Tiling Over Existing Shower Wall Tile

How to install a shower surround over existing tiles step 1.

Tiling over existing shower wall tile.

Skim coat over your existing tile. The proper way to tile over a fiberglass shower pan is to remove the pan. Mix degreasing cleaner with water in a bucket using a dilution recommended by the cleaner manufacturer. Layer newspaper on the floor across the bottom of the tiled wall.

This isn t especially problematic if the pan was installed separately from the shower walls but it can be tricky if the pan is part of a one piece fiberglass stall and it may need professional expertise. This essentially means laying a new layer of tiles over the old layer. Let this dry before moving on. This gives the tub surround sealant a stronger hold.

Scratch the tile with sandpaper to rough up the surface. This assumes that the floor underneath is solid concrete and that there are no cracks in the existing tile indicating underlying problems in the concrete. Most people dread re tiling because it often means that you need to remove all the old tiles first. Typically screws secure each of these items in.

Scrub the wall tiles with diluted degreasing cleaner and a nylon scrub brush. But this isn t always the case. Then rinse the wall with a water dampened. Instead of removing the old tiles you can often update them by tiling over tiles.

My fil uses and recommends laticrete 272 mortar mixed with 333 additive. If your old ceramic tile is worn or dated you can lay new tile right over the old and avoid the huge job of tearing out the old tile.