Thinset mortar in moist areas in tubs showers bathroom floors and kitchen counters where a lot of water accumulates you need to use water resistant sheetrock under tile.
Tile over sheetrock in bathroom.
Step 4 place tile adhesive on the sheetrock.
Sand the wall with 80 to 120 grit sandpaper on an orbital sander s pad.
How to tile over sheetrock.
Tile will hold up fine on the blue board green board in areas that are not wet.
You may tile over existing tile painted or unpainted drywall plaster and textured walls.
You should not tile over wallpaper glossy surfaces lead paint or plywood.
Step 2 fill holes.
However tiling over tile can add quite a bit of thickness so make sure your wall can handle the weight.
Water resistant sheetrock is usually blue or green in color and is called blueboard or greenboard.
How to tile over painted drywall.
Regular drywall can be used as a base for tiles in a shower but only as an absolute last resort.
Even in the best of scenarios the tile and grout will eventually wear down leaving behind a clear route for water to seep through and soak into the drywall.
Scrape away any loose or peeling paint or wallpaper.
In the 50 s it was common to install tile on regular sheetrock in bath shower areas.
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.
If the paper is green it s greenboard and you shouldn t tile over it.
The wedi board wedi shower system includes special bonding agents referred to as wedi caulk though is much more than caulk that waterproofs the seams in the corners as well as the joints where the 3 5 board pieces join together.
Start by removing any molding switch plates outlet covers and other hardware attached to the area being tiled.
If it s just white or grey tile away to your heart s content.
Use a utility knife to remove a little 1 2 square section of paint paper from the face of the drywall.
Continue sanding the area until the paint is no longer shiny.
If you re not sure if you have lead paint test kits are available.
Step 3 apply primer to the sheetrock.
Measure the width of the wall and divide the number by two to find the center.
Previously painted textured drywall prep.
With tile showers in particular you can have a lifetime guarantee as long as you follow the proper installation methods.
Step 1 obtain materials from home improvement center.
Remove any remaining dust oil or grease with tsp tri sodium phosphate or an ammonia based cleanser.
Moisture causes sheetrock to deteriorate rapidly.
Peel back the paper and look at it carefully.
Step 5 grout.
While it might sound like a good idea to install backer board over drywall before tiling the shower the reality is that the drywall should be removed beforehand in most instances.