Tiling on top of tiles??

[mikedavey]

Hi

I've been tiling a bathroom this week & the customer asked if i can tile on top of existing tilles. I said no i wouldn't, i gave her the reasons etc etc. So i'm removing the old tiles which are on plasterboard. This is the first real job i've had & i found it was a nightmare removing the tiles as it was ripping all the plasterboard apart.

What would you do, tiles on top of old tiles or completely replace all plasterboard or just repair any damaged board as you go along?

This is a massive learning curve for me as i didn't expect it to take so long before i could even put up the first tile. :mad2:

Many thanks

Mike

 

[abskiing]

Tile over the originals if you are happy they are fixed solid enough. But clean and prepare them first.

abskiing

 

[brian c]

you could have done the tapping test on the tiles checking for hollows and if you never found any then you could have tiled on top of tiles.I have done this before just make sure tiles are clean and free from grime and dust use sugar soap to clean them.Use agood quality adhesive to fix the tiles.On the other hand if you were trying to take the tiles off plasterboard then this normally results in pieces of the board coming away so i normally just rip off tile and board and re board as this is a lot easier and gives you nice straight clean walls to work with.As you sAY its a learning curve so put it down to that and be prepared for next time you are asked to do the same.

 

[penno]

Explain as you did about the cons of tiling over tiles but if that is what the customer wants then thats what they get aslong as they understand everything.
Would suggest that you tell the customer HE removes the tiles in future, if he wants you to do it then charge accordingly. Also explain that until the tiles are removed you cannot possibly judge the walls state. If they are in a state and need repairing then once again charge for it.

 

[Saltire69]

Did a job a couple off weeks ago tile on tile. Customer didn't want tiles off as it was full bathroom. Said the plumber would tile it for £375. I quoted £350 and explained everything to him about tiling on top but he was adamant he wasn't taking tiles off. Used Bal Grip and he was happy with the job, gave me a £50 tip .:hurray:

 

[Falcone]

Does anyone point blank refuse to tile on top of tiles?

 

[GazTech]

Does anyone point blank refuse to tile on top of tiles?

only ever refuse if the tiling going onto is suspect....just tapping them or trying to remove one is the best test....otherwise..why make work hard for yourself.....Gaz

 

[woodie]

if the customer is happy after all has been explained go ahead i've tiled on top of tiles before and am happy to do so again. one thing i usually do is score the old tiles to give the adhesive a bit of extra bond
Mike:yes:

 

[DHTiling]

But depending on the new tiles format..( if it is large ). then there is no choice but to remove and start again with fresh walls............

 

[GazTech]

But depending on the new tiles format..( if it is large ). then there is no choice but to remove and start again with fresh walls............

That goes without saying...always expose walls and check for integrity,with any tile over 31x31x10....Gaz

 

[Perry]

think of the combind weight of the tiles on the on the substrate, and tiles can be easy removed if you take the plaster board off as well and only costs £ 5 a sheet Pete

 

[Falcone]

women I quoted for last week wanted tiles on top of tiles but in some places like behind toilet etc there wasnt a tile to tile on top of... in this case what would you do?

her husband hadnt finished tiling the whole thing!!

 

[student_uk]

Hi I'm not a tiler. I have a bathroom that is fully tiled that I want redone. I've asked a couple of people whether it's a good idea to tile on top of the existing tiles or not, and got very different answers. Now I'm quite confused. Could anyone help by explaining what the pros and cons are of tiling on top of existing ones? Thanks

 

[DHTiling]

The advantage of tiling on top of tiles is that you have very little prep work to

do..that's about it really...but the dis-advantages are that ...

1. You are tiling onto somebody else's work so you dont know how well stuck they are to tile onto...

2. You can only hang so much weight in tiles etc to a sqr mtr of area so by adding more tiles to existing tiled area's is upping the weight limits...
20kg onto plaster and 32kg onto plaster boards...

3. It can be more expensive in adhesives to stick to existing tiles as you usually have to use a flexible adhesive for this process...where as most wall tiling onto normal substrates you can just use an acrylic dispersion adhesive...

But you have to be prepared for some repair work to the walls substrate when taking tiles off as depending on how they are fixed it might damage them...

hope this helps...............

 

[Grace'sDad]

2. You can only hang so much weight in tiles etc to a sqr mtr of area so by adding more tiles to existing tiled area's is upping the weight limits...
20kg onto plaster and 32kg onto plaster boards...

Is this the right way round Dave? I thought plaster walls would be stronger than plasterboard?