The ratio
Maira Tile Bond 3100 takes 4.8 to 5.2 litres of clean water per 20 kg bag — about 24 to 26% by weight. That is the whole specification. No second component, no admixture, nothing else to add.
Measure the water. Do not judge it by eye from a hose. The gap between 4.8 and 5.2 litres is about a large mugful, and consistently overshooting it across a job costs real strength.
Powder into water, not the other way round
Put the measured water in a clean bucket first, then add the powder while stirring. Pouring water onto powder traps dry pockets at the bottom that no amount of mixing fully breaks up — you end up with lumps, or with more water than you meant to use trying to chase them out.
Mix slowly, not fast
Use a slow-speed drill with a paddle. A high-speed mixer whips air into the mortar, and air in the bed is voids behind the tile — exactly the hollow spots you are trying to avoid.
Mix until smooth and lump-free, with no dry powder at the bottom. Scrape the sides.
Let it stand, then stir again
Leaving the mix to stand a few minutes after the first mix, then re-stirring briefly, gives the polymer additives time to take up water properly. The mortar comes back noticeably smoother and holds its ridges better. It costs nothing but a tea break.
The mistake that undoes all of it
When the mix starts stiffening in the bucket, the instinct is to splash in more water and stir it back to life. Do not. It is stiffening because it has started to set, and adding water then breaks up the structure already forming. It will look workable again and it will have lost strength.
If it has gone off, it has gone off. Mix a fresh batch, and mix a smaller one.
Mix what you can use
How long a batch stays workable depends on the weather. In Lahore summer heat a full bag can stiffen far faster than the same bag in winter, and a bucket in direct sun goes off faster still.
Work out roughly how much area you can comb and tile before it skins over, and mix to that. Half a bag at a time in hot weather wastes far less than a full bag you cannot finish. Keep the bucket in shade.
Clean bucket, clean water
Cured residue from the last batch acts as an accelerator and shortens your working time. Site water carrying silt or salts is not what the ratio was specified against. Both are easy to fix and easy to ignore.
What a good mix looks like
Smooth, no lumps, no dry pockets. Stiff enough that combed ridges stand up and hold their shape rather than slumping flat, but soft enough to comb without fighting it. When you press a tile in, the ridges should collapse and the back should make full contact.
The five application steps are set out — in English and Urdu — on the main product page.
Note: the figures here are typical values for Maira Tile Bond 3100 and are given as guidance. Real results vary with substrate, tile format, trowel size, temperature and site conditions. Confirm quantities and working times with Ali Traders before you order or start work.