Place large format tiles straight down onto fully applied mortar to avoid collapsed ridges and uneven surfaces.

Start by using a medium bed mortar rated for large format tiles and apply it with a notch trowel sized to the tile thickness, making sure you get full contact without gaps by back buttering the tile when needed. Buttering means spreading a thin even layer of mortar on the tile back to fill any lippage risk from slight warping, and you should do this for tiles larger than about twelve inches on a side or when the substrate is not perfectly flat. Hold the trowel at a consistent forty five degree angle and comb the mortar in straight ridges; those ridges compress when the tile is set so they must be continuous and parallel to ensure even collapse. Do not slide a tile into position across the ridges because that action shears and collapses them unevenly, producing hollow spots and high or low areas. Instead lower the tile straight down from a short distance and then use a slight twisting motion no larger than a quarter turn to fully embed the tile and squeeze out air pockets; that action evens the mortar under the tile. Immediately place and adjust tile spacers while the tile is still set so you do not move the tile after embedding and always check level across adjacent tiles with a long straightedge and a light tapping pad to correct minor variances before the mortar skins over.

Common problems start with sliding tiles into place which collapses mortar ridges and creates hollows that will show as uneven tiles; stop sliding and use the straight down set with a slight twist and back butter when needed. A second issue is using the wrong mortar or too thin a mortar bed which cannot compensate for substrate variations; fix that by selecting a medium bed mortar specifically formulated for large format tiles and follow the manufacturer working time and open time. A third frequent concern is waiting too long to set spacers and not checking level immediately which forces later adjustments that shear the mortar; set spacers as you place each tile and verify flatness with a long straightedge while the mortar is still plastic.

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