Can you panel straight over what is already on the wall? Sometimes. The
surface decides - not the schedule.
Five things that decide it, before anyone opens a box.
1. Tap the tiles before you trust them.
A sound, well-bonded tiled wall can be built over. What you cannot build
over is a tile that has already let go - a hollow one gives you nothing to
fix into, and it will take the panel with it when it moves. Tap across the
whole wall first; the drummy ones tell you where you are.
2. Work out what you are fixing into.
Over a tiled wall you are not fixing into plasterboard, you are fixing
through tile into whatever is behind it. The fixing has to suit the wall
behind the old face, and that is what decides whether the panel stays flat.
3. Do not panel over old panels sight unseen.
Old panelling tells you nothing about the wall behind it. Take a section
off, look at what is there, and put it back before you decide anything. It
is an hour well spent.
4. Any sign of damp and you stop.
An old bathroom surface is very good at hiding a problem. Panelling over it
seals the problem in rather than solving it. If there is staining, a soft
patch or a smell, deal with that first - the panel can wait.
5. Add up the depth before you start.
Going over an existing surface moves your new face forward. Skirting,
trims, the door reveal, the window return, the shower valve and any
pipework are all still sitting at the old plane. This is the part people
forget, and it is what turns a straightforward job into a problem.
Straight over, batten and level, or strip it back. The wall decides - not
the deadline.
Renovating and not sure whether your wall can be built over? DM "RENO"
with a photo of the wall and we will tell you which way we would go.
