Have you ever wondered if you can save money and the dust of a renovation by tiling over your old tiled floor?
The good news is that you can. Tiling over pre-existing tiles is a terrific way to update your space without the hassle or the expense of ripping up the old floor tiles.
Why tile over existing tiles?
It is a lot easier to tile over an existing tiled floor than it is to rip up the existing floor and re-prepare the base to ensure it is clean and flat for the new tiles to be laid. There is no heavy labour involved, especially if you are thinking of doing it yourself.
It is a lot easier to tile over an existing tiled floor than it is to rip up the existing floor and re-prepare the base to ensure it is clean and flat for the new tiles to be laid. There is no heavy labour involved, especially if you are thinking of doing it yourself.
It can also be cheaper too. If you are thinking of doing it yourself you will save money on the costs to hire specialist tools to pull up the existing floor as well as the time it takes to rip up the tiles. And if you’re paying for a professional, the removal of the existing floor quickly adds to your labour costs.
It is important to remember that whilst tiling on tiles is a great solution for those outdated tiles, it is not always ideal for an existing tile job with issues. For example, if your old tiles are loose, drummy, lifting, unevenly laid or badly damaged, then they are better off to be removed as tiling over the top of this will not improve the problems.
Are there any drawbacks to tiling on tiles?
The main drawback to tiling over an existing tiled floor is the added height or the extra layer of thickness that you will end up with. By adding a second layer of tiles over an existing one you effectively increase your floor height by several millimetres.
However, as long as you measure carefully and trim the bottoms of any doors, there is no reason this should create any issues. There are also thin tile options that can reduce the overall added height to your floors.
As long as your existing tiles are in decent condition, many existing tiles can be laid over with new tiles. One last tip is to roughen the surface if your existing tiles are glazed, before laying over the top of them.
For more information on laying over existing tiles, contact us!