Instead of tearing up the old ceramic tile on bathroom floor, contractor wants to install new ceramic tile on top of the old tile. I understand his reasoning: less labor and no need to dispose of old tile.
1) Is this standard practice?2) If not, will the job quality be impaired by installing new tile on top of existing tile?
As always, thanks.
no.
probably.
very bad idea, a real hack job.
run away from thius contractor.
Not sure if it is standard practice but they've done it here.. The old bathroom tiles were ugly but the installation was structurally fine. The installer buffed (scrached?) the old tile surface to give good grip to the thinset and then installed the new tiles over the old ones. Cant tell the old ones are still there!
Also, me thinks that leaving a layer on the subloor adds strength to the installation..
/cp
It depends on a few things as I understand it, the new tiles mortar has to bond well meaning old tile has to be in solid shape and pourus and clean which might mean roughening it with a diamond blade gouger and acid washed, which he probably doesnt have that tool. And acid etching or some kind of major cleaning can ruin other things. If present tile has a hard shiney surface how will a new mortar bond to it. I would also demand a long warranty like 10 years, which he wont give. So it can be done but should it.
As long as the foundation is strong and in tact, and it's done properly, it should be OK. Also consider the extra thickness it's adding to the floor where it meets other floors; is that OK with you?
I would suggest you weigh the cost of the tile you are about to install against the possibility that it might not take. I would not take that chance if it were me. Ceramic tile last for a long time if done right. If done wrong, you could have a costly mistake.
I would suggest you weigh the cost of the tile you are about to install against the possibility that it might not take. I would not take that chance if it were me. Ceramic tile last for a long time if done right. If done wrong, you could have a costly mistake.
I agree with that summation.
We had two bathrooms done this way about six years ago. They are in excellent condition today. T
How about installing ceramin tile on top of vinyl tile?
Do-able?
Tx
Thats a never, no mortar can ever bond to plastic.
Mortar isn't the only tile adhesive.
Mastic should stick tile to just about any clean dry surface. -----
-gpsman
As others have said, it can and has been done.
However I agree with these 2 points even more:
1 - You might have a height problem after the installation of the new tile.2 - Not truly knowing the condition of the existing tile and what's under it, I'd opt for starting fresh by removing the old and using "modern materials".
My old bathroom floor had a 2 inch mortar base under the tiles. This base began to crumble and the tiles began to loosen up. I hate to have this happen under a newly tiled floor. I removed all the old tile and mortar, beefed up the T&G sub-floor and laid plywood, tile-backer then tile. I was able to bring the floor up to exactly the same height as before, so it's flush with the threshold, etc. Oh yeah, as long as I had the floor tore up, I replaced the galvanized pipe from my sink to the main stack with PVC. It was a lot of work, but I sleep better knowing exactly what is under my tile and that it will last a long, long time.
If you want to save some labor costs (and don't want to remove the old floor yourself) contact a local boy scout troop and see if they know of an older scout who has some construction experience - like someone who has a dad or uncle they've worked with. Pay him to come over and remove the old floor - it'll be a lot cheaper than paying your contractor to do the unskilled part of the job. I've seen some Eagle Scout construction projects that were quite impressive.
I did it over old vinyl 7 years ago with no problem. I used mortar mix to do it as well. Didn't have much choice the vinyl wasn't coming up. And you don't any vertical issues over vinyl...
I'd never do it over existing tile though. It's too easy (and fun) to get old tile up. Seems a bit lazy to me... ==================== From: snipped-for-privacy@forteinc.com
How about installing ceramin tile on top of vinyl tile? Do-able? Tx
re: Seems a bit lazy to me
And that seems a bit harsh to me.
From a physical perspective, perhaps the OP is not capable of removing the old tile. While I'll agree that it was somewhat fun, removing the
2" of mortar under my tile was not an easy job. Since the OP is having a contractor lay the tile, maybe DIY stuff is not in his wheelhouse or within his physical abilities. Nothing wrong with that.From a cost perspective, removing the old floor may put the project overbudget. If (see paragraph above) the OP has to pay a skilled laborer to remove the old tile, that could be a big expense for a menial job. That's why I suggested finding some cheaper labor to do the destruction and pay the contractor for his skilled labor.
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