Re-tiling on Plaster Walls

That is true - you cannot tile over plaster, if that's your plan. You would have to remove the plaster and replace it not with drywall - run from a contractor who says that! - but with cement board. The problem otherwise is that grout is porous and any slight crack will cause moisture - and mold - on any other surface. Mold does not grow on cement.

You seem to indicate, however, that there are currently tiles on the wall. If that is the case, it is unlikely that there is plaster underneath them. Most likely what is there is a steel mesh with cement stuccoed on top of it. If that is the case, you can, in fact, remove the tiles and put new tiles on the old cement, provided that the surface is level.

If the surface is not level, you would have to put a coat of mortar on top of the cement; you will have to mix a binder (epoxy) with the mortar, as cement does not stick to cement. Since you're going through all that work anyway, it's probably just easier to start over again, with new cement board backing.

Hope that helps.

Thanks stevekhx. There is in fact wire mesh which I've seen in other parts of the apartment when busting through a wall. You mention stuccoed and also cement board. What exactly is cement board backing? Is it different that stuccoed cement? Although mixing the mortar and binder sounds like a pain, it's probably less of a pain than the alternative. If they were to remove the cement on one side of the mesh wouldn't it ruin the other side too (which is in a bedroom closet)? If so, smoothing the surface and doing it again would seem to be easier. Appreciate your thoughts.

I would have to see the exact installation, but I'm familiar with the process because I did the same thing when replacing some cracked tiles in a 1960-era building.

You can look up cement board on Home Depot's website - it is sold in the size of drywall, but it is made of cement and fiberglass, I think: unlike drywall, it has nothing that mold will eat. That is usually the substrate used to tile on.

There are technical considerations you should look into before proceeding, such as the size of the tiles you want to use, and whether the tiles you want have a bullnose option: if you use the same backing you have to make sure that the tiles you want will look right on the old surface. Then, the wire mesh and cement usually sticks out some beyond the plaster wall above it. Therefore, it will have to be crowned with a bullnose tile (top rounded edge) that will precisely cover that distance. We don't tile like that very much anymore, so if you don't have a way to compensate for that protrusion with your new tiles, the whole project fails from the start.

Removing the old tiles and repairing the cement is not as easy at it sounds. In fact, it's a lot of hard work mixing and troweling the cement, which must be very even in order for your tiles to come out right. That's one more reason why replacing it with cement board might be a better idea: you are guaranteed a flat surface.

The wire mesh is on one side of the studs; your bedroom closet is on the other side of the studs. So no, it will not ruin the other side, too. Any extra pieces of concrete will simply fall between the walls and stop at the next horizontal piece of wood - where that is will depend on how fireproof they built the walls.

But it sounds like you should do some Internet research before you even start - there are a lot of things you'll need to consider before deciding which way to go.

Very good advice Steve

The cement board is called Durock. You can find it in any home improvement store.

technorat, for all you ever want to know about tile and more:

http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/

Primer - Durock is a brand name, not the product name...why not suggest Wonderboard? You are confusing the topic

Just use cement board - it comes under lots of names, and it weighs a ton.