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Replacing tiles

12 years ago

Can tiles be replaced without replastering the pool? Should they? We have a 5 year old pool - the tiles on the spa dam wall have been falling off from almost day one (I will restrain myself from ranting about the builder). I've been replacing them as the fall off but it seems to be getting worse and I'm tired of this piecemeal fix. We are also getting rust which the builder is coming out to inspect. Since they are likely going to have to drain down the water level to repair it I'd like to get the tiles replaced at the same time if I can without replastering the whole pool.

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Comments (4)

poolguynj
12 years ago
Tiles can be replaced without doing plaster. There will likely be a thin line between the new tile and old plaster where the two meet. The plaster finish is typically undercut and chipped an inch or so.

When the tile guys try to match the undercut plaster, being cementacious, the different ages and likely batch numbers of the product used will likely cause a slightly different tint or hue there.

The pool, when tile is replaced, is usually fully drained. When tile is removed, its going to drop to the bottom. To get the old tiles, grout and thin set out of a partially full pool, is a ponderous and time consuming process. It is much easier to remove the old tile, clean up, and apply the new tile when you are standing in the pool.

It is possible/likely the old tile surface was poorly prepped and grouted. Water got behind it and it broke down the thin set's bond. It is possible that the spa wall may need some repair if a coat of sealer was not applied to the tile area first, to begin with. The same processes that broke the thin set down also work on the gunite.

I have seen situations that, because of neglect, needed a couple inches of cement removed and re-floated prior to the new tile being applied. This is usually limited to the spa wall unless the coping was neglected too. Then the top of the bond beam needs a similar repair.

Scott

Scott
drmeow3
Original Author
12 years ago
Scott,

Thanks for your very complete and informative reply. The tiles everywhere but the dam wall seem fine and the tiles that have been falling off the dam wall are all along the edge (curved tiles). Even though the builder admitted that the tile company did substandard work and they had stopped using them shortly after our pool was done, they refused to fix the tiles. Sigh.

Since it is just the dam wall I'm hoping to only have to replace those tiles ... it is also a diving pool so if I can empty to pool to just past the spa that would also make me happier.
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The difficult part is making everything "look good" with replacement tiles being dropped into an existing floor. It often looks NASTY. As in it looks WORSE than if it had been left alone. The other thing that is DIFFICULT for some General Contractors is FINDING the REAL tile professionals who are CAPABLE of doing this sort of job. The GC will find it "difficult" because this level of tiling expert will NOT be part of his regular "guys" upon whom he normally calls. He will actually have to LOOK for a decent tile professional to get this done properly (ie. no complaints from the homeowner about how ugly the replacement tiles look). And then WRITING the cheque for said professional is also going to stick in his craw. That's going to be the most difficult of all. Pulling up old tile can be stupid-easy or ridiculously hard. It will all depend on how WELL the original install was done. And how much effort it takes to pop off those old tiles. Any amateur with plenty of time and some arm strength can remove old tile. That's not the issue. The issue the GC is looking at is maintaining the health of the hydronic tubes that are encapsulated in the concrete (I'm assuming the tubes are embedded in a concrete slab). Many builders/flooring professionals will use a jack hammer of some sort to remove old tile. This often damages the surface of the concrete. Without knowing HOW DEEP your hydronic tubing is, no one will know for sure how safe it is to use power tools to jack out those tiles. Now it comes down to a tile professional digging out tiles AND thinset BY HAND for each and every tile that must be replaced. And then SANDING/GRINDING those areas without damaging ANYTHING ELSE! Whew! That's a lot of work and a lot of expensive labour and we haven't even gotten to 'replacement' tiling yet. In fact, that's the EASY part. As a novice you are welcome to pull any tile you feel is necessary. The problems come when you realize you need to dig out the thin-set BY HAND....on your hands and knees for hours and hours and hours without end. That's when paying the professionals what they are worth comes in handy. If there are many tiles that need to be remedied, you might just want to rid yourself of the entire floor and start again - it might just work out to be the same price. I am not kidding about that.
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poolguynj
12 years ago
Doesn't work. The debris flies. Once it's down the slope, its a PITA to get out.

Scott
drmeow3
Original Author
12 years ago
Oh, POUT :(

I guess I'll see what they say about the rust. If they have to drain the pool down far enough where draining it the rest of the way is no big deal, I'll see about replacing the tiles. Right now the tile's I've re-attached seem to be staying on fine - since I would rather not drain the pool unless I have to (living in the desert ... a waste of water), maybe I'll wait.

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