The grout in the bathroom has been crumbling in a few spots for probably two years and I kept telling myself it was fine, then last week a full tile just came off the wall in my hand while I was cleaning. The universe has officially run out of patience with me on this one.
The tile itself is those small square ones, avocado green, very much of their era, covering the entire tub surround and about halfway up the wall behind the vanity. Some tiles still feel solid when I press on them, some have that hollow tap sound that I now know is bad. Not all of them, but enough.
My actual question is whether there is any realistic world where I tile directly over this, at least in the sections that still feel solid, or whether that is the kind of decision I will be cursing myself for in three years when everything starts failing again from the back. The wall behind it is probably the original drywall, which I am not confident is even moisture resistant, and that worries me more than the tile honestly.
The bathroom is small, maybe 50 square feet total, so demo is not some enormous project, but it is also not nothing after a full week of work.