or a DIYer, you’re definitely going to want to watch this video because we’re going
to go over the details behind this new thinset line. It’s great. And the really cool thing
is if you use all the Schluter products in your bathroom, you’re going to get a lifetime
warranty, and that is really cool. Now before I dive into all the details, I
do want to say thank you to Roger Diller who is our local Schluter rep here in Pittsburgh.
Roger was able to get us these demo bags of the thinset before it’s even out, and that’s
awesome. And we were able to actually use it on a project, which I’ll go into here
in a second. I also want to thank Best Tile here in Wexford,
PA just north of Pittsburgh because they really did help us out getting extra thinset to Steve
who did the project using DITRA-HEAT in a tiled floor.
Schluter now has three different thinsets. So they have Schluter ALL-SET, Schluter SET,
and Schluter FAST-SET. Schluter SET is a specialized formula of unmodified mortar. Schluter ALL-SET
is a specialized modified mortar. And finally, Schluter FAST-SET is a specialized fast-setting
mortar, which we don’t have just quite yet. Now each one of these mortars comes in both
white and gray. Schluter SET can be used for KERDI-BOARD and membranes. Schluter can also
be used under and over KERDI-BOARD and the DITRA/DITRA-HEAT membranes. The same thing
goes for the Schluter FAST-SET. You can use that both under and over all the KERDI-BOARD
and membranes that Schluter has to offer. Now this is going to be super important. Follow
the directions on the bag of the thinset. Each thinset has its own directions, so don’t
just eyeball it. Make sure you follow those directions to a tee.
Now one thing I want to address, and that is you’re going to be asking yourself: “Why
does Schluter still make an unmodified thinset?” Well, some tile setters want to use the unmodified
thinset for setting tile. That’s what they want to do, so Schluter wanted to respect
that wish for them. So that’s why they still have an unmodified thinset. That said, we
prefer to use the Schluter ALL-SET because there’s really no thinking about “Should
I use modified or unmodified?” You just use the Schluter ALL-SET, and that’s it.
You buy one type of bag, and you can use that for under the membranes; you can use it for
setting the membrane; setting the tile; and that’s it. There’s really no guess work
in “Should I use modified or unmodified?” here.
Now to the directions, make sure you follow the directions to a tee. This is really important
for the thinset consistency, the pot life, and the open time, not to mention the performance
of the thinset. So when you look at the bags of ALL-SET and FAST-SET, you’re going to
want to use 5 ½ to 6 ½ qts of water for a 50-lbs bag of thinset. The Schluter SET
requires 6 to 7 qts of water for a 50-lbs bag. Why is there a range for the amount of
water that you’re using with the thinset? Well, if you’ve ever installed DITRA or
DITRA-HEAT, you know that you need to have a little bit of a thinner consistency that
still holds the trowel. And the reason why is that’s going to help you embed the DITRA
or the DITRA-HEAT into the subfloor or the cement. So that’s the reasoning behind having
that range of water that you’re going to be adding to the thinset.
Just like with other thinsets, add water to your bucket first, then your thinset, and
mix it at about 300 rpms—so at a slower rpm. And you’re going to want to do that
for 5 minutes straight. This is super important to get the right consistency for the Schluter
thinset. Now if you’re using the ALL-SET and the
Schluter SET, you need to let that thinset sit or slake for about 10 minutes. If you’re
using Schluter FAST-SET, as soon as you’re done mixing it for 5 minutes, you can start
using the Schluter FAST-SET. For Schluter SET and the Schluter ALL-SET,
after it’s done slaking for 10 minutes, you need to mix it for 3 more minutes afterward.
And this is going to provide you with a really smooth, creamy consistency. The reason for
letting the Schluter ALL-SET and the Schluter SET slake for 10 minutes is that water is
going to absorb into the powder and activate the ingredients.
Now through our experience, after you mix it for 5 minutes—so this is for the Schluter
ALL-SET and the Schluter SET—it’s going to appear a little bit dry. So that’s why
you need to allow it to slake for that 10 minutes because, again, all that water is
going to absorb into the powder. So just to reiterate, there’s a 5-10-3 formula
for Schluter SET and Schluter ALL-SET. So mix for 5 minutes, let it slake for 10 minutes,
and then re-mix for 3 minutes. So those are the directions for the mixing of the Schluter
ALL-SET and the Schluter SET. That formula is going to give you the maximum pot life
and the maximum open time for this thinset. So pot life is the amount of time that you
have for the thinset until it’s creamy enough and workable enough to use for your tile.
Now just as a side note, Sal DiBlasi and I are going to be coming out with more videos
involving the Schluter thinsets. If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to Sal’s channel
right here. He’s a 32-year tile setter. He’s got a lot of great tips and tricks
for you over on his YouTube channel. So here’s a little tip for you per the Schluter
directions. When you’re mixing up the Schluter thinset—so for example, Schluter ALL-SET—you
want to be at the maximum range of that water ratio so that your thinset is a little bit
loose yet still holds a trowel. And the reason for that loose consistency is because you
want that thinset to absorb into the fleece of the DITRA and the DITRA-HEAT so that it
can embed properly into the subfloor. So just as an example. For Schluter ALL-SET,
the water ratio that they say to use is between 5 ½ and 6 ½ qts for a 50-lbs bag of thinset.
You would want to be closer to the 6 ½ qts of water for the Schluter ALL-SET when you’re
mixing up a 50-lbs bag so that you do have that consistency that you need to embed the
DITRA/DITRA HEAT. We have really great DITRA installation videos
right here which you can watch, and we go through that installation step-by-step. So
we would encourage you to watch those videos right there if you’ve never installed DITRA
before. Now on the other hand, when you’re setting
tile, you want to be at the minimum end of the water ratio when you’re mixing up the
thinset. And the reason why is you want a thicker consistency for the thinset so that
if you’re setting tile on a wall, you’re getting the maximum bond for the thinset.
So just as an examples, for the Schluter ALL-SET, remember again it requires 5 ½ to 6 ½ qts
of water. You would want to be closer to the 5 ½ qts of water for a 50-lbs bag of thinset
if you’re setting tile on a wall. Open time is really important for thinset.
Open time is the time that you have before the thinset starts to skin over. So what is
the open time for the ALL-SET and the Schluter SET? It’s about 20 minutes. And then the
open time for the Schluter FAST-SET is 10 minutes.
Now Steve, my buddy that I work with over here at Home Repair Tutor, was able to use
the Schluter thinset for a DITRA-HEAT and floor tile project. And what he found was
that it was really creamy if you follow the directions on the bag. It had nice stickiness
to it. The pot life was really good. It was right in line with what Schluter said it was.
And the great thing is the cleanability of the thinset off the top of the tile or in
between the grout joints was very easy for him. So even the next day, if there was something
set between the grout joints, it was easy for Steve to clean out the grout joint using
a standard 5-in-1 painter’s tool or a carpet knife.
The other thing that Steve told me was that he did get about 80 sq ft of coverage for
the Schluter thinset using a ¼” x ¼” x ¼” square notch trowel. So the coverage
was right in line with what Schluter said it was going to be.
Once you set tile, you need to wait about 12 hours for the Schluter ALL-SET and the
Schluter SET before you can start grouting. Now if you’re using Schluter FAST-SET, you
can wait 4 hours and then you can start grouting your tile. And these are really good numbers
to know. And the other thing is you need to wait about 24 hours before you have heavy
traffic on the tile. The reasons we like Schluter new thinset is
that it reduces the confusion now whenever you’re using the Schluter products within
your bathroom. So whether you’re using DITRA-HEAT, Schluter DITRA, Schluter KERDI-BOARD, or the
Schluter membranes, you definitely want to consider using the Schluter line of thinsets
because you’re going to get that lifetime warranty. And that’s important for you if
you’re an installer. It’s also important if you’re a homeowner and you’re using
the Schluter brand of products. One thing to keep in mind with all these new
thinsets that are coming out, all these new products that are out for bathroom remodeling,
is the warranty. So if you mix the different products that you’re using, it can adversely
affect your warranty. And that’s why Schluter’s giving you the lifetime warranty if you use
their thinset with the DITRA-HEAT, DITRA membrane, KERDI-BOARD, etc.
So we would recommend that you strongly consider using the Schluter thinset if you’re using
other Schluter products. The workability is great. It’s got that stickiness to it. You
can use it to embed the DITRA and DITRA membranes. You can use it for KERDI-BOARD. You can use
it for setting vertical tile and floor tile. It’s very versatile. And so far, we really
like it. And like I said, we’re going to have more videos coming out explaining how
we’re using the Schluter thinsets. So we hope that you liked today’s video.
If you are redoing a bathroom and let’s say you’re putting in a tub/shower combo
like the one behind me here, you want some additional tips on the different products
and materials that we like using, you should get our free guide right here. And if you’re
in the middle of doing a bathroom remodel, you should check out our courses right here
that we have for doing bathroom remodeling as well.
So again, thanks for watching our video. We hope you have a great day. If you’ve got
any questions about the Schluter thinsets, let us know down in the comments, and we’d
be more than happy to help you out. Take care.