How to Retile a Bathroom Wall | Home Guides

Read article : How to Retile a Bathroom Wall | Home Guides

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Add interest to grid-style pattern tiles by varying tile colors.

Updating the look of your bathroom does not have to be a daunting complete remodel. Remove old tiles and replace them with new tiles, avoiding the demolition involved with tearing down whole walls. It requires a little more effort to remove just the tiles, but that effort saves you thousands on replacing drywall or cement backer board and you will not have to worry about damaging electrical wires or plumbing behind the wall. No previous tiling experience is needed, but you will need an alternate place to bathe for a few days.

Cover the bathroom floor, vanity cabinet, bathtub and toilet with plastic sheeting. Tape down the sheeting so that it does not move while you work. If removing tile behind the toilet, take out the toilet and set it in the bathtub.

Score grout and caulk joints with a utility knife. Insert a chisel behind one tile and hammer the end of it until the tile pops off the wall. Continue popping tiles off the wall in this manner until you have removed all tiles.

Scrape the wall with the flat side of the trowel to remove all the old thinset. Drag the trowel along the wall until no dried thinset remains.

Repair damaged areas by replacing drywall. Fill in small holes, dips or uneven areas with drywall compound. Leave the compound to dry according to the manufacturer's specifications.

Use a chalk line tool to mark lines for the tile installation. Mark a line at the intended height of the tiles if you are not covering the entire wall. Mark a line along the vertical centers of each wall, then mark a line on each wall the height of one tile up from the floor. These lines serve as guides during installation and help you keep the tiles straight.

Mix a fresh batch of thinset, about as much as you can use in 30 minutes. Stir in a latex additive and continue mixing until the thinset is the consistency of peanut butter. Use a paddle mixer attachment on an electric drill for faster mixing.

Lift a dollop of thinset with the trowel and spread it over a 3-foot-square section of the wall along the bottom at the horizontal center chalk line of one wall. Spread the thinset the same thickness as the tiles. For example, if your tiles are 1/4-inch thick, then spread the thinset 1/4-inch thick. Rake the notched edge of the trowel through the thinset to create furrows.

Set the first tile into the thinset immediately to the left of the horizontal chalk line. Line up the tile with the both chalk lines. Press the tile into the wall gently to set it. Install the second tile immediately to the right of the chalk line in the same manner, then insert spacers between the two tiles to maintain even spacing.

Hold a level across the surface of the tiles to verify that they are even. If uneven, tap the tiles with a rubber mallet to level them.

Install one more tile to the left and right of those two tiles, inserting spacers between each one and then checking to make sure all tiles are level. Continue installing tiles in this manner until you have reached both ends of the wall. Start a second row, tiling in the same manner and inserting spacers below and between the tiles for proper spacing.

Measure perimeter tiles by holding them up to the wall so that one side touches the end of the wall and the other side overlaps the last fill tile installed on the row. Insert two spacers between the tile and the wall. Mark the tile where it overlaps and cut along that line with a wet saw.

Measure tiles to fit around fixtures in the same manner, then nip the excess tile away to create curves or L-shaped cuts. For circular cuts in the middle of the tile, cover the approximate area with masking tape and mark the hole on the tile by holding it up to the fixture and tracing around it. Cut the hole 1/4-inch wider than your traced mark using a tile cutting bit attached to a drill. Remove the masking tape. Install cut tiles just as you did the full-sized tiles.

Continue installing rows in this manner until you have one wall complete. Cut the perimeter tiles for each row as you come to them. Your wall is not perfectly straight all the way up and cutting them all at once results in excess waste.

Leave the thinset to cure for 24 hours. Avoid showering, bathing or splashing water on the wall during this time. Leave the plastic sheeting in place.

Remove the spacers and discard. Prepare a bucket of fresh water and drop the sponge into it. Mix a batch of grout according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Lift a dollop of grout with the rubber grout float. Hold the float at a 45-degree angle to the tiles and drag it diagonally across the gaps between the tiles. Fill in the gaps around one tile and wipe the surface of that tile with the damp sponge. Avoid grouting at the wall corners, immediately around bathroom fixtures and between the bathtub or shower and the start of the tiles.

Continue grouting tiles in this manner for 20 minutes, then change the water in the sponge bucket and wipe down all the tiles you grouted again. This removes any haze before it dries on the tiles. After removing the haze, continue grouting and wiping tiles for 20 more minutes, then repeat this process.

Leave the grout to cure for 24 hours. Once cured, caulk between the tiles and bathtub or shower, around bathroom fixtures and at the corners between walls. Remove the plastic sheeting and masking tape. Leave the caulk to cure according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Things You Will Need

• Plastic sheeting
• Masking tape
• Utilitiy knife
• Chisel
• Hammer
• Notched trowel
• Drywall compound
• Chalk line tool
• Thinset
• Paddle mixer attachment
• Drill
• Spacers
• Level
• Wet saw
• Tile nippers
• Tile cutting bit
• 5-gallon bucket
• Sponge
• Rubber grout float
• Water-resistant silicone caulk

Tips

• Use your finger to pack grout into areas where the float will not fit.
• Buff off dried-on grout haze with a clean, dry sponge.
• Cut out sections of the wall instead of removing individual tiles if you intend to replace the wall behind the tiles as well.