Zenia Olivares

I tiled over our bathroom tile a year and seven months ago, and I’m finally ready to talk about the consequences.

We use this bathroom several times a day, every day… and so far, zero issues. Sorry if you were expecting a demolition update.

The old tile wasn’t original to our 1935 house. It was part of a renovation sometime in the ’60s or ’70s, and it was sitting on about 2½ inches of mortar. Getting it out would have been a whole project of its own.

The floor was solid, and we checked the support from downstairs before deciding to keep it. I still had to clean, prep, and prime the surface before installing the new tile. There was plenty of work involved without adding a jackhammer to the situation.

Does that mean you can tile over whatever’s in your bathroom? It depends on what’s there. Loose tiles, cracks, movement, or water damage need investigating first. The added height also matters for your doors, thresholds, and toilet flange.

This marble was my spouse’s dream tile, so we wanted to make room for it in the budget. A small bathroom can be a good place to use a pricier stone because you need fewer square feet. Price out the tile, waste, and supplies before you talk yourself out of it.

For this floor, keeping what was underneath made sense. And a year and seven months later, the most dramatic thing about it is probably going to be the comment section.