Can I put new wall tiles on top of old ones?

[Julie Sinar]

Hi,

I'm pretty new to DIY and am having an new bathroom suite installed and would like new tiles around the bath, I can't afford to pay someone to do it so I want to have a go myself.

There are old tiles around the bath, and I have tried taking them off but they seem to take most of the plaster from the wall of as well, revealing wooden strips. The old tiles seem really firmly attached, would it be OK just to tile over the old ones? as I don't think I could re plaster the wall and would rather not have the expense.

If I can do I need any special tiling adhesives or would regular ones do?, also what would I do about the sides of the tiles to finish them off as you would be able to see that the two tiles were there and it would be extra thick, can you get some sort of trims?.

Also, I've already removed about 4 tiles and have a hole where they were, what should I fill it up with to level it up to the tiles I have taken off, should I replace the tiles that I have taken off ( I don't have the originals as they are in bits but I could get a few cheap ones) or can I just use filler or plaster to make the level up?

Sorry for the length of this post and thanks for reading it, any suggestions appreciated,

Julie

[bs]

Hi Julie

If you have a Topps Tiles near you.....they will give you a free dvd with all the info you need for starting to tile. Its all there..................a real help.

take your time ........think long and hard about setting it out....and that's about it .........combined with the right tools. I bought the basic tools from Topps and have really enjoyed my tiling and have made a good job of all projects so far.

As for tiling on top of old tiles ...you can as long as the old ones are solidly fixed to the wall....If they are loose or they give off a "hollow sound when you tap them (showing that they are not stuck to the wall ) strip them off.

good luck

( I'm just taking a break from tiling my bathroom )

Barry

[Stickems.]

New tiles on top of old tiles is OK. It is a very common practise, almost obligatory in fact when you consider the alternative. No need to replace the old broken tiles, just fill up the holes with plaster. There may be a different adhesive but I have never seen one. All kinds of edging strips can be found in most DIY sheds.

[Stephen Williams]

Snipped>

Julie Welcome to the art of DIY.

YES you can tile over the old ones, I did it last year and they are still there! Clean all the tiles using suger soap so that there isn't any greasy residue, then paint the tiles with a diluted pva adhesive. Let everything dry out and then tile using a waterproof adhesive. Over the bath calculate where the bottom of the last full tile will be and fix a level batten the whole length of the wall - now tile from this up as it will ensure that the tiles won't slip as they are drying. Use spacers to be sure of even spacing in all directions.

When you move to other walls just transfer the batten using the base of the tiles as a guide to make sure you have a level line.

When levelling the batten use a brickies level rather than one of the short torpedo types.

Do all the full tiles first then finish with the cut ones.

Have fun, Steve

[David]

In our old bathroom, I decided to remove the tiles and make a "Proper job" of it. BIG MISTAKE! Pulling the tiles off also pulled a lot of the wall with it, and it took quite a long time to remove the tiles and make the wall good again. Then I had to start the tiling.....

Recently our neighbour started to revamp her bathroom. She was extremely grateful for the suggestion that tiling on the old tiles was a good idea, and why!! I'd certainly tile over the existing tiles. Just follow the advice already given in this thread and you'll make a really nice job of it.

I'd be inclined to splash out on an electric tile cutter. It doesn't have to be an expensive one. You can get them at all the DIY sheds, and they really make a neat job of the cuts, and save a lot of breakages when trying to score and crack them the traditional way.

David

[Stephen Williams]

The tool I found was really useful was a ceramic tile cutter blade for the jigsaw. As I couldn't easily cahange the position of the sink and radiator I was able to cut the precise shape needed. My sink was rounded at the sides so I cut a template and fixed to the tile, cut around that and it fitted a treat.

Steve

[Julie Sinar]

Thanks for all the replies, they were very helpfull, I'm going to go ahead putting them on top of the old ones,

Julie