Can You Put Tile On Drywall? Things You Should Know

Drywall is a relatively inexpensive and easily accessible building material. However, one of the biggest problems with drywall is that it is difficult to clean without the possibility of being damaged. One good solution to this issue is to cover drywall with something more durable and pleasant looking, such as tiles. This leads many to wonder, can you put tiles on drywall?

The answer is, yes! Tiles are sizable squares usually made from ceramic, marble, or some other type of stone. They come in various designs and are easy to clean. Tiles are usually glued onto the surface of walls, floors, or sometimes even ceilings. Since tiles are added on with adhesive material as an external layer, they can be put on anything, including drywall. 

Drywall is prone to discoloration and cracking. A good way to solve this problem while also improving the aesthetics of a place is to add tiles to it. However, there are still some things you need to consider before making your final decision. So, let’s dive right into the article and find out more about it!

Is It Okay to Put Tile on Drywall?

Putting tile on drywall is alright. In fact, not only is it alright, it is even encouraged. As already discussed, drywall, despite being a convenient construction material, is not durable. Adding tiles on top of drywall can help protect the surface of the wall from damage. Nevertheless, there are still some things you need to ensure in order to safely tile your walls. 

Check If The Drywall Is Strong Enough To Support Tiles

The first concern to pop into your head might be whether drywall is strong enough to hold tiles. The answer to this depends on the area you wish to tile. For most of your house, tiling over drywall is completely fine. However, in areas that are exposed to water, such as the bathroom and the kitchen, tiling directly on top of drywall may not be entirely safe.

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Drywall gets significantly damaged when exposed to water. Therefore, the drywall in your kitchen or bathroom may not be strong enough to hold the tile. Water seeping into the drywall from between the tiles can cause the drywall to weaken and your tile to fall off. 

If you want to tile your kitchen or bathroom, you may need to talk to professionals about adding extra layers on top of the drywall before adding tiles. Drywall in these particular areas can’t hold the tile on its own. However, this problem can be solved by either replacing the drywall with something else or making the drywall stronger with more layers.

Make Sure The Surface Of The Drywall Is Smooth

One other thing you need to make sure of before putting tile on drywall is whether your wall is prepped or not. Tiles can only be added to a flat and smooth surface. Tiny bumps on walls can prevent the tile from sticking properly. In severe cases, it may even lead to the tile falling off. 

To ensure your tiles stick properly to the drywall, you need to scrape off any rough surfaces. This usually refers to small bits of glue or dried-up plaster stuck on the wall. This can usually be done with sandpaper or a drywall knife. As long as the surface is completely even, you should have no problem adding tiles on top of the drywall

Things To Consider Before Putting Tile on Drywall

For the most part, tiles are not too complicated. They are added on top of pre-existing surfaces, which makes them easier to remove or replace. However, the process can be time-consuming, so it is important to be firm in your decision before confirming what tiles to place on your walls. Here are a few things you may want to consider before putting tile on drywall.

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Shape And Size

Tiles are usually priced per square foot or per piece. The price of tiles varies depending on their shape and size. Before ordering your tiles, you need to consider the size of your room and figure out how many tiles you need. If you are getting help from a professional contractor, they may handle this for you. However, you can also figure this out by yourself if you want to.

All you need to do is measure the square foot surface area of your room. Only consider the surfaces you’d like to tile. Then look up the dimensions of the tiles you’d like to buy. Dividing the total surface area of your room by the area of a single tile will let you figure out how many tiles you’ll need to purchase. 

Design 

Though tiles are good for protecting walls, they are most often used for aesthetic purposes. The range of designs for tiles is unlimited. Due to this, the options for tiles to pick from are endless. Try to envision the bigger picture of how you’d like the entire room to look before picking a tile. 

Many people choose more than one tile design to use in a pattern within the same room or on the same surface. The best way to pick a design is to look for inspiration online. You can also sketch the design by yourself to visualize the outcome. The design of tiles is endless, so it is best not to limit your creativity when deciding on tiles either. 

Material

The most common type of tile is ceramic tile. However, tiles are made from various materials such as marble, glass, concrete, etc. The type of tile you should get depends on your personal preferences as well as the purpose you want the tile to serve. You can also make a decision based on where you’d like the tile to be placed.

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Ceramic tiles are commonly installed on walls. On the other hand, marble or concrete tiles are usually used for floors. This decision, however, can also come down to a matter of texture. For instance, ceramic tiles tend to be cold and slippery, so they may not be the best option for tiling floors. 

How To Put Tiles On Drywall?

The technicalities of installing tiles on top of drywall can vary from house to house. If you do not have experience in construction work, this job is best left in the hands of professionals. However, if you would like to know how tiles are installed, the basic premise can be summed up in the following steps.

  • Step 1: Prep your wall. Use sandpaper or a drywall knife to get rid of bumps and make the surface as smooth as possible.
  • Step 2: Add the adhesive onto the wall. The adhesive coating can start drying quickly, so it is best to do this process tile by tile rather than coating the entire wall with an adhesive layer all at once. 
  • Step 3: Now, add your tile onto the adhesive layer. Make sure that the tiles are lined next to each other with no gaps. 
  • Step 4: Wait for the tiles to dry. If there are any spaces between tiles, cover them with mortar or plaster. 

Renovating or building a house is no easy task. So to answer one last time, can you put tile on drywall? Yes. You can put tiles on the drywall as long as the wall is strong enough to support the tiles. I hope this article helped put some of your concerns regarding tiling to rest. Thank you for reading till the end!