Tavy Thin-Skin #007 Glue

I purchased the Tavy Thin Skin System (glue and paper) to re-do a kitchen floor and door entry way in a rental property. I waited over a year after I installed the tile using the Tavy System to see how it held up before writing this review. So far, it is doing great - you'd never have known it wasn't installed on tile backer board. This is really more of a review of the entire system and not just the glue.The rental house was built in 1959 and is on a crawlspace. When I bought it 10 years ago, I put down a clean layer of 1/4" wood subfloor over at least one and maybe two layers of existing linoleum and then loose-laid new linoleum over that, because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do long-term. Well after 10 years, the linoleum finally needed to be replaced, but the subfloor still looked great. I had always heard that you should never put ceramic tiles down on wood, but I really wanted tiles and hated to pull up a perfectly good floor. I found the Tavy system while researching if it was okay to put tiles down on wood. I watched the Tavy videos and read the reviews and decided to give it a shot. I will note here that my floor was very solid and supported, so there was no sagging or bouncing to deal with.The entire process is not exactly difficult, but it is time-consuming. You basically have to clean the subfloor really good to make sure it is free of all dirt, debris, grease, etc. I would recommend dry fitting all your Tavy Thin-Skin paper before you start applying the glue to make sure you cut it to the correct size. The great thing about the Thin Skin is that since it is paper, you can cut it in whatever shape or size you need. And there is very little waste because you can piece sections together in case you don't have the exact size you need. If only cutting the tile was as easy as cutting the Thin Skin paper!Once you’ve measured and cut your paper, then spread a thin layer of the Tavy glue down on the clean subfloor with a U-shaped trowel, working in small areas. The glue is very sticky – only put down as much as you can easily work with (I worked in sections about 3’ x 30” - the width of the Thin Skin roll). Then apply the Tavy Thin-Skin paper over the glue. Once you've covered the area to be tiled with the glue and paper and it has started to dry, you have to apply a thin layer of thin-set mortar with a straight trowel over the glue/paper to create a "concrete" base. Your arms will get a workout for sure.You do need to be a little careful when applying the glue - it is VERY sticky and does not wash out of clothing. If you get glue on any tools and don’t wash it off before it starts drying, you may not get it off. (I kept my trowel in a bucket of warm water when I wasn’t using it to keep it from drying). And don't be too generous when applying it; I started running out when I got to the last 6-8 sq ft of my project. You need enough glue to make the paper stick – but it doesn’t need to be a thick coating. I made the glue last, but just barely. And my entire project was just under 100 sq ft.Overall, I am very pleased with the Tavy system and would use it again if needed. I also used the Tavy Tile Puck (love that thing!) and the Tavy Tile Spacers (more expensive than regular spacers, but for a tile novice, they made the job easy to keep in line) and the Tavy Tile Mallet (good way to press down any minor lippage). If I notice any problems in the future, I will update the review.

I'm no expert but I've spread other types of floor adhesives on several occasions. Tavy seems to be a bit thinner. It is easy to spread and it seems to stick to anything just as advertised. Definitely have mineral spirits and rags available when using. I also had a cake pan with a half inch of spirits in it so I could set my trowel in for easier cleaning. I used the Tavy system to tile a 7' x 12' concrete basement floor area that had small to 1/8" cracks. It had previously had the old green square adhesive tiles and the floor had been covered with what appeared to be black sealer of some type that I couldn't get off short of using acid cleaner … I thought about it and then declined … I hope that doesn't come back to bite me. I swept and mopped the floor, vaccumed the cracks, then filled them with Quickcrete concrete patch, then swept and mopped again. Laid one row of glue/paper and let it dry overnight. Next night one more row of glue/paper. This was so I could step over it to get up and down the steps without having to step on it before it dried. Pets won't pay attention .. I had some cat paw prints but nothing the tile mortar didn't easily take care of. After all the glue/paper was down and dry it made a nice solid smooth surface to tile over and any small leveling irregularities in the floor were taken care of with the tile mortar. The finished floor looks great. I only gave "easy to use" 4 stars because I've never used any spreadable adhesive that I'd give 5 stars .. it's always messy .. but then again I'm no expert !

The demo video looked very simple and user friendly. It is not. That said, the product worked as described. The first issue I found was getting the paper to relax so to speak, so it can somewhat flatten out. If you can apply adhesive and role paper out when doing a tile job with a nice large area square/rectangular room it would be very manageable. I was doing a tile job in a bathroom with a tub and shower stall toilet vanity etc. Plenty of non square measurements. Plenty of cussing.I tiled both of our bathrooms. Both had 20 year + linoleum floors. I did the first bathroom the traditional way removing the linoleum and using cement backer board etc etc etc. The end result was excellent and I was very pleased, but removing the linoleum was difficult and tedious at best.The bad thing was now my wife thought I was a ceramic tile expert, which I most certainly am not. So now on to the second bathroom. The thought of removing that 20 year + linoleum led me to investigate other methods and I came across the Tavi info. So I said lets go. The tile job end result was excellent. Installed over linoleum tile. I would use the tavi products again and learned from my mistakes.The adhesive - this adhesive will stick on everything. This aint cove base adhesive from Home depot. This stuff sticks! Be careful not to get any of the adhesive on the top surface of the paper.Wear gloves but nothing bulky - I am a blue collar retired guy with blue collar hands. i was surprised I got many paper cuts on the right hand finger tips. Left finger tips ok from years of guitar playing with fretting fingertips.clean up tools/trowel with mineral spirits.The most important tip? Take your time. Don't let it beat you, it doesn't have a brain. You can do this. The product works as it should and as described. Have patience, especially when dealing with the paper. It wants to curl up into it's roll shape, get past that and once you put adhesive down on the surface the paper lays out just fine. ONLY APPLY the adhesive where you will be placing the paper atop it. Sounds simple and basic but if you shmear too much past paper you'll be dealing with the sticky stuff so take your time.If you have a buddy to help out that doesn't mind a cuss or two...def will be an asset.Tile as you normally would your cement board...only now it's on the tavi paper surface...as described in video.Now that both of my bathrooms are done I am happy with both the standard method and the Tavi method - to tile install. The end results were excellent.The tavi method was the way to go with the second oddly shaped long bathroom...and the thought of not having the extra weight of backer board etc was something to think about too.They also have a service number if you have any questions. They will get back to you via email rather quickly.BTW? I rarely - if ever - have written a review...especially such a long winded one!...but I was compelled because this Tavi method is an excellent alternative to the traditional method. Just take your time - do not rush. If I can do it with great results so can you.