OmniGrip Thinset - help?!?

12 years ago

We're installing 700 sq ft of 13x13 porcelain tile flooring over 1/4" thick Hardibacker in our kitchen and foyer. We're about half way done - 300 sq ft - and noticing that the OmniGrip thinset we bought from Home Depot seems to have some movement, even in tile that's be "drying" for over a week. The movement is minimal, but you notice it when you step on the corners. So, I went online and heard a lot of gripes about this OmniGrip. Now I'm not sure if we should keep going and start grouting given the thinset material we've used. What do you think regarding how much tile movement is acceptable? I'm really worried that this is going to give us problems down the road.

Comments (3)

OrchidOCD
12 years ago
Is this a pre-mixed 'thinset' or a dry thinset that you mixed with water or latex additive? If premixed, it's not really thinset (although labeled as one, it's not), it's a mastic and it's not recommended for wet areas. If you do a search on the Bathrooms forum (a lot more active than this one) there's a great Tile FAQ that covers a lot of info on tile, including the difference between mastics and true portland cement thinsets.

No tile movement is acceptable long term - if it moves, it will crack the grout and eventually likely crack the tile. If it were my floor, I'd pull the tiles back up, clean the tiles and floor of the still wet product, and reset with either Mapei or Laticrete modified thinset. Not the answer you want to hear, I know, but if the tiles are moving a week after setting, this will give you problems in likely the near future.
floorman67
12 years ago
OmniGrip is complete trash in my opinion. I have never seen it dry in less than 3 days, and I have seen it still wet 2 weeks later if they applied it to liberally and/or grouted prematurely before it was dried, which locks in the moisture and takes forever to cure. Whenever we get service calls for this type of repair using OmniGrip, we pop the tiles, clean them off, clean off the substrate, and use modified thinset bag mix (powder and water) to re-install the entire area after allowing the residue to dry. I suppose you could use a dehumidifier and hope for the best, but you may have already broke bond by stepping on the "loose" tiles, so you may have issues there.
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PRO
Avanti Tile & Stone / Stonetech
12 years ago
Should be false advertising. The tub says "Premixed Thinset" which is, in reality, nothing more than mastic with some sand thrown in. Mastic is an organic adhesive that might be fine for a backsplash...but that's about it.

Particularly when used with large format tiles, air cannot easily get to the glue, which is how it hardens. As said above, it could take weeks or longer to set up, and even then, not as hard as true thinset. It will also re-emulsify in the presence of water.

The Big Box stores sell it because it's "easy" (No Mixing!) and profitable. $40 for a tub? For $14 you can buy Versabond and it'll go twice as far.

Real thinset is a cementatious product, comes only as a powder and must be mixed.

Pull the floor now, while it's still loose, scrape the old stuff off. Hose down and use a stiff brush to remove the residue....and just be thankful you caught it before the whole floor was down.