Can floor tiles be used on the wall??


  #1  
Old 11-10-06, 06:04 AM
ewheatley's Avatar
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 77
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Question Can floor tiles be used on the wall??

I am in the middle of a kitchen rennovation. Last weekend I installed 12x12 & 6x6 porcelain tile in a hopscotch pattern on my kitchen floor. I would like to repeat the pattern as a tile backsplash. Can I use the same tiles on the wall, or are they too heavy?? Many tiles have matching wall tile available, but I did not see a match for the floor tile that I selected.

I have to run some new electric, so I will be tearing down some wall board to get to the wires. Should I install cement board in it's place? Would that help to secure the heavier tile to the wall??

thanks-
Eric
 
  #2  
Old 11-10-06, 06:12 AM
H
Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 3,279
Received 9 Upvotes on 9 Posts
No problem installing those tiles on the wall. Use a good quality modified thinset (no mastic or anything that comes premixed) and you should be fine. Regular drywall is fine for a backsplash so you dont need the cement board. If your putting up new drywall, dont paint or prime the area you'll be tiling.
 
  #3  
Old 11-10-06, 06:23 AM
ewheatley's Avatar
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 77
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thanks for the quick reply!

Right now there are just 4x4 glazed ceramic tiles on the wall over formica attached to drywall. By removing these tiles, I will most likely damage the wallboard, and thus have to put up new. SO since I will have to do this anyway, I was thinking of using the cement board or greenboard, or something designed for tileing. Are you suggesting that just putting up new drywall would be just as good?? If so, I am sure that it'll save me a couple of bucks, and will probably be easier.

thanks-
 
  #4  
Old 11-10-06, 08:06 AM
S
Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 1,241
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Provided the wall tile is not going in a shower, the previous response is correct on all counts. If it's going in a shower, it's a new ball game. Just so you'll know, the tiles that have matching floor and wall are most often a surface texture thing. Rougher for the floor so they won't be slippery to walk on, and smoother for the wall. Sometimes the wall version will be a bit thinner because it doesn't need to support traffic, and sometimes they'll be a different shape but similar colors. Floor tile on the wall works fine, but wall tile on the floor usually doesn't.
 
  #5  
Old 11-10-06, 08:14 AM
H
Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 3,279
Received 9 Upvotes on 9 Posts
Yes Im suggesting that you just use regular drywall here. There is no need for anything else on a kitchen backsplash.

Smokey - The first post indicates that its a kitchen backsplash so this is not a shower or a wet area.
 
  #6  
Old 11-10-06, 08:19 AM
S
Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 1,241
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Oops, didn't remember that. Gettin' old ya know.
 
  #7  
Old 11-10-06, 08:44 AM
H
Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 3,279
Received 9 Upvotes on 9 Posts
Gettin old. Yeah I have that problem too. Seems more and more lately.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: