[oberding]

HELP... I am putting porcelain tile on my formal dining room floor. I have bought cement board that they recommended for over the sub floor, I am applying a thin set mortar underneath the cement board, but when I lay one of my tiles on top it wobbles... how do you make it level, I am at wits end? Any hints or suggestions on applying mortar so it will be level? Thanks, James Oberding

[natetheskate]

First of all you should not be using cement board unless its around your shower unit. If you use cement board on the floor this will lead too much problems what you need is called hard back the thicker the better depending on your subfloor. If it is an old subfloor I would use 5/8 th's. If not 1/2 inch is fine. Mix your thinset to the consistency of ketchup maybe just a tad thicker or the thickness of hienz. Then use a 1/4 inch notched trowel and rake it. Which means that every other 1/4 of an inch will be missing. If your thinset is mixed right you will have long little squares in neat little rows. When you set your tile on the bed of thinset it will be mostly level due to the raked bed on the level subfloor. When you set your tile ( it helps if you snap lines all across the floor with a chalk box ) push down on the tile you will feel a suction when it stops giving this is where your tile should be. It will be mostly level the trick is to make sure the rest of them match. Let all your tile set up before you come back and fill in the joints.