Setting the Tile in my Keezer, advice needed

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russekc

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I am finishing up my keezer (see build here) and one of my last steps is securing the tile. i plan on grouting it, but I could use some advice on sealing it to prevent any beer or water from getting under the tile and rotting my wood.

anyone have any tips, advice, tutorials?

Thanks, Russ
 
also, didn't look at the pics so I don't know where you are in the build, putting some hardy-backer under the tile would create another barrier
 
Grout is the stuff you put in between tiles. Alot of people confuse this with mortar, which is what you lay the tiles with. Just wanna make sure you don't try laying the tile with grout. =P

Anyway, I wouldn't use hardibacker for this application. It is typically used on very wet applications like floors and shower walls and the like. Yes, it keeps water from going through... but it's a small table top and you probably don't plan on mopping on it or spilling buckets of water. On top of that, this is your lid, so you wanna keep it as light as possible. For my build, I just used Liquid Nails to lay the tiles straight onto the plywood. Really easy to work with, really cheap, and you ain't gettin' them tiles off once that liquid nails sets. It's good stuff.

For grout, I would use epoxy grout. Epoxy grout is water tight so you won't have to seal it afterwards. Your tiles look like outdoor stone tiles so they are going to soak water into the pores, but again, unless you decide to pour buckets of water onto your keezer top, I doubt you'll ever get enough to have it soak through to the wood.

That's my 2 cents.
 
True... it's not all that heavy. Just googled it and it says 1.9 lbs per square foot. I imagine you're lookin' at 8-10ft^2, so that's another 16-20 lbs... But it also means that much more mortar.

Up to you, though. My keezer looks about the same size as yours and I used granite... it's pretty heavy, but not really all that bad to lift with a hinge.
 
+1 on the epoxy grout... That stuff is bullet proof.I did my shower with it a year ago and have not seen any discoloration.Regular grout is pouros which is why mold and mildew can really take over.1 caveot with epoxy grout is that you really need to make sure you have plenty of sponges and water/ vinegar solution handy during application because if you don't get it all off the tile before it dries it'll never come off.Also you have less time to work with it because it dries faster than regular grout.But if the appropriate steps are taken and it's applied correctly you will have a waterproof easy to clean strong grout that you will never have to seal or mess with again.
 
First - nice looking build.

Second +1 on the epoxy grout - good stuff. In addition you can always seal your plywood with a water sealer before you apply the thinset if you wanted to.
 
Go with the plywood sealer, liquid nails, and epoxy grout. It's faster, easier, and lighter. I have laid quite a bit of tile on concrete and wood with backer board. I have also built and tiled tables with plywood sub base and glued the tiles on and used epoxy grout. It's not worth the extra trouble and weight to do it "conventionally". Just my $.02 - Dwain
 
Go with the plywood sealer, liquid nails, and epoxy grout. It's faster, easier, and lighter. I have laid quite a bit of tile on concrete and wood with backer board. I have also built and tiled tables with plywood sub base and glued the tiles on and used epoxy grout. It's not worth the extra trouble and weight to do it "conventionally". Just my $.02 - Dwain

Using liquid nails adhesive would certainly work, however in the photo it looks like the tile is setting about 1/4" below the wood trim without any adhesive or thinset underneath. If the tile is meant to be flush with the trim it may be harder to accomplish this with the liquid nails than with thinset.
 
True... it's not all that heavy. Just googled it and it says 1.9 lbs per square foot. I imagine you're lookin' at 8-10ft^2, so that's another 16-20 lbs... But it also means that much more mortar.

Up to you, though. My keezer looks about the same size as yours and I used granite... it's pretty heavy, but not really all that bad to lift with a hinge.

It doesn't mean any more mortar. It should be screwed to whatever surface is being used, and then the tile is secured using a thinset mortar or tile mastic just like normal.

The main purpose of hardibacker or cement board isn't preventing moisture penetration, it's to prevent movement. I can almost guarantee the grout joints or tiles will crack eventually if the tiles are secured directly to a wood surface, especially a lid that will have some flex as it opens and closes. The cement board will go a long way to preventing that. Using an epoxy based grout will also help both moisture penetration and cracking a great deal.
 
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