Instead of tile consider 9 16 ish thin brick veneer which looks good in combination with concrete block.
Tile over cinder block.
2 dig an 8 inch deep and 6 inch wide trench at the base of the wall.
Mix surface bonding cement with water to a pasty consistency.
Cinder block walls can look drab and dreary particularly in a dark basement or as a backdrop in a cozy bedroom.
Fill the trench with 4 inches of gravel and pack it down.
Video of the day.
Had to chip off all the thinset with an electric chisel.
Tile on concrete block wall if he has the room i would frame insulate with unfaced and then denshield then tile.
Tiling over painted block can be problematic due to the inability of the tile adhesive to stick directly to the painted blocks.
The easiest product to use on a cinder block wall is surface bonding cement.
To make your home look more appealing you can glue faux brick panels over the cinder block.
These panels are available from many building supply companies as well as online.
Mike haduck shows his style of putting tyle over block work all my videos are my ways and ideas i always suggest anyone doing any type of work to seek prof.
Installing tile over a cinder block wall can not only raise the aesthetic of the structure but also increase its water resistance and insulation capabilities.
For the shower floor consider using snapstone porcelain tile that snaps together and floats.
Hose off your cinder block or pavers to clean off any debris.
Find out why you can apply a tile mastic right on top of paint if it is well adhered to the cinder block and not loose.
All you have to do is pour the cement into a container such as a wheelbarrow then stir in the water with a shovel.
You could put a wire lath over the blocks and then just use mortar to adhere the brick to the lath blocks.
You need approximately 4 cups 950 ml of water for an 80 lb 36 kg bag of cement mix.
They are designed to fit together like a puzzle making the seams disappear into a solid brick finish.
Removing the paint is a long and tedious process but by creating an intermediate surface between the painted blocks and the tiles you can solve the adherence issue without the need for paint removal.