tiling onto an allready tiled surface

[gravytrain]

hello,

got a customer who has asked to have bathroom tiled on top of existing tiles.

couldn't be persuaded to remove existing tiles, so what adhesive would people recommend for 300 x 400 ceramic tiles

original tiles seem securely bonded to substrate.

many thanks in advance

 

[mikethetile]

Hi Gravytrain

tile on tile s not reccomemded as although the tiles may appear to be well bonded they may not be and the extra weight may debond the existing tiles

 

[cornish_crofter]

Hi there Gravytrain

I've done this in the past but I personally would not recommend it. In my case it was a few tiles that came off when I had to remove a shower tray to repair the floor. I explained to the customer that this wasn't a good idea but he was prepared to take the risk, he was quite right in that the other tiles that were on top of tiles hadn't come off.

Unless you really need the work I would walk away. Explain to the customer that you are not prepared to guarantee the strength of the adhesive underneath the old tiles.

 

[Rich]

As above Im afraid. I have walked away from a fair few of these, I just dont think its worth it. At the end of the day it is going to come down on you if the tiles come off and as Mike said it is pretty much impossible to assess how well the tiles are bonded without taking them off.

 

[Aston]

hi

there are 2 schools of thought out there regarding 'tile on tile'

There are fixers who will tile on tile - if you have a lot of tiling experience and you can read the job well and you are 100%confident/prove that the original substrate and tiles are in a excellent condition to support your new tiles and adhesive now AND years down the line, then it can be done. but even then, it tends to be ceramics on ceramics AND the fixer should be in a position to guarantee their work..

The problem is, there's lots of inexperienced/semi skilled tilers who dont know how to judge this scenario and my strong opinion is. if in doubt , then dont!! it would be a gamble and a wreckless gamble that could cause somebody to get hurt, especially from
large format porcelain and stone tiles falling down!! think of the damage they could cause to a child is it worth it??

so my opinion would be, unless you can 100% guarantee your work, then dont tile on tile..
1. imo, i dont think its a professional installation..
2.theres a greater chance of collapse ( and not always straight away!! but months, or a year or so down the line when the building gets older/deteriorates)
3. I'd rather lose a job and a few days wages, than lose my long term reputation!!


cheers
ed

 

[Ian]

Gravytrain, Ed (Astontiling) has put all the info you need to know in one post. This scenario comes up on here at least once a week and each time arguments will be put forward for the pros and cons. A pro will always say no! Its a guess if you decide yes!

 

[Time's Ran Out]

What happens if the original tiles have been fixed onto emulsioned plasterboard!
The weight of the new tiling is just within the guidelines ofskimmed plasterboard, but with having the original on as well you will be exceeding the ratios that the plaster supply companies will accept.
The onus will be on you to provide a guarantee for your work and the customer will swear blind he went with your evaluation as a tiling professional.

You may even find by insisting that the old tiling be removed, the customer will have extended faith in your ability.

 

[gravytrain]

hi

many thanks for your advice, i did try to convince the customer to have old tiles removed but he wasn't to be persuaded.
i must say i was a bit caught out as i've never known anyone else want this doing, i've ripped a few tiles on tiles off, but didn't quite know what to say to someone who actually wants to pay someone to stick tiles on tiles !!!
i will see if he accepts the quote but after reading what you guys have said i won't be tiling on tiles. there is quite a lot of other work as well.
if he wants me to do it he'll have to have the old tiles off or get someone else to do the tiling.

thanks again for your prompt and helpful advice

 

[Gazrus]

I had a look at a job last week & the bathroom is fully tiled approx 24 m2, I asked about the removal of the old tiles but she is adamant about tiling over the top, I have recommended removing them but she wont budge.
Do I go ahead, knowing there is no guarantee of what may happen?
Or like others have said do I just walk away from it?

 

[kilty55]

hiya gaz,its not worth the risk imo

even although shes wanting it done if it fails you will be first in the firing line from her,