​How to Tile a Ceiling Without Dropping Tiles

Tiling a ceiling used to be a relatively easy job. Tiles were small and lightweight with ceramic bodies, which absorbed water from the thinset, resulting in a fast thinset cure and few tiles dropped while the thinset was curing. Fast forward to today when tiles are often made of porcelain which absorbs very little water. This means a slow thinset cure time and a greater chance of a tile dropping while curing.
Porcelain is also heavy compared to ceramic, and that combined with large tile sizes and small grout joints means that very little air can enter the joints, slowing down curing time and creating a precarious situation!
Here is how to keep the tiles up on the ceiling where they belong.

Tip 1: Flat coat the ceiling with thinset 1 day PRIOR to tiling.
Ceilings are often not perfectly flat, which leads to poor thinset coverage and less suction. This can mean dropped tiles while thinset is still wet. Flat coating the ceiling 1 day before you tile, helps create a flatter tiling surface. The cured “flat coated” thinset helps “suck” the moisture out of the fresh thinset when tiling the next day, speeding up the thinset cure and meaning less chance of falling tiles while the thinset is wet.

Tip 2: Use substrate specific thinsets.
 There are many great anti-sag wall thinsets designed with high initial “tack” while wet. A couple of examples are Kiesel™ Servolight™ or Laticrete™ MultiMax™. These types of thinset work well for this application. It’s helpful to mix to the stiffest consistency allowed by the manufacturer. This will give you the highest degree of anti-sag / tack properties. Rapid set thinset may also be helpful, but it should be reserved for seasoned professionals, since rapid set thinsets have very short working times before they seize up in your pail.

Tip 3: Trowel technique
As noted, the ceiling should be coated with thinset the previous day. When installing the tiles the next day, installers often prefer to “scratch” fresh thinset onto the ceiling with the backside of their trowel, then with the notched side of the trowel spread thinset onto the entire backside of the tile, combing in one direction (along the shortest side of the tile) to ensure 95% minimum thinset coverage. The tile is then firmly pushed into the “scratched” ceiling. The notches on the backside of the tile should collapse creating a “whooshing” sound, meaning the mortar has compressed pushing out the air along the trowel ridges.

​Tip 4: Use levelling clips
Levelling clips hold the tiles together in a large formation vs. individual pieces, meaning you are increasing the total square foot coverage of the bond area. So if one tile was to come loose and potentially fall, they would all have to fall together, which is far less likely to happen.

​Tip 5: Use support rods.
Often used in the drywall trade, support rods are vertical supports which extend from the floor up to the ceiling, locking into place. When installing large tiles, many professional installers will use support rods to make sure the tile cures overnight and remains on the ceiling the next morning.
 

Implementing these tips will help you end up with a professionally finished tile job without having to wear a hard hat!

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