How to grout tiles on a coffee table?

[NicoleDIY]

I have bought new tiles to retile an old coffee table. How should I glue them to the table? They are not as deep as the previous tiles so I will also need to raise them up to be level with the lip of the wood, what would be the best way to do that?

[JacobZ]

Hi @NicoleDIY,

Thank you for your question.

How many millimetres of height do we need to raise the tiles?

It doesn't look like a whole lot, so you can likely just use a bit more tile adhesive to account for the difference in height.

You can use a premixed tile adhesive such as this Dunlop Wall And Floor Tile Adhesive to attach your tiles.

You should use a notched trowel with suitably sized notches to adjust for the height you require. If, for example, you use a 12mm Square Notch Trowel, when the tiles are pressed in place, the tile adhesive will spread out to a thickness of around 6mm. With a 10mm trowel, it would be around 5mm thick, with an 8mm trowel, 4mm thick and so on.

A thicker bed of adhesive will take a little bit longer to dry out, but it will be the easiest way to handle the disparity in thickness of your tiles.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[NicoleDIY]

Hi Jacob,

Thanks for your reply. The tiles need to come up about 5mm. How do you apply the adhesive with a trowel on such a small tile? Would you apply the adhesive direct to the table and then start pressing the tiles in? They’re only 5cmx5cm?

[JacobZ]

Hi @NicoleDIY,

You would apply the adhesive with notches to the table, then apply a very thin, smooth coat to the back of the tiles. You would then press and gently wiggle the tiles into place so that the notches compress down. Compressing the adhesive forces the air out from between the notches, which creates suction to the tile.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob