Is It OK To Lay New Tiles Over Old Tiles?

YES, you can! Well that sounds very simple, doesn’t it? Of course, there are a few things you’d want to consider before you go down that road, but laying tiles over existing tiles definitely saves a lot of trouble. Firstly, you have none of that dust created by jackhammering the floor to remove your existing tiles. Secondly, if you’re time poor, you definitely don’t want to waste your time removing tiles. Removing already laid tiles is an extremely time consuming process!

However, as mentioned earlier, there are a couple of things you’d want to consider before deciding to lay new tiles over existing tiles. First of all, tiling over old tiles means raising your floor level by at least 15mm, depending on the thickness of your new tile. You also need to consider the structural integrity and weight of adding new tile to your flooring. Is the old flooring in good condition and stuck well to the floor base? If there are hollow points or cracks, you need to investigate further if there are some underlying problems. Still you may wonder, if after checking these things, you decide to lay new tiles over your old tiles, how do you go about doing it?

Laying New Tiles Over Old Tiles

Firstly, it’s helpful to move all furniture out of the room along with any skirting boards. Next you need to prepare the surface of the current floor. This includes several steps. Firstly, check for any high spots and grind them down. After doing this, clean the flooring well. Be sure to remove any grease or mould. This is a vital step as it will affect the strength of the bond between the new flooring and the old. Once you have cleaned the floor well, apply a primer to the surface of the existing tiles. This will allow the new tile adhesive to bond well with the old tiles. After the primer dries, you are ready to tile.

If you find that some of your tile surface is uneven, you will need to pack it up with glue (apply more glue) to level it out as you lay your tiles. We recommend using an adhesive of the same brand as the primer. Not only will the primer and adhesive work great together, but it generally helps with keeping the warranty too.

Now once your new tiles are laid, having now raised the floor level, it’s likely you will need to shorten the doors in the room. And remember, after you have installed, grouted and sealed (if necessary) your tiles, remember to put the skirting boards back in place.

All of this DIY knowledge has come straight from the experts at TFO. If you need any other tips or have any other questions, we are eager to hear from you. Visit our showroom today to check out our huge tile range and get top advice from our friendly experienced staff.

Need help? Check out our expert advice on How to Lay Floor Tiles.