| Author |
Message |
    
Vickiesa
New member
Post Number: 5
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 1:22 pm:
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Hello folks,
Can anyone give me advice on a easy/ simple way to get the old grout off of the tiles that have come off (so I can reinstall)?
\popjpeg{30347,bucket of tiles}
The
tiles have fallen off almost entirely around half of the bottom
section, under the rim. At first there were only a few tiles that came
off and as I was cleaning it to prepare more tiles just kept coming
off.
I have a huge job ahead of me and it will take me many
many hours just to prepare the tiles, not to mention actually
installing them one by one. It would be great to be able to clean the
tiles in a batch instead of scraping them one by one.
Any ideas?
thanks,
Vickie
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Vickiesa
New member
Post Number: 6
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 1:27 pm:
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Harry
Member
Post Number: 1630
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 1:43 pm:
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I have some Good News and some Bad News for you, Vickie.
First
the Good News. The tiles do not need to be pristine clean if you
restore with thinset cement/glue mixture. This will also serve to act
as grout. [especially if you add a little food colouring into it. Just
make sure to get all the loose bits off the K before staring.
DO NOT REMOVE ANY MORE TILES - [YET] !!! Make the repairs first or you will 'lose your place'.
The
Bad News is that you will probably subsequently end up
removing/reinstalling a whole bunch more tiles that are just hanging
on. But do your existing repairs FIRST, before removing any more.
Harry |
Vickiesa
New member
Post Number: 7
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 6:43 pm:
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Thanks
Harry. I left an email with Kamado and I'm hoping that they might be
able to send me some sheets of tile with the webbing so that I can do
bigger areas. Cross your fingers! I think I can do that, right? |
Harry
Member
Post Number: 1631
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 9:05 pm:
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They
may and this will make your job easier, but, I still recommend you
replace the missing bits before pulling off any more tiles.
Harry |
Alanz
Moderator
Post Number: 1053
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 2:34 pm:
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Three years ago, we removed all the tiles from the dome of my first #7.
I had my teenage son Josh (then 14 years old) use an angle grinder (actually a RotoZip tool) to smooth out the surface.
My my, he's changed in three years... driving now <s>
By
the way, replacing the tiles was no big deal at all, just be sure to
put on a decent layer of thinset so that it comes up between the tiles
(like grout normally would). Wipe off the excess thinset, but leave
lots of it between the tiles. Then when it's try, give it a skim coat
of colored grout.
Tiling the base should be more straighforward than doing the dome, less compound curves.
Of
course, now with the proper breakin procedure (unknown when I got my
first unit), tiles tend to stay in place. I've never had any tile
issues with my second unit, nor with the base of the first unit.
(Message edited by alanz on July 16, 2006) |
Harry
Member
Post Number: 1632
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 2:47 pm:
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Perhaps
the [lack of] break-in period, Alan - or - perhaps water gradually
leeching in through unsealed grout. I suspect the latter myself,
because I doubt if you [I didn't], fired it up from the get go &
let 'er rip to smelting temps. Making steam after every post-rain cook
would do it though.
Remember those hot weather tropical
dahlias that work in the kamado factory [who douldn't know what rain
was if it hit them in the face, eh  ], did not begin to suggest covering your K against inclement Weather until quite recently.
Harry
Last Day of Stampede today! Drying out starts tomorrow . . . |
Brianw
Member
Post Number: 1296
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 3:09 pm:
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<<Drying out starts tomorrow>>
Sure, Harry. Diet starts tomorrow, too, I'll bet. No more than one brisket or side of ribs per day. |
Syzygies
Member
Post Number: 464
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 3:33 pm:
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quote:perhaps water gradually leeching in through unsealed grout
I vote with Harry. One should definitely seal Kamados that will be exposed to rain.
Finding
myself in Alan's situation, I decided against retiling, and declined
help from the Kamado factory. My new personal take is that a Kamado is
like a standard poodle: Without question the smartest dog out there,
but then there's this inexplicable obsession with its silly haircut.
Kamados even look a bit like poodles, no? I instead converted to a
textured K, and we're thrilled with it.
One's best bet for
finding expert local advice on applying tiles would be a brickyard that
caters to contractors. Mine offered stronger opinions than the local
Home Depot on how good a job the various alternatives would do in this
extreme (curved surfaces, exposure to elements, and large temperature
swings) application. One can use acrylic tile adhesive by itself to set
tiles (Home Depot sells the stuff) but my brickyard was emphatic that a
mortar and acrylic based technique (as various people advise here)
would be more durable.
What one wants to avoid is having the
tiles come off in sheets. If an individual tile fails to adhere, one
wants the grout between tiles to fail before the mortar holding
adjacent tiles to the K. Ditto for the exit route that any future steam
takes. That way, individual tiles might come loose again, but entire
sheets won't come loose. Don't be tempted to use acrylic tile adhesive
by itself; you'll risk entire sheets coming loose. |
Alanz
Moderator
Post Number: 1054
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 5:00 pm:
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Harry,
Unlike
you, my first few cooks were all high temperature affairs. Watched the
white tile adhesive that they used back then bubble out through the
grout <S>
I'm not adverse to sealing the tiles... I
think it's a good idea. What I'm saying is that only the dome of that
particular cooker every had any loose tiles at all... the other cooker
and the bottom of the first cooker (all exposed to the same elements)
are holding onto their tiles quite well, despite the wildly fluctuating
NJ climate. |
Syzygies
Member
Post Number: 465
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 5:06 pm:
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quote:Watched the white tile adhesive that they used back then
When was the change? What's the factory procedure now? I saw white tile adhesive in use at the Sacramento factory, July 2004. |
Harry
Member
Post Number: 1633
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 5:28 pm:
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Alan
I
seldom get past 550 - 600 on the #3; usually well under 400 on the #7.
This is the one which gets to do BBQ, eh. My olde teale #7 lost the
dome tiles but the base was SOLID. Ergo my leanings towards the
water/leaching thing. The dome eventually destroyed itself and Kamado
warranty replaced the whole unit because the teal tiles that were on
mine were no longer available. Talk about that crappy Kamado service,
eh? I should have kept the base as a patio table - never thought of it. Talk about dummies, eh 
Brian
I
didn't hoist my first brewski until 10 Eh-Emm today [that's when the K7
began to rock . . . . I normally don't start the K that early, but, it
was a lovely morning and a guy has to do what a guy has to do . . .
Local Chicken & BC corn tomorrow . . .
Harry
Who never saw bubbly adhesive on his Teal #7, but saw it steaming a lot.
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Syzygies
Member
Post Number: 466
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 6:17 pm:
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quote:Kamado warranty replaced the whole unit
Yup, just to put this whole discussion in context, I was offered and declined
a similar warranty replacement, preferring to go to textured with the K
I had. I'm very happy with Kamado service. I'd also be very happy to
learn that they changed the tiling procedure since my purchase, as I
have recommended Kamados to various friends. |
Clausenk
Member
Post Number: 1382
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 7:27 pm:
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Harry,
Samantha must be a saint. I felt positively decadent fondling a lawn ranger opener at 3:00 pe-emm today.
Clausen
(who
in the past week, has reveled at his good fortune at only having the
other car break (and not hearing for four days because the shop's
computer broke), and the modem and PC die. When I lose electricity for
two days I know I will have fallen to the bottom of the worm hole.
That's when its time to buy the lottery tickets.
(Message edited by clausenk on July 16, 2006) |
Harry
Member
Post Number: 1635
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 10:31 pm:
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Clausen
- she is [a saint]; you should have [felt decadent]. But then we need
to get up earlier here out West to stay ahead of you glib' smoothies
from the East, [eh].
Why is Samantha a Saint? Because some
guy dinged her brand new Vee and she didn't strangle him . . . She also
resents the [Hers] and [His] markers on the rear bumper [hers being the
dented side . . .]
Harry |
Vickiesa
New member
Post Number: 8
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 17, 2006 - 7:02 am:
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I
bought Flexbond Fortified Thinset Mortar from HD instead of the thinset
+ acrylic. This is what the folks at HD suggested. Do you think this
will work well?
Also Richard suggested putting a tile sealer on afterwards. |
Syzygies
Member
Post Number: 467
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 17, 2006 - 8:01 am:
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As I understand it, you must use acrylic medium with 'economy' thinset mortar. You can
use acrylic medium with fortified mortar. When I recommended against
acrylic tile adhesive by itself, I wasn't discouraging use of acrylic
medium in combination with the best available thinset mortar, which
(relative to HD's stock) you have bought.
There are various
fibers one can add to thinset mortar, to strengthen it. A little goes a
long ways, follow directions! Some break down at high temperatures and
wouldn't be suitable. A brickyard can advise on this; HD help will just
stare at you on this one.
I used the same thinset mortar as
you, acrylic medium, black cement dye, and fiber to retexture my K. I'm
waiting for a gap between pollen season and rainy season to put on
another coat and seal it; my K is now black and yellow due to a
controversial tree nearby that Laurie loves but is probably
incapacitating many of our neighbors. |
Vickiesa
New member
Post Number: 9
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, July 20, 2006 - 2:17 pm:
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Sounds
like in your situation you took off all the tiles and did your own
textured surface. Is that right? I really like the tiles and I'd just
like to restore it to it's original form. Im my situation would I also
add acrylic to the mortar? The guys at HD said to add water. Is the
acrylic to help it flex more with the heat? |
Richardj
Moderator
Post Number: 2085
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, July 20, 2006 - 6:30 pm:
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It
is important to add acrylic to most thinset or follow the suggestion in
the write-up MinorTileRepair1.htm or give us a call. |
Jbean
New member
Post Number: 9
Registered: 5-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, July 20, 2006 - 7:19 pm:
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Vickie:
I've never tiled a Kamado (in fact, due to sad circumstances I don't
even have one...next week that should change), but I've tiled a bunch
of counters and bathrooms. It is a dead easy project. Use the thinset
that Richard recommends, mix it up according to the directions, spread
it on (buy one of those cheapo square plastic notched applicators at
HD), and stick your tiles down. Wait a couple of days, mix up the grout
according to the directions, and stuff it into the cracks. Wait 10
minutes and wipe off the excess. Polish it up. Grouting is the hardest
part as it's not easy to get it perfectly smooth and level, but frankly
the pros mostly don't do that great a job. It's easiest with glazed
tile like you have anyway. |