Had to remove the bottom half of a tiled shower, The tiles came off (too) easy with very little residue on the back. I'd like to reuse them since they are all cut to fit already. Is this OK?
How well do they have to be cleaned and what would be the method ?
I'm not attempting to reuse the floor tiles, that are stuck to cement for good, just the wall tiles that popped off green sheetrock with thin adhesive lines and little paper.

Thanks.

Saffle

chullyman

sure

nmwirez

The greenboard is failing from moisture leakage behind the tile. Yes you can reclean by removing the tile grout from the backs. Depending on if the grout is mortar or premixed tile limestore acrylic polymer grout will make the difference in cleaning difficulty.
The wall tile is most likely mastic bonded with the white acrylic grout filler. This is the type that fails as described above. Removing the failed tile and resetting it may last for a month or two but if not regrouted and sealed, it will fail again.
New construction uses ferro fiber board that cement moulded into reinforced fiberglass mesh. This backing surface is screwed to the wall, sealed with mastic and tile set directly to the mastic. After a two day cure, the tile is ready to have the sanded thinset grout between the tile gaps and again left to cure before applying a final seal coat. Some new sealers are silicone rubber based that must be applied into the dry porous grout surface. This is messy work but it holds up without constant sealing every six months and holds up indefinitely if done properly.

saffle

nmwirez,
Thank you for your answer. I understand it to mean - "do not reuse the tiles".

Just to be clearer; I was not putting them back on the old surface, but had actually planned to build all new base and from floor 2/3 way up, to where the old construction is solid (but greenrock), with the materials you suggested. I have new extra tiles that match but not quite enough of them. Most of the uncut tiles I would use new, but reuse some and the old tiles that are cut to fit. Otherwise I fear having to learn to cut tile etc. and find matching tiles has proved difficult on the onset and may force me to rebuild the whole shower and the ceiling.

chullyman

i agree with saffle except that if you use a tub and bath surroundings adhesive and apply thin beads of the glue to the back of the tile that will adhere for quite sometime due to the moisture resistance of the glue and it will prove somewhat cost effectively.

nmwirez

Saffle, I meant it to mean don't use the old wall that has deteriorated.
Use the old tiles if original cement/adhesive is adequately removed to allow the tile to be flush when readherred to the new Ferro or Wonderboard backing and old greenboard butted backing. Space the tile a half-course over the upper top seam to the original tile.

This way the reset tile straddles the old and new backboard butted seams half & half to maintain a level transition. The new wall backing should be a combined sealing mastic adhesive 'and' at the same time, use it to butter the tile before resetting to the wall. Follow the manufacturers instructions and setup time applications should go easy. If you require installing a second course of backing, make sure the butted edges are leveled with a quikset to each other so when the sealer is trowelled on it will lay evenly for the tile to lay flat.

saffle

Thanks for the additional information.
Meanwhile in one corner i discovered deterioration to the post and joist that is extensive enough that it may require removing even more of the shower to address that issue. It will take me a while I'm sure....

nmwirez

Sorry to hear that Saffle. Sounds like the subfloor needs a bit patching. The joist can be scabbed onto probably, that's no biggy unless there is no crawl room to get to it. I am very familiar with that kind of work. Dry rot repair is how I started out and it is the sheets.