Best way to learn thinset?

>>1165521
OP I tiled roughly 1,000 sq ft of my own house and a few hundred square feet of some rental properties.

My only suggestions are:

1) don't mix a full bag your first time. Mix a half or quarter bag and start with that.
2) when mixing, use a strong enough drill to mix properly. Add water slowly so it doesn't get too watery. Oh and mix outside, there's a potential for throwing thinset every place.
3) if your tiling next to drywall and are going to be putting down some kind of baseboard trim, drag a 4ft piece around with you to make sure you don't have any gaps. A level could work just as well, assuming your underfloor is actually level.

>>1165521
I winged it my first time last year building a pad for a wood burning stove. Loads of problems largely due to using ungraded slate rock.

Practice on a sheet of cement board if you're concerned. It's not hard though. As post above mentioned, make sure to thoroughly mix it. You don't want any dry clumps.

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>>1165616
pic related. still need to finish the sides and add a mantle but i know nothing about wood working so i've been putting it off.

>>1165601
Thanks man

>>1165619
Looks good but I would've gone with wood without knots for the frame.

I'm doing my entire basement in this project, and unfortunately I want to start the layout at the bottom of the basement stairs, which is the most visible place. Cost isn't a big deal, so maybe I should get a box of tile/bag of thinset and practice on a piece of plywood first.

My dad is a general contractor and he tells me it's really important to find the high point in the slab floor below first in case it's too far out of whack and the subfloor would need adjusting. He also tells me not to attempt it myself as a first tile project, but to me that's just a challenge I accept.

any tips for leveling out a floor and laying straight tile? i want to do my washer/dryer room and cover up the gnarly bare concrete but i'm afraid of fucking it up.

>>1165659
maybe we could help if you posted some pics or a real description of how fucked up your concrete is.

how far out of level? is it cracked or crumbling? always damp? is it sloped for a drain?

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>>1165521
Home Depot does seminars about once a month on a wide range of topics - tile is one of them. I just did that this morning - answered a ton of questions I had about the whole process. What's best, what works and what doesn't, helpful tools, all the little tips/tricks to make the project turn out right.

About an hour, they'll do everything right there so you can see what it's all about. And it's free.

I was going to buy a wet saw ($$$), ended up buying a $50 tile snappy-cutty tool instead after seeing how well it worked. Didn't even know that tool existed prior to this morning.

>>1165601
>don't mix a full bag
Mix just enough to use what you've mixed before it sets up/skins over. After a couple of buckets you'll figure out about how much is enough, and as you do it you'll figure out a process that works for you. Small batches.

Basically, don't fuck it up as you're laying it. Level, spacing, edges, everything has to be right before the mortar sets up, otherwise you're fucked.

>>1165659
>leveling out a floor
Self-leveling floor compound before you do anything on the concrete.

>>1165659
>laying straight tile
Chalk line.