Hey guys ( and gals )
With the tile getting bigger these days (18x18 - 20x20 )
does anyone have any tricks they would like to share on tips for keying in large format tiles?

I place them on my old wash boy bucket that has no roller brackets on it. Works great,stable,wash bucket with wheels and portable bench, all in one.

I use 1/2 inch notch and slightly stiffer thinset than with 12 inch tiles. Make sure the floors are very flat to start with. I have been using Mapei Ultraflex LFT which is specifically formulated for large tiles. It makes a small but noticeable difference in the ease of adjusting tiles. I also put my tiles on wheels.

Hey guys...

I have been in the tile business since 1982, and do not understand " keying in" sorry guys, what exactly does this mean. We installed about 5800 sf of 24x48" porcelain tile in a staggered joint fashion and used marble and granite thinset from customs, and wood shims to adjust the height. Not sure if this helps. We also used roller platforms with the stacked tiles on for ease of placement.

Means to skim coat the back of the tile with mortar before laying it. It helps to get better coverage when the tile is set in mortar if it has deeper grooves/squares in the back of the tile and also helps to bond better if its a porcelain tile.

Randy, thank you we always refered to this as backing the tile