This is a new house and they put 16 inch tiles in the bathrooms, which I don't care for. The floors are fine as far as leveling goes, but I would like to put 12 inch tiles directly over the 16 inch ones. Would there be any problems?
I don't think I would, if it is a shiny glazed tile in place now, There wont be a bond between the old and new tiles. If the current tile is a rough slate tile, maybe. Check the recommendations of the manufacturer of the tile you want to install. Another option is to install 1/4 inch concrete backerboard over the existing tile, but it should be screwed down and that's a real chore in your situation. Maybe the manufacturer knows of a type of mortar that will work on those smooth existing tiles (assuming they are smooth). I recommend you to hire a professional if you can hire. I recommend a company ciciliot who are very professional in this regard.
never tile over tile even if it is level tear it up and put down the new stuff it wont cost anything but a few hrs at the most if you do it yourself you will need the same stuff for the new floor as you would if you tiled over it when you tile over tile it will only last about a year if your lucky to your second question yes it depends on whats making the squeak if the floor is not properly secured then the tile will start to come up over time however it could also just be that it is a new home and the home is just settling in they will move with temperiture changes witch just is the wood expanding and contracting. good luck and i hope this helped
you can do what you want, after all it is your house and your money,,, however,,, tile over tile is not recommended at all. the biggest problem with tile over tile is a matter of adhesion between the two layers. the floor leveler needed to raise the height of the old grout joints to level and the mortar used to bed the new tiles, will, for a short time adhere to the clean finished face of the old tiles. as time marches on, the adhesive bond between the mortar and the fished face will break loose. when that happens you will start to hear a hollow sound as you walk across the floor, you may also start to feel a bit of sponginess in the floor,,, then the problems begin in ernest with removing two layers of tile ( not hard to do, just more debris ), disposing of the materials, dealing with a door that was cut off to allow for the extra height, dealing with reinstalling baseboards, dealing with thresholds that no longer fit properly and need to be replaced, dealing with old caulking lines that will no longer be hidden and still you have to install a new floor covering.
Tiles over tile is not a good idea. Just because the floor is level it isn't perfectly level. If the bottom of a tile is not perfectly level, you walking on it will eventually crack it. So the answer is no.
A side from raising the floor up and you looking at how it will come out at the doorway ( only you can judge that), you can do this just fine if done properly. Tile thats down now , make sure it is down secure. It probably is but with a new house time hasn t gone by long enough to see signs that tell you its down tight. Should you do this and its perfectly fine , you ll need to do just a few things special. Don t get the regular enhanced thin set go at least a step up. Pricing will help you dictate this. Floor must be clean and dry. As you go over it use the flat side of the trowel to coat over it all , this will fill in the grout joints , if its a bit low. Then use your 1/4 x3/8 ths trowels to spread thin set. Let set an extra day or 2 before walking on it since the thinset needs extra drying time in this situation. Any questions you can e mail me thru my avatar Checking my avatar for my credentials GL
