Re-tiling a bathroom?

Question

I am looking to re-tile my girlfriends bathroom, and want to know the easiest way of doing it without completly messing up the wall underneath. I've done it before, but we were getting the wall re-plastered so it didn't matter so much. She want's to keep the cost down as much as possible, and tiling over the top of the existing ones isn't an option

Answer 1

Contour tiling. Tiling on a thick wallpaper style roll. You use a special paste but it's soooo much easier than any kind of regular ceramic tiling.

Answer 2

There is no reason why you cannot tile over the existing tiles! If you do - overlap the tiles so that the joints are not in the same place!

If you want to strip them off and start again - remove the grout with a blade or grout removal tool - use a wide chisel and start from the top outside edge and work down.

If plaster comes away from the wall (and it probably will) don't worry about it too much as any holes can be filled as you tile with the adhesive!

The main reason plaster comes off is because people tend to hit into the wall, instead of trying to prise the tile by hitting along the wall!

Answer 3

Tiling over the existing tile is no at all recommended. If you are having the the wall re-plastered and start with a good flat base the project will go along great. Start with a good quality tile mastic, determine the tile pattern before applying tile mastic so that you don't end up with small tile pieces in the main sight areas. The tile layout is very important step don't rush it! You can purchase inexpensive 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" glazed tile for about $1.50 a sq.ft. A great site for information is www.ekbdc.com. Good luck with your project!

Answer 4

I just went through this myself. I live in an old aprt bld and had to replace the tiles in my tubsuround for my landlord. the wall behind was a mess and soaked in water. I replaced the wood with new, but had to clean up the studs behind as well, as all had gave way. This can be a big job, as it was for myself. The one this I didnt take into account was the thickness of the previous wood. I have allways sudjested 3/8" plywood and all should be good. well some was 1/4" and some was 3/8". turns out the wood at the taps was 1/4" and I had some fun fitting in the taps again by using 3/8". To make things easier on yourself use a mastic rather than a thinset. this will be easier to use and requires no mixing. If you are planning to use a waterproof method of Kerdie cloth then you have to use thinset throughout. Tiling itself was easy as was the grouting. the demo was the nightmare. So your project should go like this- replace wood, tile the wall, wait 24hrs to allow mastic/thinset to set, grout tile, again allow 24hrs to cure. the next day you should be able to use the area. Remember to square the walls the best you can, your walls may not be square so you will have to addjust. also pick up sillicone for the caulking when all is done. Also after 7days you should seal the grout with a teflon sealer. allow 7days so the grout is cured and the the sealer will not discolour your grout at all. Good luck hope all goes smooth for you!

Answer 5

Just be careful when taking off the old tiles. If you use a chisel and gently break one tile off at a time. Start from the top and work your way down. I did my kitchen like this and didn't damage the walls behind at all. I had to scrap left over tile adhesive off the wall but after that, walls were fine to re-tile with my new shiny tiles.

Answer 6

Filthy doberman

Answer 7

There is no easy way to do it.