How to Mix Versabond for a Ditra Application

Measure out the dry Versabond and place it in a wheelbarrow. One 50-pound bag of Versabond covers roughly 70 square feet of floor.

Fill a bucket with 7 quarts of water per 50-pound bag of Versabond used in Step 1.

Add one-quarter of the water supply to the mix at a time. Pour the water into the center of the Versabond. Push the mixture back and forth with a clean hoe. Mix in this fashion until the mortar is an even consistency. Then add more water. Stop adding water when the mortar reaches the consistency of pancake batter or paste. Add water in smaller amounts toward the end to avoid adding too much water.

Test the mortar. Spread a small amount of mortar onto a scrap piece of plywood with the smooth side of a notched trowel to create a 1/4-inch-thick skim coat. Hold the notched side of the trowel at a 45-degree angle to the skim coat and drag it across the surface to make ridges in the skim coat. If the mortar is the right consistency the ridges will be easy to make and will just hold their shape without slumping. If the mortar crumbles and cracks the Versabond is too dry. If the ridges slump, the Versabond is too wet.

Leave the Versabond to slake for five minutes. Stir the mixture well then apply it.