Tiling over Onyx

[havasu]

We have a 42" Onyx shower pan and smooth Onyx walls, which are looking a little outdated. Since the enclosure is already water tight, we would like to apply tile, using a waterproof mastic, directly over the Onyx. Once the tile is done, we could get a new glass enclosure, some floor tile and voila, a new bathroom.

Can anyone advise if this is feasible, or should I rip it all out and start over?

 

[Chris]

Rip it out and start over. If you tile it, it will just be a matter of time before it all cracks apart do to flex. I think your options are rip it out and hot mop and float a new pan and then tile or have one of those epoxy coating companies come out and recoat it to a desired color and texture.

 

[havasu]

I was hoping you wouldn't say that. I just don't like dealing with custom pans or the hot mop techniques. It takes all my ambition away!

 

[Chris]

Lowes sells a product that you can use in place of a hot mop, I will get the name of it and you can research it. It is suppossed to be easier for the average homeowner. Or you can install a fiberglass pan and then tile the walls, i have done that several times.

 

[eergie]

What kind of condition is the bath in? Do you know if there's dry wall behind the onyx or wonder board? Is the onyx to much of a pan in the ass to maintain, just curious why you want to start over onyx isn't cheap. We have tiled over many bath before but it all depends on quality of the first installation.

post up some pics of the shower?

 

[havasu]

The Onyx is in good shape, but looks very 90's. Behind the Onyx is just green board. Since both my wife and I both love to tile, we wanted to spruce up the room with fresh tile, stack stone wall, new slate flooring, and a new dual sink cabinet.

I had one specialist say as long as we rough up the slick walls, and use a waterproof mastic, it should work OK.

 

[eergie]

The Onyx is in good shape, but looks very 90's. Behind the Onyx is just green board. Since both my wife and I both love to tile, we wanted to spruce up the room with fresh tile, stack stone wall, new slate flooring, and a new dual sink cabinet.

I had one specialist say as long as we rough up the slick walls, and use a waterproof mastic, it should work OK.

Yeah you can do that or you can get Redguard from home depot and roll it over the onyx. I would still rough it up though.

 

[Chris]

Mark I don't know what I was thinking of earlier ( I think I was thinking of fiberglass) but yes you can tile over it if it and it's backing are in good shape. You will want to sand it or use an angle grinder on it to rough it up good. Also I like to use white thinset with an acrylic admix for anything near water because I don't trust mastic at all. (just a personal opinion).

 

[havasu]

Thge cheap side in me wants to just lay tile over the existing shower, but the fun side of me is to open up the bathroom by eliminating an adjoining closet just on the back side of the shower, and then build a spiral type of shower, where doors are not needed. I hate shower doors! If I go that far, I would like to make a true doored off water closet, but this would cause me to pop in another window in the main portion. If I go that far, I may as well open the ceiling and make the ceiling in there 8 1/2 feet tall. And this my friends, is why I haven't started this project.

 

[havasu]

Similar to this rough drawing.

 

[Chris]

I say go full on out. What else do have going on right now anyway?

 

[havasu]

You are correct but I just hate closing down the master bath for a few weeks during the build, forcing us to use the bathroom on the other side of the house.

 

[eergie]

Are you guys real slow out there too?

 

[havasu]

Yeah, everything has slowed to a crawl, but if you try to get someone in to do a job, they never show up! I have a buddy who is getting pricing for a simple kitchen remodel. For the same job and similar material, one contractor wants $12,000, Lowes wants $22,000, Home Depot wanted $24,000, and another contractor wants $9,000. I told him to order the cabinets and I would demo and reinstall for $1,000, but he is hesitating on it.

 

[eergie]

That's weird that home depot and lowes was more expensive.

 

[havasu]

Most general contractors are starving for work around here, and unless they drop their prices drastically, they don't eat. I've also seen most are bypassing permits and having laborers do most of the work in order to save money, which is a result of this bad economy.