So you&#;re ready to install new tile, but you&#;re unsure of one thing: can you tile over tile?
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The short answer: while there are times that you can, you probably shouldn't. The longer answer: we&#;ll get into that!
The majority of the time, you&#;ll want to start with a fresh installation. This will ensure the longest life for your tiles, both aesthetically and practically. However, there may be times when you can install new tile over existing tile - so let&#;s take a look at which option is going to give your gorgeous new tiles the best long life!
This Pearl Chic White Marble & Mother of Pearl Waterjet mosaic tile will give you all the inspiration you need for your next tile renovation.
Whenever someone is tackling a renovation project or a remodel, this tends to be the first question that they ask. Someone already laid all of that tile, do I really need to rip it out and start over?
While you technically can install new tile over old tile in some circumstances, it&#;s really a practice that should be avoided. We know - that&#;s probably not the answer that you wanted to hear! However, that extra demo time at the beginning of your project can save you a lot of time, effort, energy - and MONEY - in the long run.
This pearl and white marble herringbone tile is way too pretty to risk with an improper install!
Here are the top reasons that you should avoid tiling over tile:
1. Already laid tiles don&#;t provide the best surface for new tiles to grip. The bond between your adhesive and your tile is one of the most important factors in ensuring that your tiling job will last for years to come. To make sure the adhesive has properly covered the bottom of your tile, you want to make sure the wall or substrate where they are being laid is as level as possible. If the surface is uneven, say from a zellige-style tile or where grout lines create a dip, the adhesive won&#;t be able to properly bond with the bottom of the new tile. You&#;ll risk having tiles lift up after installation is complete, or even having water leak between the layers and cause rot and damage
2. Not all adhesives can bond tile to tile. Many thinsets and tile mortars are intended to bond with a backerboard or substrate and the bottom of a tile - they may not properly bond with the surface of a glazed ceramic tile or polished glass tile. These tiles have special backings that will provide a firm grip on the bottom, but that doesn&#;t mean they&#;re going to make a good surface to tile over.
You want a firm grip on the back of your tiles to make sure there&#;s no lifting or breakage once they&#;re installed.
3. You&#;re adding extra height and weight with double the tiles. Keep in mind that wall tiles need to be thin and light enough to adhere to your plaster or drywall. That weight will be doubled if you tile over tile, and may be heavy enough to cause damage to your wall. Floor tiles need enough clearance between the surface of the tile and door openings, appliances, and furniture - tiling over tile doubles the thickness of the flooring and may cause fittings to jam or doors to stick.
4. Any gaps or pores can cause issues after tile is installed. Tile experts recommend you tile on surfaces that are as pristine as possible. You want to make sure there&#;s no debris, dust, cracks, gaps, or large pores that can allow room for moisture to seep in or for tiles to settle or shift after installation. The more wiggle room (literally) in your installation, the more likelihood that you risk your beautiful new tiles becoming damaged, cracked, or trapping moisture.
Any one of these concerns can be enough to wreck your brand new tiling job - resulting in a lot more work and money paid out than if you ripped out the old tile in the first place. Not to mention - a good demo day can be quite cathartic! Mask up and grab your mallet and get to smashing!
Check out our top tips for DIY Tile Installation
There are a few instances when you can get away with removing old tiles - or even your entire backerboard - and starting from scratch. While we recommend consulting a contractor or builder to make sure your new installation is going to have the most longevity and be up to code, here are some tips to see if you can consider tiling over tile.
1. Assess the Existing Tile
You&#;ll first want to assess the existing tile installation. Regardless of if you physically can&#;t remove the old tile or just don&#;t want to (hey, we&#;re not judging), there are instances in which tiling over existing tile is fine. If it provides a solid, level and clean work surface free from cracks, crumbling grout, or signs of retained moisture, using the existing tile as a subfloor to new tile can work, and we&#;ll show you how to tile over tile below.
If, however, you find that your existing tile is unlevel or cracked or has mildew or retained moisture, it&#;s best to remove it to avoid the risks we listed in the first section.
The Family Handyman demonstrates how to grind off high spots on the existing tile for a smooth, even working surface.
To test that your existing tile is solidly bonded to the floor, lightly tap them with a wood mallet. If any make a hollow sound, they are loose and will not provide the best surface to lay new tiles. To test that you&#;re working with a smooth surface, simply use a level to see if there are any imbalances. If you have a slight irregularity, you can use a right angle grinder (pictured above) to grind off high spots.
Use a level to ensure your base tile is as flat of a surface as possible
2. Prepare Your Tiling Surface
Handyman extraordinaire Bob Vila warns that tiling over an uneven surface will give you a less than ideal end result. For best results when tiling over tile, level out any mounds of dried grout with a sander and secure loose tiles before laying new tile. You can use a tile adhesive to secure any that are loose to create a smooth surface for your new tiles.
Next, you&#;ll want to lay out your new tiles, cutting them to size to fit around any walls, corners and fixtures. Once you have selected your new tiles, check out the right tile cutting tools and techniques for each material.
An angle cutter makes it easy to make multiple cuts in different shapes and sizes, requiring little finesse to operate.
Once this is complete, move them out of the way and clean the original tiled surface with a degreasing soap. Let the surface dry completely before moving on. You want to have the most pristine surface possible to lay out your adhesive and secure the tiles as firmly as possible.
Clear your existing tile well with a degreasing soap. Be sure it dries thoroughly before moving on.
3. Choose the Right Trowel
Before laying your adhesive, you&#;ll want to make sure you have the right trowel to apply your mortar and create the best bond for your tile. This will depend on a few key factors - the size of your tile, and the flatness of your surface.
Since you&#;re laying tile over existing tile, you&#;ll want to ensure you have enough mortar laid down to provide a strong grip and ensure there are no gaps or spaces between layers of tile.
Read More: How to Pick the Right Trowel for your Tiles
Find the right adhesive at your local home improvement store, and a gorgeous hexagon tile at Tile Club!
4. Begin Tile over Tile Installation
Now that you&#;ve got your adhesive picked out and your surface free and clear of any dirt or debris, you can begin the new tile installation!
Start by scooping your adhesive from the bucket with a trowel, applying a thin layer to a small section of tiles. You&#;ll want to avoid applying it to a large surface area to ensure you&#;re not laying tile on drying adhesive. Score the surface adhesive with the toothed edge of your trowel, drawing straight lines along the wet surface. (see below)
A kitchen backsplash tile project depicting the correct way to apply thinset behind our Mallorca Blue ceramic subway tiles
Firmly press new tile over the small adhesive area you&#;ve just laid, sliding the tile perpendicular to the combed lines. At this point feel free to rotate through laying tile, spreading adhesive and scoring until all tile is securely in place. Once your tile is set, let it sit to dry. This could take 24 hours or more, so be patient!
5. Time to Grout & Seal
Now that your tiles are in place and the adhesive has set, you&#;re ready to seal the spaces between them with grout. For smaller grout lines (&#;&#; or less), unsanded ground is typically recommended. Unsanded grout works better on flooring and wall tiles with grout lines larger than &#;&#;, since it resists shrinking and cracking better than sanded grout.
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This gorgeous recycled glass herringbone mosaic tile perfectly illustrates the elegant look small grout lines can achieve.
Keep your grout clean and free of unnecessary moisture, debris or dirt by sealing it with the right sealer. Penetrating sealers work best in damp areas like bathrooms and showers, while membrane-forming sealers are ideal in kitchens. Don&#;t miss our post on how to properly seal grout if you choose to do so.
6. Enjoy The Final Result!
If you&#;ve made it this far, congratulations! You have officially earned bragging rights while answering the question of whether you can lay tile over tile. Now all that&#;s left to do is sit back, relax and enjoy your newly tiled space!
Tile Club&#;s Topaz Marbled Glass Hexagon Mosaic Tile brings a fun, bright and inviting look in your home.
There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a new tile. To be sure your selection is the ideal choice for the intended application, (some tiles work well as bathroom wall tile, but not bathroom floor tile, for example) ask yourself these 7 questions before picking out your new tile. Then, check out our gorgeous selection of bathroom tiles, kitchen and backsplash tiles for the wall and floor tiles of your dreams. We even have peel and stick tile for DIY backsplash tiling made easy!
Are you tired of the outdated tiles in your kitchen or bathroom? Is it time to refresh your space but you are intimidated by the thought of removing the old tiles? Good news&#; sometimes you can tile over tile without the hassle and expense of removing the old tiles first! In this post, I'm covering when tiling over existing tile is a good option (spoiler alert&#;it usually isn't) as well as a step-by-step tutorial for how to do it!
When we were trying to figure out how to update the shower as part of Attley's bathroom makeover on a budget, I remembered that my friend Bre from Brepurposed tiled over existing tile in one of her bathrooms. Her father-in-law is a tile expert, so I was convinced it could be done well. But Bre didn't tile over tile in a shower, so I wasn't sure if the same method she used would work for us. So I did a ton of research and I'm sharing everything I learned in this post.
Can you tile over tile?Yes, it is possible to tile over existing tiles. We have done it and are thrilled with the results (more on our project later). But it is is not always a viable option or a good idea. You should only consider tiling over existing tile if:
And as with any DIY project, you need to make sure that you have the right materials, tools and techniques to do the job correctly. Otherwise, you should call a professional!
We installed this penny tile OVER outdated tiles in our daughter's shower.Is tiling over tile a good idea? Should you do it?Now that you know you can tile over existing tile, the next question is should you? I personally feel like the answer is usually no because in most instances, the existing tile surface is not optimal for tiling over.
Tiling over tile is only an option only if your project meets all of the requirements above. It might be tempting to tile over tile that doesn't meet all those requirements thinking it's a good &#;quick fix&#; for getting your house on the market, etc. But tiling over tile that is cracked, unstable or has any sort of leak or moisture issue is a terrible idea.
But if your tile is in great condition and has absolutely no issues, tiling over them can be a great way to update and modernize a bathroom without the expense and hassle of removing the existing tiles. I think tile over tile is a great option for things like a tile backsplash, a fireplace surround, and bathroom walls.
We installed tile over tile on the walls of our daughter's tub/shower combo almost two years ago and are very happy with the results. But I wouldn't ever consider doing it in our primary bathroom because the tiles in our bathroom are not perfectly level.
I personally would not install floor tile over existing tile because the double thickness would make for a very awkward threshold transition from the adjoining room. Note: We have installed a floating vinyl tile floor over a ceramic tile floor in our laundry room and that additional thickness was easy to manage with a threshold where the tile floor meets our hardwoods. And there are so many other cheap flooring ideas for updating tile floors that I would turn to first. For example, in both of our daughters' bathrooms we updated the tile floors with tile stickers!
What are the cons of tiling over tile?While tiling over existing tiles can be a cost-effective and convenient way to update a space, there are some potential drawbacks to consider.
If your existing tiles are not stable and firmly attached to the underlying surface OR if the existing tile surface is not prepared properly before installing the new tile, the new tiles may not adhere properly and will eventually loosen and/or crack. And if you ever decide to remove the tiles to start from scratch, you will have to demo two layers of tile.
The added layer of tiles will increase the thickness of the floor or wall, which may require adjustments to doors, trim, and other elements of the room.
We tiled over the shower tiles in our daughter's bathroom and couldn't be happier with our results. We completed our tile job on November 21, and I'm writing this post on July 13, . Everything is holding up perfectly and we have not had any issues whatsoever.
I waited quite a while to write this post because I wanted some time to pass first! If I wrote the post and the tiles fell off 6 months later, I would feel awful. But now that so much time has passed, I feel confident in our results!
BEFOREAFTERMaterials NeededIf you decide to go for it, you will need some specific products in addition to all the typical things you need to install tile (mortar or thinset, trowel, grout, etc.). This is because a smooth surface is not ideal for tile to adhere to.
You will also need something to finish the edge of your tile installation wherever it meets an adjoining surface. This is kind of tricky since your tile will be double the typical thickness. If you are installing tile over an existing tile floor, you will need to find a threshold that can handle the transition.
If you are tiling over a tile wall, you will need an edge trim in a size that will accommodate the thickness of your existing tile + 1/8&#; for mortar + the thickness of your new tile. The 1/2&#; size was perfect for us, but you may need a different size since the thickness of tile varies.
We used a Schluter 1/2-inch edge trim. They come in a variety of colors. We chose white to match our tile as closely as possible.
How to Tile Over Tile: A Step-by-Step TutorialYou can watch a short video that gives a good overview of this project below. It will play after a short ad.
Time needed: 2 days
This tutorial is going to walk you through how to tile over existing tile on shower/tub walls, since that is what we did.
Note that we generally followed this tutorial from a highly reputable contractor. But we did not apply a waterproof membrane like he suggests in the video. Why? According to our research, the membrane might prevent the bonding primer from doing its job. He explains in his video that the membrane is to provide separation from any moisture that is behind your existing tiles from your new tiles. Because we were certain we did not have moisture behind our existing tiles (again, use a moisture meter to check), we did not use a waterproofing membrane. And for what it's worth, if we had detected any moisture, we would have ripped the old tiles out and not tiled over them.
We used T.S.P. to clean our tiles first. Then we covered our bathtub with plastic sheeting and a plastic tarp.
Roll the ECO Prim Grip on your tile surface. Use a paintbrush to get in any areas the roller can't reach. This product is pretty runny, so be sure to protect any areas you don't want it to get on. Let it dry. Note that it is fairly translucent&#;it just adds a grayish haze to your tiles (see the photo below). That doesn't mean you haven't put enough on! If you run your hand over it after it dries, you will realize how gritty it feels. It's that grit that will make the mortar and new tiles adhere well and will support the additional weight.
In most instances, you want to install your tile edge trim at this point and then install your tile by placing the edge of your tile against the edge trim and working away from it into the corner. I would recommend this if you are installing any tiles with straight edges.
Because we were installing round penny tiles and wanted them to meet up in the corners a certain way, we chose to work in the opposite direction. We worked from the corner toward the tile edge trim, so we didn't install the edge trim until we were ready to tile up to it. Doing it in this order was absolutely fine, but if we had used straight-edge tiles we would have worked in the opposite direction.
This isn't intended to be a comprehensive tiling tutorial so I won't go into detail. At this point you simply need to install your tile and grout as you normally would.
After you are done tiling and grouting, caulk along any seams and joints as necessary. You can see my tutorial for how to caulk a bathtub if you need some guidance. We also caulked along where the Schluter edge trim met up with the wall for a nice clean look.
There you have it! If tiling over tile is a good option for you, it's a great way to refresh your space without the hassle of removing old tiles. I hope this step-by-step guide has been helpful in teaching you how to decide whether you should tile over your existing tile and in showing you how to complete the job!
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