Customer Reviews for Custom Building Products SimpleMat 10 sq. ft. Tile Setting Mat

I really had my doubts about this stuff. I kept adding tile and coming back with another batch expecting it to all be crashed onto the floor. That never happened. I was able to reposition a few crooked tiles and they stuck back on fine. One benefit not mentioned, is that you can see your markings through the material. That makes it easy to make leveling lines for each tile row. I put this over a painted and mildly textured bathroom wall, after cleaning with TSP. Will it hold up for 50 years like the traditional adhesive? No way to know, but it seems pretty solid once the grout is in place. Be sure to follow the instructions, particularly the smoothing out part. Also, if you do a whole backsplash like I did , leave the paper on until you are ready to stick on tile. That will keep it from collecting any dust. No complaints, a good product if you want to finish faster that the old glue method. This was also my first tile/grout job ever, and I think it went well.

I hate that I have to even give this product a 1 star it's that bad This! This product is simply horrible. We have lost so much money on the tiles that have fallen off the walls and broke, they have damaged my marble countertops. The day after we set the tiles they started falling off the walls.. it's been a couple weeks and the tiles are still falling off literally one by one. Some are Sagging till they fall completely of the wall. These tiles are not heavy to assume maybe that might be the reason, even small 1"x1" pieces are falling off. I now have to take off every tile I put up and reset them. what should've been a $600 job has not turned into a $1000 job...and I still need to replace the ones that have broke and reset them all with tile setting material that will actually work. So disappointing that you advertise this that it works so great. This is only one of many pics of all tiles falling off.

Used it on kitchen backsplash with mosaic tile and almost all of it fell down before I could get the grout in the next day. It stuck just fine to the drywall but not the tile

After getting quotes I decided to try this by myself using Simple Mat. I have old plastic tiles under the Simple Mat, I scrubbed them and got all the oil and grease off and let them dry and then applied Simple Mat. I have never tiled anything just watched videos, well this is how my kitchen turned out by myself.....next my bathroom! Also it’s been 2 years and still looking good!

This tile mat made doing our accent wall behind our stove/vent so easy to do without waiting for drying time like the usual way of placing tile work.

We are new to tiling so when we decided to put a backsplash in our kitchen we did a lot of research and decided to use SimpleMat. Following the reviews on here we decided to not get a roll, even though it would be cheaper, but went with the smaller pieces. This was the right call! This stuff is tricky to work with - it is amazingly sticky. The backing tends to come off unevenly and results in paper patches that can be hard to remove, so do that part carefully. If a piece folds back on itself, it is game over.. garbage. However, it just takes a little care and patience to apply and it really works very, very well. You can move the tiles slightly after you put them down to get the spacing perfect. We were really glad we did not have the anxiety of using a time sensitive mortar and we love the result. Note re using a tile saw with this product - cut tiles are wet and do not stick to SimpleMat at all. After drying a couple of tiles in the oven we lost patience and stuck all the rest of the wet cut tiles on with industrial adhesive - worked fine!

I was very skeptical of the ease of use and claim of being done in only hours not days. I was completely impressed with how easy this was to apply to the wall and then to apply the tiles to. I was able to adjust the tiles if needed up to 24 hours later. The only mess I made was applying the grout, but that wasn’t bad at all. I have and will continue to recommend SimpleMat to anyone who asks me about DYI tile projects.

In taking on my first tiling project indecided to give this a try based on the reviews. It was very sticky yet pretty easy to work with. I used an additional person to help me with cutting and applying it straight bit it could be done withbone person, but wiuld for sure require some additional patience. This stuck to the wall well and also help tile in place securely also. Used this for a backsplash in my kitchen. Highly recommend, especially for tile beginners

If you are a tiling beginner, and the surface you want to tile is level with only minor imperfections, this product may be a good choice for you: No mastic to clean off your tiles and plenty of time to cut your tiles. Putting a subway tile backsplash on our drywall was no problem, despite some minor surface imperfections. Putting one on a stucco wall with a more “interesting” surface, however, was not as easy. Four tiles would not stick and had to be glued individually to the mat. We used Liquid Nails for that, because it was the best thing we had available. When we changed our mind about tiling all the way around the window and removed the excess Easymat, it pulled the latex paint right off the wall, so that bond is definitely strong enough! We found that wiping our scissors with Goo Gone before cutting made cutting the mat easier by preventing the scissors from getting gummed up.

This review is being written by a contractor. Simple Mat is only appropriate for applications involving perfectly level substrate surfaces and/or small tiles such as mosaics. I’ll explain why. Laying tile must necessarily involve dealing with imperfect framing and drywall, Durock, or other substrates. You almost never get to lay tile on a perfectly level surface. Most of the time you’re going to have a “rolling” substrate, with multiple high and low points. When you lay tile using mortar, the usual method of dealing with these imperfections is to add mortar to the low areas to “float” the tile out. This keeps the tile from adopting the same rolling appearance, jutting in and out. Simple Mat doesn’t allow for floating to correct substrate problems because it is quite thin. I have tried cutting multiple pieces and piling them up in low areas, but I was unable to achieve satisfactory results in a reasonable amount of time. Mortar does a better job much faster. I am also concerned about the adhesive being used. Twenty four hours after laying tile on Simple Mat, I removed the spacers. Immediately, several tiles started sagging. So to conclude, this product might be suitable for an RV backsplash or super small tiles, but it is needlessly expensive, time consuming, and unreliable. A better alternative for a novice would be pre-mixed mortar.

I've been renovating homes forever - as a home owner. Sometimes I just want something done - NOW. So I was looking for an easier way to install this tile I liked behind my laundry room corner washtub and came across Simple Mat. My life just got easier and I will now tile way more with this product. Easy to cut, very common sense friendly, less mess and done way faster than the old way. Just a little grouting and it's done!

This product works but best with smaller tiles. My backsplash was done with 4 x 12 subway tiles which were thick and heavy. The product seemed to not quite hold so i had to add glue in corners of the tiles in fear of them coming off. Waited a couple days before I did this and yes tiles were coming off the adhesive. My friend used the same product with lighter backsplash tiles and had no issues at all. Overall its easy to use but keep away from heavier products.

The product seems to be reliable. I’ve done 2 backsplash s and next I will try my floor.

I have used the simple mat product in the past and had it work well on a small section of wall, however when I recently used it to install tile around a bathtub/shower, it failed completely, peeling off the wall and dropping most of the tiles, damaging them. This despite pressing the simple mat into place firmly and repeatedly. I will never consider using this product again. Using standard thinset mortar is considerably cheaper, and not difficult (just watch a how-to video or two). Please do not waste your money on this poor quality, unreliable product.

Any time I tile I will be using this product! So easy to use and NO MESS! Held the tiles well and looks amazing. I decide to skim coat the walls and then primer them prior to install and it seemed to stick really well. So happy with how it turned out!

This stuff is awesome! Follow the instructions, make sure the wall/walls are clean and free of debris. This stuff saves a ton of time without having to use any thinset, you can basically start tiling in a day. Make sure that everything (once set on wall) is pressed firmly, once that’s done grout it. Note: I only use this product for backsplashes, not showers/tub areas.

We used this product Along with the night sky mosaic glass times from Home Depot. Within 24 hours of the tile install, the mat started peeling from the wall and 90% of the tile fell. This was promoted by the Home Depot associate for use with the tile we chose. Don’t waste your money!

Used this product yesterday for a kitchen backsplash. Using simple 6x2 subway tiles. Wall was patched and sanded smooth (no texture left). The simple mat is very sticky on your hands as you cut it. Sticks to the wall fairly well. Things started out great, but we hit some problems around outlets and with small pieces of tile. The small pieces would not hold. Nothing we tried helped. We finally had to use liquid nails to make them stick. Some other tiles also would not stick. I took a small test piece and while the mat stuck to my hand it would not stick to the tile at all. The tile had been cut but was dry at the time of testing. Liquid nails to the rescue again. At one point I was so frustrated that I almost ripped all the tiles off the wall and went to get some Ceramic Tile Adhesive. Yes, this saves time because you don't have to wait for the tile adhesive to dry before applying grout, but I am worried that the tiles will still fall off the wall at some point. I won't be using this product again..

The product "SimpleMat 30 sq. ft. Roll of Tile Setting Mat" is awesome for doing small area tile jobs or backsplashes. No mortar, less mess! Would give 5 stars, if the roll had preparations every 6 inches, to make easier to cut/tear, work with.

Great product for backsplash application. No mess and is a strong adhesive.

This was very easy to install and cut our project time dramatically. Well worth the price to save time and money hiring a contractor. I have already recommended this product to many of my homeowner friends!

I have installed 1000’s of square feet of tile. I had to wrap up a backsplash quickly so I gave this product a try. The first few rows went great. As soon as I ran a couple more complex cuts around outlets through the wet saw, the tile would not stick. I dried them thoroughly and still pulled away. I left the white paper on until just before setting the tile too. I prefer mastic and just stopping back the following day to grout. Plus if there are any wall imperfections, mastic gives you the chance to adjust.

This made putting up the kitchen backsplash so easy. The ability to do just a section at a time was perfect. No messy motar. Was able to grout immediately. Easy, just so easy. (Note: It is extremely sticky, put it in the right place, you won't move it around once it is placed) We cracked a tile putting on a switch plate. Was great to be able to cut a piece of mat to fit just the tile spot and re-grout here. Will definitely be using this again for fireplace surround, and in bathroom.

Like others, i was skeptical as well about doing my first diy backsplash. I did it today and grouted immediately after. i hung 3x6 stone and most pieces stuck well but a few spots wouldn't hold. i cut another piece just to hold the single tiles on. I do not recommend for use on metal edging normally used for mortar. The tile didnt stick very well to it even with the simplemat over it. it was easy to measure and cut. I just hope it stays on the wall from all the reviews that I have read...??? overall I am happy with the product

Super easy to use. I used it to tile a backsplash and an entire wall behind the stove, about 36 sq. ft. in all. The mat went up quick and made tiling a snap. I will say however- your success depends on how much prep work you do. The wall needs to be smooth and clean. Working on a house which is almost 100 years old, I had some spots on wall that were a bit bowed out which I should have hit with a belt sander first. However, I threw caution to the wind and in these spots, the tile would not stay attached, so I just used some liquid nails to keep the tiles in place. I would say I had to glue in about 5 tiles out of about 300 tiles- I can live with that. Overall- I can recommend this product, it's much easier than messing around with thinset or mastic.

Simple to use.... only complaint was the price... they need to make it more accessible....

This product worked very well considering my situation. I used it for the backsplash in my kitchen. Since I can't go without a kitchen for more than a few hours due to children, this stuff was clean, no mess, and quick. Once you set the tile on the wall grout right away. If you wait to grout because you dont have time the tile will walk down the wall until it falls. And no worries because the stuff is very sticky the tile can be placed back into position. Once grouted it's just as sturdy as using mortar set.

Easy and fast.

Simply beautiful , easy to install. Such a big difference in my home, LOVE IT!!! Its only been in a week, shows minimal dust and easy to clean, plus love the waterproof feature!!

The idea of skipping the mortar is the only thing that is neat about this product. According to the video this product is supposed to be able to hold 25 pounds of weight per sq foot. After using this product on 63 ft.² of tile. Let me just say it was very disheartening when, within one hour of being finished with that job to have a client call and text pictures of the entire 63 ft.² of the tile literally peeling off the wall. Needless to say after a 12 hour install, another seven hours to get this worthless product off the tile and mortar to the wall the old fashion way. This product is a waste of time, it’s not worth it’s weight in gold, I will be calling the manufactures this coming Monday. It would be in your best interest not to use it. You have been warned, avoid the Many headaches with this product.