How to Tile With Ceramic on Steel

Lay out the installation area in advance, so you can control your working speed. Epoxy is very difficult to work with, and you need your layout prepped so you can work quickly and efficiently before the epoxy mortar sets. Dry-lay your tiles on the floor with spacers between them. Measure the distance between tiles, and use those measurements to draw grids on the surface of the metal with your level, to act as grout-joint reference marks.

Mix the epoxy mortar according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Epoxy mortar comes with a hardener and a resin that need to be mixed together. Use the drill with an epoxy paddle to mix the components together. Only add the amount of additive to the hardener recommended by the manufacturer. Using more than this will create an epoxy you cannot work with, and will not set properly.

Spread the thinset into one of your predefined squares with the notched trowel. Work quickly, as epoxy has a short lifespan once mixed, usually between 30 and 40 minutes. Only spread what you can effectively cover in five to 10 minutes. Comb the epoxy in several directions to ensure its bond with the metal.

Press the tiles into the epoxy thinset and move them around slightly to suction the tile into the adhesive and grind the bond into the surface of the metal. Install the bottom row first, and work your way up the metal wall, row by row, stacking each new row on the row below. Use your level and plumb lines as reference markers, guiding the installation as it goes up.