Pulling up tiles. Is it worth it ?

[twomonkeys]

Hello

I am hoping for some advice. We are soon to undertake a small renovation which will extend our living and bedrooms. The house (except for bedrooms) is currently tiled and it is going to be impossible to match the tiles for the extension. This means that all the existing tiles will need to be removed as the house is open plan.

Is this possible ? The tiles are on a concrete slab and I guess about 15 yrs old.... about 35-40 sqm worth.

I'd love to re-tile the whole area but is this even possible? Would a tiler do this or would we have to remove them ? If so, how ?

I remember how much mess and dust was involved in removing our old bathroom tiles when we renovated and I just can't imagine going through that again on a much larger scale.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
Many thanks.

[mic-d]

If you wanted to lift the tiles, then you would hire a jackhammer and order a skip or ask a tiler to do it. You already have an inkling for how messy it will be and you may have to consider other things to such as replacing skirts if they are damaged in the demo. Alternatively you could leave them and choose a new tile that complements the old colour. Or you could build the floor in the extension to the height of the old tiles and then tile over the old tiles if they are sound and other clearances around the house permit (doors you can make fit )

Cheers
Michael

[twomonkeys]

Thanks so much for your comments Michael.

All good things to consider. I am swaying more toward (now she says !) tiling over but I have always thought this to be the easy way out. I believe it WILL certainly work with the existing structure/rooms and doors Would this pose a problem in future, say with resale ? I don't want to take on something that will come back and bite us in the behind down the track (by that I mean something that would be seen to be DIY) even tho, of course, we would get a tiler to do the job.

Have you (or perhaps others) taken this option before ? What were the results and were you happy? Given that this is 3/4 of our small home and we are spending the money on extending to improve our home and lifestyle... I just want to do it right with no regrets at the end.

Many thanks again

[Sturdee]

You didn't say what size tiles they are. I have had to remove half a room full of small tiles ( 25mm * 25mm ) that were cemented onto a concrete floor. I used an cheap ( $ 20. ) air chisel with my compressor to remove them. Took about a day but it worked.

BTW the air chisel, bought as a throwaway item is still working very well, but then again it was a cheap GMC style quality and not an expensive one. :p

I have also tiled over the same kind of tiles in the upstairs bathroom and have had no problems. This was about 6 years ago, no movement or cracks and using ordinary tile glue.


Having done both I would definitely use the simpler option of tiling over the existing tiles.


Peter.

[mic-d]

Thanks so much for your comments Michael.

All good things to consider. I am swaying more toward (now she says !) tiling over but I have always thought this to be the easy way out. I believe it WILL certainly work with the existing structure/rooms and doors Would this pose a problem in future, say with resale ? I don't want to take on something that will come back and bite us in the behind down the track (by that I mean something that would be seen to be DIY) even tho, of course, we would get a tiler to do the job.

Have you (or perhaps others) taken this option before ? What were the results and were you happy? Given that this is 3/4 of our small home and we are spending the money on extending to improve our home and lifestyle... I just want to do it right with no regrets at the end.

Many thanks again

Tiling over old tiles wouldn't be considered DIY. I'd say most tilers would do that if the old tiles were sound. I've done both with no problems.
Cheers
Michael

[twomonkeys]

Peter, the tiles are 30mm x 30mm and comprise living, dining, kitchen and hallway (quite an area) !

I realise tiling over wouldn't be a DIY job, but I worry more that it's not considered a professional approach. Obviously just my perception of it.

My brother who is in the building industry is against tiling over, but then he's not the one who has to chisel them up :eek: . I think I'll get a tiler to have a look and get their opinion too.

Many thanks for your replies.

[Sturdee]

That's the size tiles I used.

The tile shop recommended scoring the old tiles with an angle grinder to help the glue adhere and using a special type of tile glue. This was to stop the tiles moving, however as it was enclosed by 4 walls and the scoring was hard work I just used the glue I hads on hand and tiled it.

No problems so far and it is not impossible to tile over the existing tiles, but get the opinion of a couple of tilers to guide you in your decision.


Peter.