i want to re-tile my bathroom?
i need to re-tile my bathroom. when i chip off the old stuff, is it ok to leave the wall underneath exposed? i got told not to make the wall wet, but it's a job that will not be done in a day as the new tiles are all going to be smashed up and put on the wall, mosaic style. can we still take baths, or will the steam ruin the walls? i really don't know where to start with all this, but i can't afford to hire a professional.
Most likely bathing (not showering) will not ruin the walls just make sure that they are dry when you do the tiling. The success of the job will depend a lot on what type of wall are underneath the old tiles. Is it plaster or drywall or possibly even concrete? Plaster most likely will give you more problems than drywall. Concrete walls will withstand moisture but will be very difficult to work with. If you don't know then possibly the age of the house can give clues. Around 1960 the construction industry changed over to drywall. My guess if your house was built before 1955 then almost surely it will be plaster or cement. If built after 1962 then drywall. In between could be either.
The problem you will encounter if you try to use the old walls will be the holes or gouges that you will make when you remove the old tiles. Unless you have a flat surface then some of the newly installed tiles my stick farther out than other tiles. Unless the wall is in very good condition when you remove the old tiles then I usually will either replace the wall board or sometimes go over the existing tile with wall board or concrete board so that you have a nice flat surface to begin with. The cost of drywall is minimal and the benefits, especially for an inexperienced person, would be great.
Finally, trying to use the old tiles again I think may be a disaster. To start off with some will most likely have glue on the back making it very difficult to have an even surface if you try to reinstall them. Breaking the tiles up sounds like a bad idea also. When you break them up the broken edges will be very sharp. even if you grout the tile there will still be sharp edges if you run your hand over the wall. I would suggest going to a tile store and look for tile that is on clearance. There may even be some mosaic style tiles there as well. Often I see them for less than $1 per square foot. Sometimes even around 50 cents per square foot and the typical bath is only 60 - 70 square foot. The amount of time and effort you will be spending in the remodel of this bath should be motive enough to have a nice looking job when you are done. I would buy new tiles. It would look better and save you a lot of time. One last thing, should you decide to break your old tiles and reuse them, just be careful as the tiles can break like glass, throwing small, sharp pieces out. Watch your eyes and wear gloves.
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