DougB
Member
Why buy a tile leveling system? I did because I’m not a pro, and I had 300 sq/ft of 12x12 wall tile and 70 sq/ft of 12x24 floor tile. I wanted to eliminate lippage.
I researched several tile leveling systems, before choosing the Tuscan Leveling System (TLS). The reason I liked it was because the T straps that pull against the tile are thin, and mechanically pulling the strap against the cap looked secure, and ergonomic. Here’s what the straps, and caps look like:
You need a special tool to pull and tighten the straps. They have a ‘standard’ tool for $50, or a ‘pro’ tool for about $200. I opted for the standard one:
Right off – the standard tool has ‘cushioned’ grips. This cushioning material is a joke – it is not durable – the top handle grip arrived split, and soon fell off, the bottom cushion grip is split. This is after 250 sq/ft of tile.
I used a 3/8 x ¼ notched trowel, Ardex x77, and I back buttered all tiles. The straps need to be hydrated, I soaked them in water for at least 12 hrs.
What I found: The combination of the back buttered tile and the Ardex created so much of a suction force that I had to thin the Ardex (not a lot), otherwise the straps would break before pulling adjacent tiles into alignment. Even at that, some straps would break before the tiles were aligned. The instructions are to use a strap 2” in from the corner. What this amounts to is 2 straps for each side – I needed to exert enough force to align the tiles. Even at that, I sometimes would need to use the trowel (on the tile to be lifited) to break the suction of the thinset, so the TLS could level the tile.
The TLS did help in leveling the tiles.
I cannot recommend the TLS for several reasons:
You need to juggle the straps, holding them between the tile, as you lower the tile into the thinset. Once the tile is contacting the thinset, it’s very difficult to slide a strap under a tile.
Sometimes the straps break (while trying to level the tile) with little force. I didn't feel the strap design allowed for sufficient force. But what’s unusual, the next day it took much more force to break them off.
The tool is not well designed. When breaking the straps off – it pinches your palm between the thumb and index finger. Also the cushion grips are a joke. They should give these tools away with say a $200 purchase.
When you stop for the day, you can just "slide the unused strap" out from under the last tile, and continue the next day. Are they kidding? I thoroughly cleaned out the gap between the tile and the wall - but thinset residue remains and it's a bear to get the strap back into that gap.
Lastly, value. It costs 25 cents a strap – that is $1 a tile! To me it looks like the straps should be 5 cents a piece. The standard tool is worth about $10.
Next time, I would try a wedge type system.
I researched several tile leveling systems, before choosing the Tuscan Leveling System (TLS). The reason I liked it was because the T straps that pull against the tile are thin, and mechanically pulling the strap against the cap looked secure, and ergonomic. Here’s what the straps, and caps look like:
You need a special tool to pull and tighten the straps. They have a ‘standard’ tool for $50, or a ‘pro’ tool for about $200. I opted for the standard one:
Right off – the standard tool has ‘cushioned’ grips. This cushioning material is a joke – it is not durable – the top handle grip arrived split, and soon fell off, the bottom cushion grip is split. This is after 250 sq/ft of tile.
I used a 3/8 x ¼ notched trowel, Ardex x77, and I back buttered all tiles. The straps need to be hydrated, I soaked them in water for at least 12 hrs.
What I found: The combination of the back buttered tile and the Ardex created so much of a suction force that I had to thin the Ardex (not a lot), otherwise the straps would break before pulling adjacent tiles into alignment. Even at that, some straps would break before the tiles were aligned. The instructions are to use a strap 2” in from the corner. What this amounts to is 2 straps for each side – I needed to exert enough force to align the tiles. Even at that, I sometimes would need to use the trowel (on the tile to be lifited) to break the suction of the thinset, so the TLS could level the tile.
The TLS did help in leveling the tiles.
I cannot recommend the TLS for several reasons:
You need to juggle the straps, holding them between the tile, as you lower the tile into the thinset. Once the tile is contacting the thinset, it’s very difficult to slide a strap under a tile.
Sometimes the straps break (while trying to level the tile) with little force. I didn't feel the strap design allowed for sufficient force. But what’s unusual, the next day it took much more force to break them off.
The tool is not well designed. When breaking the straps off – it pinches your palm between the thumb and index finger. Also the cushion grips are a joke. They should give these tools away with say a $200 purchase.
When you stop for the day, you can just "slide the unused strap" out from under the last tile, and continue the next day. Are they kidding? I thoroughly cleaned out the gap between the tile and the wall - but thinset residue remains and it's a bear to get the strap back into that gap.
Lastly, value. It costs 25 cents a strap – that is $1 a tile! To me it looks like the straps should be 5 cents a piece. The standard tool is worth about $10.
Next time, I would try a wedge type system.