Tile adhesive

Does anyone have advice on the best method of laying tiles - thin layer tile adhesive, or thick layer cement as generally used here in PH?
I had a problem with tiles lifting (tenting) in one house and I'd like to avoid this happening in the new place.

 

My tiler mixed tile adhesive with the cement, don't know the ratio but used a lot of adhesive and the cement was about 2 inch thick. Been down 4 years no problem.

 

I went to Negros Builders (near Robinson’s) to look at their tile selection and I mentioned to them that I used to get my tiles from Citihardware. The guy I spoke to asked me if I had problems with tiles “popping” out of their placement because apparently, that’s the usual complaint when you buy tiles from Citihardware. Reason for it, because they’re made in China and not as temperature resistant. He went on and on about specifications, but I was too much of a girl to understand what he was talking about. All I took from that convo was that it didn’t have anything to do with the tile adhesive but rather the quality of the tiles that you buy.

 

My house is all tiles from City Hardware. They have been down for almost 10 years with no problem.

 

Sounds like a sales pitch to me. I bought all my tiles from Cityhardware. 450sq metres and none of them have popped. He,she is telling you BS

 

Good to know.

 

If you want to understand the basics, i suggest spending a few hours surfing youtube. Seems to be the best overall instruction. Then type in "tiles popping up," or similar...

 

Thanks for the input folks - I'll try the tile adhesive/cement mix, and 2 - 3mm spacers. Pretty much all the tiles I've looked at are Chinese made.