Tile on top of tile can it be done

[WilliamCave]

I need to redo the tile in my showers on the second floor .

I want to avoid smashing and creating all the dust and dirt. Is it possible to just install new tile on top,of existing tile?

I have the room to be able to bring the floor up a few inches.

Thanks in advance

[ExPratt]

My mate did it on his bar in Pattaya about 7 or 8 years ago , as far as I know its still ok. You'd need to check what depth of grout is ok though

[sotsira]

If it's floor tiles then it's more possible to do.

The existing tiles that will be tiled over would be better if they have no

glaze, or grind some grooves in to them to ensure a better bond.

Use a strong quality adhesive, i would recommend the Weber brand.

[MichaelSong]

I did the same a couple of months ago, as adhesive i roughly poured some old paint I had left over on the existing tiles , let dry one day and then fixed the new tiles with "crocodile" cement. result is perfect.

[worgeordie]

On floor tiles yes,but you need a special adhesive,if I remember right its Gecko brand

or at least a Gecko picture on the bag,don't just use ordinary cement mix,we had some

tiles laid like that and they lifted.

regards worgeordie

[zzdocxx]

What we call "thinset" here in the US.

If you get one designed for tile over tile it will work fine, have done.

You need one with latex or fancy "polymers" in it, that is what makes it extra sticky.

Probably don't actually need the grooves in the underlying tile. If they are porcelain that might be a monumental (and unecessary) task in any case.

This even works on wall tiles.

Good luck !

Post some pics of your project !

[rawhod]

Be careful with bathroom tiles...

In our first house, the water had permeated under the tiles and the cement was damp. We had to have the cement out and replaced before tiles were laid.

In our new house, we have just had some non slip tiles laid over our original slippy porch tiles. As "sotsira" says, use Weber brand cement.

[ClutchClark]

Can it be done? YES.

Should it be done? NO.

[Madgee]

As other posters have stated, use a good quality water resistant adhesive cement and you should have no problems.

I have recently tiled over tiles in my family bathroom floor, adjusting the slope to the drain at the same time and the result is very satisfactory.

[ClutchClark]

As other posters have stated, use a good quality water resistant adhesive cement and you should have no problems.

I have recently tiled over tiles in my family bathroom floor, adjusting the slope to the drain at the same time and the result is very satisfactory.

And this sums it up.

Are you satisfied with "should have no problems" or do you prefer " won't have problems"?

Any quality builder will tell you to remove old tiles as any new installation will only be as good as the previous installation. Take a look around--old tiles that were poorly installed have a bad habit of lifting.

Reminds me of an old saying:

"Lets hurry up and get this done so we can do it right the next time."

The pros will understand the humor of that saying.

[KittenKong]

Tile on tile works fine if the original tiling is sound and you use the proper adhesive like this:

http://www.ctm.co.za/progrip-tile-on-tile-adhesive-20kg.html

Regular tile cement isn't good enough.

If the original tiles are loose then it wont last long.

[Thailion]

Don't do it!!!

I can't say 100% but I am sure it will be pretty close....you will regret it.

Remove the tiles...have the base resealed (ensure it is properly sloped towards your drain) and then get the new tiles laid properly.

I wouldn't dream of tile on tile on the ground floor let alone the second...water has an amazing knack of finding those little, tiny hairline cracks!

[HUAHIN62]

Buy yourself a hammer/chisel drill at Thaiwatshadu for B 1800, it lifts tiles easily. The drill may not last long but will do the one time job. You will then be certain you don't have problems in future.

I have done the shortcut route before. What we did was to use an angle grinder (only use a tile disk) to scare the existing tiles (cut groves in them) and took a hammer and hit the existing tiles on their corners to make certain the cement under them was correctly applied. Tilers sometimes cheat by only applying cement in the middle of the tile which makes the corners prone to breaking. As you are adding additional weight on top its better to make certain these corners have cement under them. You then apply the new cement on top of the existing tiles (after cleaning away the dust and broken tiles).

I would however use the chisel drill method as it makes less of a mess/dust than the grinder and takes the same time.

[Noi657]

Latex it and the go straight over the top.

[Luuk Chaai]

The proper method, is to use an uncoupling membrane , see link. WWW.schluter.com/6_1_ditr_3966.aspx

[steve187]

ditra matting isn't really suitable for this use, and i'm sure it would be almost impossible to find here.

[Brasilouro]

You can do it but Why do it !! It will take you a few hours to take the old ones up .. Wet the floor to keep the dust down get your self a few buckets to move the mess the first tile will be the hardest and the rest will come up easy enough.. Much better job in the long run .. If you leave them down they can lift . If you take them up they carnt work it out ?

Edited November 17, 2014 by Brasilouro

[Albertnobgammer]

If the original tiles are well laid and sound in the first place, then you would be hard pressed to find a better surface to lay new tiles on providing you use the correct/decent adhesive.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/tiling/tile-installation/tile-installation-how-to-tile-over-existing-tile/view-all

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/install-new-ceramic-floor-tile-top-old-ceramic-tile-21370.html

Edited November 17, 2014 by Albertnobgammer

[TeeBone]

I had porcelain tiles laid over existing floor tiles in four bathrooms in the U.S. - and it worked beautifully. We used new six-inch and twelve-inch tiles from Home Depot (good, but not high quality) over very old mosaic tiles. If the existing tiles were installed well, and are presumably old yet still firmly attached, then you won't likely have problems with the new layer - as long as that is installed well, too. In the U.S., workmanship of decades ago was very good. I'm not sure about here. After installation, we adjusted the wood or marble thresholds that make the transition from the hallway or bedroom floors to bathroom floors in order to remove the tripping risk. Once installed, the new tiles raised the bathroom floors a bit over 1/3 inch, but this would vary depending on the tile you choose. We also installed new tiles over old ones in a small shower, which turned out nice. The adhesive used is very important and other Forum members have addressed this part. Don't forget to seal the new grout lines well, and then do it again from time to time. Water tends to slop around Thai bathrooms much more than in the U.S. The overall job takes less time, is less costly, looks good and saves a lot of demolition and dust than taking the option of ripping out existing tiles, which is what most contractors recommend. I see their point but still would go the route I chose. Good luck!

[a10ams]

Had four bathroom walls retiled on top of existing tiles about three years ago.

No problems whatsoever.

[superdome]

As a former tiler in the UK...its the best base to use [old tiles]...just make sure new tiles are NOT same size so joints dont match...before doing it use UNIBOND to seal [or thai eqv] also put some unibond in new adhesive...and they will stick like "shit to a blanket"...the house will fall down b 4 the tiles come off...good luck

[T_Dog]

You remove a lot of risk if you take out the old tiles. Not hard to do and labor is cheap here. The glazing on the old tiles might not let adhesive adhere if it has been waxed, or if oil has been used in floor cleaning which is common here. (Oil the wood floors and do the tile too is common a common housekeeping technique.)

[ableguy]

As other posters have stated, use a good quality water resistant adhesive cement and you should have no problems.

I have recently tiled over tiles in my family bathroom floor, adjusting the slope to the drain at the same time and the result is very satisfactory.

And this sums it up.

Are you satisfied with "should have no problems" or do you prefer " won't have problems"?

Any quality builder will tell you to remove old tiles as any new installation will only be as good as the previous installation. Take a look around--old tiles that were poorly installed have a bad habit of lifting.

Reminds me of an old saying:

"Lets hurry up and get this done so we can do it right the next time."

The pros will understand the humor of that saying.

Could be the tiles are simply old and look dated.

[Travel Dude]

Yes William it can be done. It is very feasible and you will not have leaking problems if properly done.

Consider the following:

- The existing tiles need to be well fixed. You can not do it on loose tiles

- De-grease and Clean the existing tiles thoroughly. I recommend the import brand HG you can find at H pro.

- Apply Tile GLUE (not cement) on the whole surface with the comb and let dry for 24 hours.

- Tile on top.

Look for tutorials on google or you tube how to do proper tiling.

=> I recommend you buy the plastic spacing crosses at the DIY store. This will give you an almost impeccable result.

=> Another option you could consider is instead of using tiles on top of the tiles to use Linoleum - normally used for flooring - which you glue on the tiles.

[Jaggg88]

You can do it but Why do it !! It will take you a few hours to take the old ones up .. Wet the floor to keep the dust down get your self a few buckets to move the mess the first tile will be the hardest and the rest will come up easy enough.. Much better job in the long run .. If you leave them down they can lift . If you take them up they carnt work it out ?

I had some old tiles that were installed with sand and cement mortar instead of tile cement - it took a week to get them off with a chisel drill and it damaged the wall. So I would test how easy they are to remove before deciding. If you decide to tile on tile then you must use the specialist tile adhesive for this purpose, no need to score the old tiles.

[laislica]

As other posters have stated, use a good quality water resistant adhesive cement and you should have no problems.

I have recently tiled over tiles in my family bathroom floor, adjusting the slope to the drain at the same time and the result is very satisfactory.

And this sums it up.

Are you satisfied with "should have no problems" or do you prefer " won't have problems"?

Any quality builder will tell you to remove old tiles as any new installation will only be as good as the previous installation. Take a look around--old tiles that were poorly installed have a bad habit of lifting.

Reminds me of an old saying:

"Lets hurry up and get this done so we can do it right the next time."

The pros will understand the humor of that saying.

The jobs not worth doing, unless you do it at least twice!

Spilled blood, did a good job then!

[Strangebrew]

Sure if you cheap but if you remove tiles first you might find hidden damage that needs repair thus a cost saving in the long term. And Tiles really I used a single sheet of marble Less seams no mold build up easy to wipe down. But that's me cost more easier to install But you get what you pay for. Besides the green board on walls should be replaced if useing tiles moisture still gets thru grout causing dry rot and mold behind tiles.

Edited November 18, 2014 by Strangebrew

[robblok]

I did it and its still good, if the old tiles were still good its no problem.

Its been 2 years still no problem, we did ise tile glue instead of grout its quite a bit more expensive.

[steven100]

super glue !! .... plenty of super glue ........

[chris2004]

I need to renew my shower tiles and two thai firms i have asked have quoted to put the new tile on top of the old tile. Not sure if that is because they just don't want to remove the old tiles or whether tile on tile works OK. There seems to be a mixed opinion here. Maybe will ask around for some more quotes but there doesn't seem to be many tilers available. Any one know a good one in the Pattaya area?