Hi All,

I am brand new to the forum . I am hoping somone can help with my questions. I have search the forum and web but have not found a really good answer for my question. I am in the middle of replacing my old ceramic floor tile with new ceramic tile in my kitchen. I was planning on putting new tile over the old tile. My dad's advice is to remove the tile from the existing cement board (cement board with mesh) and scrape the mortar off. He swears it can be done and is not all that hard. I was wondering if anyone has had any luck in reusing the cement board and how difficult is it to clean? I know one won't know for sure until the tile is up and the cement board is inspected. If it is going to be to much work I may lay the tile over the existing tile. In this case I was wondering how well new tile adheres to old but clean scuffed solid flat tile and if there are common problems in the future with doing this? Any help would be appreciated.

 

If the original tile was installed correctly with a good quality thinset, it'll be difficult to salvage the cement board. Let's discuss your other option though.

It is possible to set new tile over old tile. What is the condition of the old tile? Are there any loose or cracking tiles? Is there any cracked or flaking grout? Do you know anything about the original installation of the existing tile? Do you know what's under the cement board, plywood, osb, how thick, how many layers? Do you know of the cement board was properly installed, set in a fresh bed of thinset and properly screwed/nailed?