Tiling over tiles??

[ginty]

Hi hope this is the right place to ask this . Just quoted for three small bathroom walls and the customer wants me to tile over the old tiles , the new tiles will be 20 x 20 ceramic is this ok ? I have only done about 5 jobs and not attempted this before. also doing the floor in ceramics too on to which is floor boards, so am I right in thinking all I have to do is nail down 9mm ply first? any help much appreciated. Thanks

[doug boardley]

tiling over tiles?, will the wall substrate take the weight? what is the substrate? personally I'd go for the ripout and work from a blank canvas, you don't know how well existing tiles are stuck and by adding more weight it might just be the straw that broke the camels' back so to speak!, not to sure what you're intending with floor, unless I've read your thread wrong, but screw rather than nail!
hope this helps Ginty,
Doug

[grumpygrouter]

You need to ask yourself if the tiles you are tiling onto are adequately fixed firstly, then, is the substrate capable of taking the extra weight?

To tile onto a surface that you don't know is sound could be problematic! As for the floor, just "nailing down 9mm ply" isn't really the considered answer. Is the floor solid? Have the boards been securly fixed to the joists? Is there gaps between the boards? 9mm ply is an absolute minimum thickness for what you want to be doing but really you need to assess the state of the floor first before deciding your next step. Oh! and the ply should be screwed, not nailed and really should be down at no more than 300mm centres, less would be even better.

[ginty]

Thankyou very much guys will do everything you said and tile from scratch.

[Fred]

I hate these type of quotes. Its so hard to explain to the client what is right and what is wrong. I usually get, ' oh, but my friend's tiler did it that way........'

As for using nails putting ply down, thats a no no, it will eventually move. Screws every time.

[malcolml]

pop into the trade counter and we can discuss alternatives with you about different floor preperation i.e. hardibaker, and different solutions,and you can drop in some cards!!
as for nailing forget it use screws 30cm centres on marine ply prime the back and sides before fixing.as for the wall rip out and start from scratch .
WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER

[cornish_crofter]

I would agree about the walls.

Remove the tiles.

If you explain to the customer about the issue of the tiles possibly coming off, then she might buy it.

I removed some tiles on a job a few weeks back, they came off is sheets, I kid you not. The grout between the tiles was stronger than the adhesive sticking them to the wall!

On one area about 700 wide by 900 high, I tapped the bolster chisel on one tile at the top and the whole lot landed on my feet!

[garretridge]

i did bathroom the other week customer wanted me to do the same tile ceramic on ceramic tiles so idid it after trying to explain that its not good practice to do this they were sound so i suger soaped the old tiles before i started and got rid of the addy he bought tub stuff the tile shop said it would be fine what (crap)told him would have to be bag cement addy to stick them properly so i put them up and he was a happy customer so it can be done but no good pracice if you can avoid it but people are trying to save money and we cant turn the work away hope this helps!

[devonmark]

I have walked away from jobs like this because the customer has insisted on going over the old tiles, I will not damage my reputation because the customer 'knows best'. I sometimes think that people think you are taking the mick and squeezing more money out them by doing the 'extra work '.
I recently did a job where the customer wanted me to go over the existing tiles, after I told him I did not do tiling over tiles and explained why he agreed to have them removed and made good. On removing the tiles there were already 2 layers of tile, had I gone over them, it would have been the 3rd
Mark.

[pendleh]

Good Luck m8. Let us know how it went.

Best Wishes

Howard

[DERBER]

All very good advice chaps..........
I glue as well as screw by the way, and always walk if punter wants tiles on tiles..that is if they don't want to listen........