NO! You donāt know the intergirty of the existing tile floor. Also You will have height issues with your other floor finishes.
Sure, as long as you donāt mind being called a hack!
After viewing your website, you obviously donāt or you wouldnāt list āplumbingā as one of your services.
KC PLUMBER pro
Please get out the dictionary, And look up the meaning of the word.
Ill help you out You clown.
Plumbing,IE;any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of Applications. That is what we install for Clients.
You should go back to school.
James Hood
Absolutly not, you wont obtain a smooth surface, correct height to match other rooms. just overal a bad idea and considered by most really cutting corners
I suppose all the companies that sell the primer products for such applications are all wrong as well?
I am sure they would love to here your opinion. ARDEX/ CUSTOMS/ MAPEI just to name a few.
We use thresholds at doorways , just like if you had a wood floor transition to a carpet or tile .
You tell me why a tile floor installed on concrete, is any different than Tile over a non porous substrate set on a concrete floor?
Again I will be very clear , The existing āāsubstrateāā Must be of sound condition, We only do this process, if its tile on a concrete slab!, not over a wood substrate.
Consider this scenario, And tell me what your answer is.
Ok you just met a new client, They just had the whole house painted, New granite countertops and as well as new cabinets.The house is spotless!no pets, no kids, all they do is clean . She has allergies and is very sensitive to dust!, He has health issues as well, The house is all Tile but different in each room some 12x 12 clay back some 8x8 in bathrooms 16 x16 with 1/2 inch grout joints its all pretty level, because they only did one room at a time, and no one mentioned buy enough to do the whole house at one time.[sound familiar?] Now they want the Floor of the house to look as good as the all the other upgrades. Now remember they just paid to have the whole house painted, walls ceilings 16 ft tall ! doors, accent walls. You came highly recommended because you worked for many of their friends. In the area.
More information;The house is 3,800 sq ft and is worth about 850K They are looking at a 8 inch wide 40 inch long Wood plank rectified AAA grade floor tile
So my Friend what is your answer to this situation? [you walk away? you demo this perfect house?
You look into products that stand behind installing over the existing floors? Because I get these type of calls every week.
I would really like yo hear from you. My e mail is Jim.Hood @cadillactile.com
No! the answer is the same as the rest of the Forum overhere, according the industry standards you need a minimum thickness of 1ā1/4 thick sub-floor, so I would recommend 3/4" subfloor (most common in the USA) with a minimum layer of 1/2" Durock or equivalent concreteboard, preferably thicker or multiple layers, the stiffer the better in order to prevent cracking.
After you remove the old floor with all the ceramic-tile and glue residue, making sure it is smooth and vacuumed with the shop-vac, then you install the concrete-board with durock screws 4" on center, do NOT use staples in order to cut corners, they will work themselves up and might start squeeking.
Hope this helps
Dutchy, Inc.
Mr 7.
We āāONLYāā install tile over tile floors that have been installed on POST TENSION SLAB concrete floors.
Because the soil in Phoenix AZ is very expansive, Most high end homes are built on POST TENSION SLABS, just like a concrete bridge/very sturdy, No issues with movement, No floor cracks ā¦
James Hood
Cadillac Tile
Nope! Thinset has to have concrete board under it for it to stay in place.
No it is not recommened to lay tile on existing tile floor, it is hard to know the condition of the previous tile. Some forums online will actually beg to differ but as you can see from the answers belows it is highly insisted to remove existing and prep a new sub floor.
Absolutely not. Ive never seen a tile floors last that did dot have the proper subfloor. I use 3/4, then glue AND screw down my 1/2 Duroc, then I cement coat my seams to add extra support at the weak spots. Ppl laugh and say its over kil but in 9 years Iāve NEVER done a tile floor that has been redone due to cracks or defects yet. Prep work is super important in any tile application. If its done right, it will out live all of us.
You have to remove any existing flooring down to the subfloor and have the installer check the subfloor to make certain it is in appropriate condition to install the new tile. Make certain the installer checks the level of the subfloor with a laser before installing the new tile as well.
Technically yes, just about anything in construction ācanā be done. However, the proper way to lay down a tile floor would be to remove the old one. Otherwise, the end result will be far from ideal.
I would not recommend this we have done this in the past on large scale commercial projects but for residential and small commercial I would not suggest it.
The only reason you would not tile over tile is
1 the floor is showing signs of failure or you think it isā¦(this is the main one)
2 the height after being set will be too high for the doors to work (you can always cut them down)
3. Look tile will adhere to tile. it does not matter. as long as the floor you are going over is solid and has no signs of coming up it should be ok.
Its not common practice but it can be done. I would only recommend it if you are going over a tile install that is over slab and the previous tile is just too hard to get up or the homeowner wont pay to have it come up.
I have seen it done and done it a few times. My first floor I went over was 5 years ago and it shows no sins of coming up or moving. It is over slab though. I would tear out any tile over a wood substrate as you do not know how the cement board is doing underneath.
This Topic gets a lot of controversy. May 2018
So for all the doubting Guys out there I want to make it very clear.
To all flooring contractors, Please update your product knowledge!
I will also add to this we have installed countless tile flooring over existing SOUND and WELL BONDED existing floors. And a testimonial to this this , Is a post from one of my client who accidentally flooded her whole house, water ran in side for over 4 days!, we tiled over her mexican red clay Tile floor 1 year prior to the flood, and you know what? not one tile lost its bond. The insurance adjuster was ready to tear it all out, The response team that dries out the house could not belive it did not come loose. They started to then said no way, its DOWN!
Do your homework Men, Ardex/ has product s off the shelf 2 part mix apply 24 hours your ready to install. Its what we use 98% of the time
MAPEI, now has a product out ECO Prime works great!
And CUSTOM s Also has a product now out for Tile Over tile applications Called Multi Surface primer.
You can always Check out U TUBE see .MBP product line for applications.
Now I am not saying that every floor is a candidate, for this application, If the subfloor is a train wreck , then it wont work.
You all know if a floor has lost bond because the āāother guyāā use the cheapest stuff out there to set the floor , then It will pop up easy, and the thin set will be stuck to the floor right? not to the tile.
Ever tear out a clay tile floor ? what a mess red clay dust everywhere, well prime it float it smooth and set over it. Sure you have to trim your doors, and i would recommend new baseboards because it looks right.
Bottom line here men these companies would not make this product, stand behind their application , If they did not work!. Upgrade your product Knowledge, Stop doing things LIKE they were 20 years ago.
Our Company;
One other thing, We do not have even 1 complaint filed with our State Register of Contractors board. Our licence is never been revoked./suspended. I donāt cut corners! We buy only quality products and stand behind our work AS LONG AS I AM IN BUSINESS! thats 28 years so far boys. Still care to challenge our INTEGRITY? or the way we do things out west,where tiles been the #1 product used in every home built here.
I donāt mean to insult anyone in the trade, But I am tired of debunking some of the old school Mentality.
Its time to hone your knowledge skills as well Gentlemen .
Tell a client something cant be done??? they will just Google it and see , Then who looks like and idiot?
Additionally there is also no code that states solid flooring can not be applied to an existing floor, [and if there is please present it to me]
What would you do if you have an Asbestos 12x12 tile, use before 1970, Tear it out? go ahead its your funeral. We prime them and set right over the top of that crap.
I know plenty of you guys who install tile over Plywood flooring, because thereās a basement below , or on wooden staircases Midwest and eastern /Canadian practices. We donāt do that out west. No WAY.
Our History and track record speaks for itself, I would never do anything to jeopardize my Licence or the integrity of my company.
The 28 years in this business is proof we know what we are doing.
I welcome your questions,
James Hood
Cadillac Tile LLc
Owner/Craftsmen
since 1990 Phx Az
To Be very CLEAR . IN PHX ARIZONA,98 % of all homes are built on concrete slabs, No basements no ply wood.
Homes over 500K usually have a post tension slab[look it up if you donāt know what that is]
These homes could actually be picked up and moved if you had the equipment.
At any rate, we install tile over existing tile floors using a system of proven primer products that are manufactured by several floor material suppliers. Again Ardex/ Customs/ Mapei, TEC/ just to name a few.
I am very sure they have allot more knowledge and spend countless hours on research then any of us have making such products.
Donāt tell me I am cutting corners, Contact these distributors, and increase your NARROW point of view and lack of product knowledge. Get with the program,build your knowledge base, you owe it to your customers to be informed of products out there.
Lets not forget GRAVITY.
James Hood
Cadillac Tile LLC
usually we donāt do it and do not recommend , but I think it can be done if permitted take the risk by some conditions .(ex /on top of old terracotta or cement tiles on a sound subfloor,) other negative issue is new floor will be more elevated.