Terracotta tile -> hardibacker w/ SBC or Liquid Nails?

[kebwi]

I'm stuccoing a vertical hardibacker surface with surface bonding cement. I am embedding tiles in the stucco. Is the best approach to press the tiles into the first layer of SBC and then add subsequent layers around them, or to glue the tiles directly to the hardibacker and then SBC around them?

I have had good success using Liquid Nails to attach tiles to wood. I figure, it might be a better bond than the SBC...plus it would greatly easy placing the tiles since I could draw their target placement on to the hardibacker in advance instead of blindly pushing them into a homogenous layer of SBC.

Thoughts?

[fxpose]

Originally Posted by kebwi

I have had good success using Liquid Nails to attach tiles to wood. I figure, it might be a better bond than the SBC...plus it would greatly easy placing the tiles since I could draw their target placement on to the hardibacker in advance instead of blindly pushing them into a homogenous layer of SBC.

Thoughts?

This is the approach I would take. ...definitely makes placement and alignment easier.
I've also had great success using liquid nails/construction glue replacing broken tiles, even those thick saltillo tiles. Never had a tile crack or come loose using this method.