October 10, 2024, 11:10 am | Read time: 6 minutes

If you want to give your bathroom a new look and prefer not to tear out the old tiles, you can cover them with filler and plaster instead to create smooth and seamless walls. Find out more in this article.

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Covering tiles with filler and plaster

Covering old tiles with filler is a popular way to give your bathroom a fresh look without removing the tiles completely. By filling and plastering the bathroom, you can create smooth, seamless bathrooms that can then be painted over with any wall color. This involves applying filler to the cleaned tiles in order to embellish them later with plaster or paint and achieve a modern look.

1. Check tiles for strength beforehand

Before you start covering, you should check the tiles. This is essential because the filler will only adhere properly if the tiles are securely attached and do not detach. It is, therefore, advisable to check the strength of each individual tile to ensure that the filler can adhere well to it. If many tiles come loose, it is better to remove all of them. However, if only a few tiles come loose, you can remove them and fill the resulting empty areas with repair filler.

2. Materials suitable for skimming over tiles

To finish tiles with filler, you first need a good primer and a special tile and surface filler to achieve the desired look. The filler itself should be suitable for tiles and is also available in different variants, from fine to coarse. Finer fillers are particularly suitable if you want to paint the wall after filling it or cover it with wallpaper. If you plan to cover the tiles with a thicker covering or plaster the surface afterward, a coarser repair filler is the better choice.

Note: Tenants should definitely talk to their landlords in advance. As a rule, filling and plastering cannot be reversed, which is why the landlord’s consent is essential.

3. Before applying the filler

Before you start covering the tiles, you should clean them thoroughly and remove any fixings, such as towel rails. Silicone joints between the tiles should be removed with a cutter knife, as silicone does not provide good adhesion for the filler. The remains can then be removed with a silicone remover. The tiles should then be cleaned of dirt, limescale, and grease and left to dry completely. Damaged tiles should be repaired as well as possible. To ensure good adhesion of the filler, it is often advisable to roughen the tiles beforehand.

4. Apply primer and allow to dry

To optimize filler adhesion, prime the tiles first. You can use a paint roller for this. Care should be taken not to skip any areas during application, as this could affect the final result. The primer is often already colored, which makes it easier to check whether the entire surface has been treated evenly with the primer and whether you need to go over it again with the roller. Once you have carefully applied the primer, you should allow it to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions before you start applying the filler.

Make sure you use primers that are especially suitable for bathrooms!

5. Use repair and surface filler

Now, you can start mixing the filler. The manufacturer’s recommendations should be followed. Water and a drill with a suitable attachment are often used for mixing to obtain a uniform compound. A smoothing trowel is often used to apply the compound. This allows you to work particularly accurately, apply the compound particularly smoothly, and even out any unevenness.

It is often necessary to apply several coats. Here, too, the existing layer must always be allowed to dry and harden beforehand. Unevenness can be sanded off later with sandpaper. If you do not know how much filler should be applied, you can read this in the datasheet.

6. Apply plaster primer

Before starting work, the following points should be noted: Skirting boards, window frames, and other areas that will not be painted or finished should be covered with a film. When priming, you should use a suitable plaster primer specially developed for the subsequent application of roller plaster so that the plaster adheres well and the material can be applied evenly.

Dip the roller into the primer and apply it evenly across the surface using vertical and horizontal strokes. It is important to allow the plaster primer to dry out according to the manufacturer’s instructions before starting to apply the roller plaster.

7. Applying roll-on plaster

The roller plaster must be mixed carefully to ensure a uniform consistency. If necessary, you should dilute the mixture slightly with a little water to make the plaster easier to apply. A textured roller can be used for this, but a normal roller with a medium pile is also suitable. For corners and edges, it is better to use a brush or a small roller.

When applying the plaster, make sure you don’t use too much. Usually, you start with the corners and edges. If the plaster is still wet, you can use a texture tool to create the desired pattern on the wall. Alternatively, you can also leave the plaster smooth. After application, the plaster should be allowed to dry completely.

8. Finishing

If desired, you can apply wall paint to the dried surface for a pop of color. However, if a white finish is preferred, additional painting over the roll-on plaster is not necessary. This is because the roller plaster is often already painted the desired color (e.g., white). However, if the roller plaster is applied in the original color, such as gray or beige, the surface can be repainted with another color if desired.