Flooring Tile - Installing Ceramic tile over Ceramic tile

Hi,

In my basement I have 6" X 6" ceramic tile (I think) and I would like to replace it 13" X 13" ceramic tiles. Can I just install the 13" tile on top of the 6" tile?? This will be my 1st tile job, so any help/advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,

sweetboy

The moderators will tell you no, and thats what I would even say. The floor would be uneven most likely. Buy yourself a $30 tile scraper at Home Depot and tear it up.

Will a chisel do? Also, I saw a 7" tile saw for $60 is this a good buy?? Is this sufficient to do a good job??

Thanks,

sweetboy

You can tile over tile in some situations. What shape is the floor in. Any cracked or loose tile, any loose grout? What kinda tile is down now and what kinda tile do you intend to install?

The floor has 8" X 8" ceramic tiles and I want to replace it with 13" X 13" ceramic tiles. The floor is pretty leveled.

sweetboy

If no loose cracking tile or grout you can go over the old with the new. You'll need to hit the old floor with a belt sander to rough up the surface first. Use a good quality modified thinset to set the tile.

That $60 7" tile cutter at Home Depot is.....cheap. I bought it thinking it would be faster then a scoring tile cutter, but I was wrong. It was almost impossible to cut a decent 12" tile on a 7" cutter, and it made a absolute mess. It was 5x faster for me to score it with that wheel then snap it. IMO.

So what tool do you recommend that I use HotinOKC?? Remember this will be a first time for me...

sweetboy

For ceramic tile a score and snap type tile cutter will be fine. That and a pair a nippers will probably be all you need. If you run into some complex cuts that you cant make with these tools you could rent a wet saw for a day or maybe mark the tiles and get someone that has a wet saw to cut them for you. Some home depots will do this for a $1 a tile.

Make sure old tile is very, very clean and free of grease, oil, soil, wax, or anything that might interfere with adhesion.

I need to make a correction! I said that the 8" X 8" tile was ceramic and it is not. It is actually Vinyl Composition Tile. So can I still lay ceramic over it??

Sorry for the confusion.

sweetboy

While the subject of installing ceramic tile over vinyl flooring products is often debated, it tends to be generally discouraged and described as a do-at-your-own-risk project. Thus, it is recommended that old floor covering be removed. Doing so gives one an opportunity to inspect concrete for cracks and determine the need for a crack isolation membrane and the assurance of a good and long-lasting floor.

There seems to be some confusion over the type and size of tile that is currently on the basement floor. 12 x 12 VCT is the most common size.

Older floor coverings and adhesives prior to 1983 may contain asbestos. Most recommend that these not be disturbed. If removing VCT with scraper, as much of the adhesive as possible should be removed. Sometimes a heat gun is helpful and a 4" blade on a pole like a wallpaper scraper. Chemical strippers is not recommended as they can cause adhesion problems. Thinset for cutback adhesive would have to be used.

Should you decide to go ahead with installation over VCT, it will have to be very, very clean and scarified and a thinset or mastic for ceramic tile over vinyl. If tiles contain asbestos, scarifying would release fibers into the air.

There are floating floor products that look like ceramic tile. These are popular among DIYers due to ease of installation. In the event of asbestos, this option would leave the tile intact and undisturbed.

No debate with me. Remove the vinyl tile. If you dont your job will most likely fail.