Thinset is not used to bond to the subfloor. Demo any tile job over osb and youll know what Im talking about. Its used to fill voids. Taping joints is not to prevent movement. Its done to isolate the movement so that it doenst reach the tile. Look into crack isolation techniques for concrete. Screws are better than nails but without the thinset bed, its half done. Even a seasoned house flipper wont have their work scrutinized like a professional tile setter. How long does a flippers work have to hold up? If it looks good for a year and nobody called you when it failed, was it still done right? Im about to get some massive overtime hours replacing several thousand feet of tile in a car dealership. Job was done 6 years ago and to be honest, looked pretty good. Setters did not use the appropriate amount of thinset. Probably saved 3 grand in time and materials. With our whole crew on overtime plus materials, this avoidable fix could hit 10 grand if all goes well. If not, the liquidated damages to the dealership, in addition to our part, can make this a 30k loss in the span of a week. Im sure that feels great after the last year. But hey, it looked good when they moved in and everyone got paid.
Just to put it in another perspective, how many people here have had to deal with wrinkled carpet? How about seams failing? Im willing to bet damn near everyone. If installed correctly, even cheap carpet should last 10 years without wrinkles or seam failues. Problem is, the shortcuts dont show up in the first year. By the time they do, the check in cleared and the warranty is up. Lets pretend it was due to tenants, professional cleanings, or quality of the materials. Thats all BS. Its because guys use a pick stretcher or kick it in instead of using tubes when stretching. Its because properly cut and sealed seam edges take more skill and time. Its because doing it right costs more money.....
