Back Butter Buddy Tile and Thinset Tool

Back Butter Buddy

As any professional tiler knows, tiling is more than just hooking up your Ridgid R4040 8″ wet tile saw and getting to work. “Back buttering” is a necessary process, particularly for larger tile. Typically, this is done by applying setting material (thinset) to the tile while rotating it in your hand. With larger jobs, that can get tiring really fast, and there’s the potential for injury from dropping a tile. With its 360 degree spinning capability, the Back Butter Buddy tile and thinnest tool by Primo Tools simplifies the back buttering process.


This non-slip “lazy-susan-style” product simply fits on the top of a standard 3.5 or 5 gallon bucket and can support up to 200 lbs. of stacked tiles. The Back Butter Buddy is one of those tools that was invented by a contractor—you can tell because it’s immensely practical. You just place the tile on it upside down, apply a thin coating of thinset with your Hart Quick-Tatch trowel and lay it down.

The Back Butter Buddy sells for $29.97 at Amazon.com and other retailers.

Features & Specs

  • Easy back buttering of large tile and stone
  • 360 degrees of rotation
  • Fits most standard 3.5 gallon and 5 gallon buckets (bucket not included)
  • Designed for tile and stone 12″ diameter and up
  • Grip surface means stacking tile is safe and recommended
  • Supports up to 200 lbs.

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