How do you tile anyway? thank you
I have to have the same thing done. No, I would not put the new over the old! Actually, I know that it is expensive, but it would be best to hire someone that knows what they are doing, do it for you. Worth the money in the long run.
Tiling over existing tiles is never a good idea. You need to rip them out, and tile to the existing sub-floor if it is in good shape. Also, you need to remove the old glue or cement used to adhere the existing tiles. If you cannot remove the glue/cement and the sub-floor is in crappy condition, then rip it out and put in a new sub-floor. And yes, I do know about this, because I'm doing exactly that right now myself. Google up How to Tile....you will get many how to video's that will show you exactly what to do.
I will go with Rob on this one. Yes, it's possible using epoxy-based adhesives. However, unless you have a lot of experience doing this, it won't look right, especially if you are doing walls and have exposed edges. How are you planning on finishing the edges? Have you accounted for the decreased room dimensions? There are way too many variables. Rip it out and start over. There is a good chance that you may have to go down to stud as drywall tends to pretty much get trashed when you take tile off of it. When I remodel a bath and am re-laying all the tile, I ALWAYS take it to stud and start over. It saves time in the long run and in my business, time is money.
Its much better too remove the old tile, tile requires a special backing board that the mortar adheres to, you would have to put it over the exisitng tile and it would bring your surfaces out another 1/2-1 or so. I would go to Home Depot or book store and buy a book on DIY tile. You will need to rent a wet saw to cut the tiles. You use mortar to adhere the tile, little plastic spacers in between the tile, then you finish off with grout. If you have never laid tile, I would try find a friend/family member who has, or get an estimate from a professional. It is a very labor intensive job, and you need to be meticulous. If anything is off you can get water problems cause cracking, mold, mildew, etc.
If your tiles are clean and tightly bound to what ever they are bonded to, yes it can be done with special adhesives and longer drying times. Its always best to start anew. Ripping out the old and starting over but not always possible. You ll need the proper thin set, correct size trowels for the tile being layed, buckets,tile cutters such as a wet saw and hand cutter. Grout floats,wax rings ,saws to cut doors down since they may not clear after. If you ve never tiled before, maybe you should hire it done, this isn t a beginner type job, but if you want to try, I ll help guide you. Basic skills in construction and plumbing wil come in handy. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there. GL
