old country house blog

YES…you CAN… TILE OVER TILE

I LOVE SUBWAY TILE….
I have Loved it for years..
….ever since my New York City Subway days…

HOME IDEAS
photo shoot of my home. The kitchen is still awaiting new countertops and appliances…it is what it is…and  I plan to do subway tile backsplash when I get the new countertops…
but the area behind the stove needed something…anything!
I decided to do a quick and easy
SUBWAY TILE BACKSPLASH
behind the stove…

DILEMMA- I knew if I ripped the old tile out…I risked creating a bigger job than I had time to tackle…
so I did some sleuthing and found out that YES, YES, if the proper steps were taken…I could put the NEW tile, right over the OLD!!!
to freshen the look… and to HIDE the
current 40 year old tile…OLD TILE
and
NEW TILE
WHAT A TRANSFORMATION!!!

..after trying white grout (too WHITE) and then dark gray (too DARK)
I settled on

a pale tan grout.

I cannot wait to do the whole room!!!
just think..with new countertops, new cooktop and double oven, floor and range hood…
….it will be amazing!

tileovetile

TUTORIAL

I consulted this site for reference
and I did it myself!
SUPPLIES: I just bought the all enclosed
TUB at Home Depot with all my supplies in it, and then added a tile sander (looks like a big nail file)
Here are my VERY BASIC Instructions:
1.Prep area by washing surface, cleaning thoroughly (use a strong DE GREASING SOAP) and then sanding lightly (steel wool is easiest to work with)
to make the surface less slippery.
2. Begin your pattern from one corner, (I did not use spacers) working across, checking with your level.
3.Apply the adhesive to the wall with the trowel..making little grooves, so it can dry.
4. I did not have an electric tile cutter (which can be rented and I HIGHLY recommend if you do a big job) BUT only had to cut 3 tiles – in half for 6 end pieces. I scored them with a mat knive, then used the
nipper, and then used the sander with the tile in water, to smooth the edges.
5. I let the tile set for about 8 hours, then I applied the grout. (NON SANDED for walls…SANDED for floors)  I got a tad excited and I used a tan colored sanded one, by mistake but I actually like the look. Apparently the rule is – thin space between tiles – no sand  and floor or deep groove – SANDed because the sand prevents the grout from sinking down. makes sense.
I did this whole thing in ONE HOUR!
…have you ever put tile over tile?

XO

addendum…

The kitchen is finished! see the completed Renovation HERE!!!

KITCHEN MAKEOVER
KITCHEN MAKEOVER
VOILA!!!
VOILA!!!
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17 thoughts on “YES…you CAN… TILE OVER TILE

  1. It’s a pretty good idea that you installed the new tiles over the old tiles! This would make your job easier and faster. Plus, it can make the foundation of your backsplash much sturdier. I love the subway tiles; it made the kitchen look like new again. Great work!

  2. Hi Leslie… We were crashed by John and Sherry too. 🙂 I’ve been itching to make over our dark kitchen and plan to paint the cabinets soon and change out the backsplash. I want to just lay it over the old as well. Partially because I’m lazy and ripping it out sounds major. Just wondering if you have any ideas for disguising the edges. Thanks… Becky

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