Ceramic Tile Over Sheetrock

Place strips of blue painter s tape over the tile face sticking each end to the wall to prevent the tiles from sliding.

Ceramic tile over sheetrock.

You should be able to tile right over your existing drywall with no problem. Scrape the blade over the compound in the hole to smooth it out and avoid having to sand the wall later. In areas that are exposed to an abundance of moisture it is better to install a cement board as a backer rather than a gypsum board. Using the joint compound and putty knife fill all holes and punctures in the sheetrock.

If it s just white or grey tile away to your heart s content. After the adhesive has set apply grout and you re done. You can tile over sheetrock. Match the thinset to the grout you use for the tile.

Once the adhesive dries and the grout has set it will be imperious to moisture. You can tile over drywall in areas that are not exposed to excessive moisture and it is safe. As long as your wall is smooth and flat you can install a ceramic tile kitchen backsplash directly over drywall or plaster with no problem. It will be fine to tile over drywall in low moisture areas such as tiling around a fireplace.

Continue placing the first course of tiles in the same manner using spacers. Though it is perfectly acceptable and meets most county building codes to tile over sheetrock in both dry and wet applications its use as a tile backing should be reserved for dry areas. Apply a coat of primer sealant to the wall. Thinset mortar lays a bed for placing tile.

In areas of high moisture such as walls in a shower for long term durability it is not advised to install tile over drywall even if the drywall is type mr moisture resistant. Compare this to the common practice of tiling over drywall and you get the idea that you have a totally different shower by using a product that is meant to function in the shower. Ceramic porcelain and rock tiles add beauty and functionality to many areas of the home and give homeowners many design options. For detailed instructions on how to install a ceramic tile backsplash check out the following article ceramic tile backsplash project and video ceramic tile backsplash on our website.

Neither tile nor sheetrock is 100 waterproof which means if sheetrock is used as a backing for tile in a wet area such as a tub surround or shower. Thinset adheres to sheetrock as well as any other surface but you need to consider the purpose of the area when installing tile. Then allow the this to dry completely before moving on to the next step. It is not safe to tile over drywall in areas that are exposed to wetness like in the shower.

It might seem like hanging tile on drywall isn t the best idea because drywall just doesn t seem sturdy enough to handle tile but drywall is actually what most people use under wall tile. Use a utility knife to remove a little 1 2 square section of paint paper from the face of the drywall. Watch this video to find out more. If the paper is green it s greenboard and you shouldn t tile over it.

Peel back the paper and look at it carefully. The tile does add a layer of waterproofing protection but the real heart of the system is in the wedi board behind the tile.