I have read before that if someone wanted to re-tile a surface that it would not be necessary to remove the existing tile as long as it was solid and there were no hollow spots under the original tile. What about installing brick pavers on top of tile?
Here is the situation. I currently have tile on my front entrance way of my house, but I don’t like it. I could take it all up, but that would be a lot of work and mess. I was wondering if I could mortar just the bricks that would be on the edge (away from my house) and lay the rest of the pavers tightly together (later coming in with sand to fill in the cracks) like you would in doing a walkway.
So can I just cover up the tile?
The answer is yes. As long as the tile is stable without voids.
Any heavy vehicle traffic? That might break up the tile below and contribute to unevenness down the line. Just a walkway should be no problem.
One poor result may be drainage. The sand between the pavers provides spacing, anchorage, and drainage. With the tile sealing the base, a lot of rain or runoff could “float” the sand out and away. You might have to refill the sand periodically and sweep up the erosion.
What should I do if their is a void? I know they would have to be fixed, but do I replace the tile or fill in with sand or cement to make it level with the tile?
I have limited experience with this, so take this free advice for what it is worth.
Pavers are usually laid on a bed of stone dust or sand, so my guess would be that you would just fill the whole area with sand to ensure a consistent base. Check what will happen with the water that gets under the pavers but sitting on top of the existing tile. I would think that having a brick swamp is not what you are after.
It would never work up here in Canada. With the freeze/thaw cycles in winter any water that accumulates under the stones but sitting on the tile would cause heaving problems. Drainage is key.
This is a WAG, but I would think brick on top of tile would be unpleasant to walk on unless you have a good bed of sand between the two. Wouldn’t it make scraping/grinding noises?
I don’t have to worry with much freezing in Louisiana, but we get our fair share of rain. The area in question is mostly covered, yet that doesn’t mean it will not get wet. I guess I could leave some gaps in the mortered edge to allow for drainage. Most likely I will put down a thin bed of sand on top of the existing tile to act as a cushion to avoid any grinding noises.
But what about the any voided areas under the tile? Do I rip up those tile and fill in with sand?
If you have voids under the tile, remove/replace after filling with the sand. Tamp the sand down after wetting slightly to assure a uniform density. Drains through the surrounds is a good idea for your area of the country.
If the tiles are good, you will have a better base than just bare dirt/sand. The pavers will stay level for a lot longer (nothing regarding a house is forever ;)).
Good luck on your project.
Well, if it doesn’t work, you could always pull up the pavers later and remove the tile and put the pavers back down. That would be a pain in the neck, but at least it’s an option. And the good thing is that you don’t have to worry about getting a completely level/smooth surface when you rip out the tile, because the sand bed will take care of that.
I would recommend fixing the actual tiles underneath before putting down the sand. Or at least patch it with concrete. The sand bed will act differently in that spot.
How will you account for the increased height of the area?
I wonder if you can just drill a bunch of holes through the tiles for drainage purposes? Fill them with gravel and top with sand afterwards. As long as there aren’t too many and not too close together, that seems like it wouldn’t affect the stability.