Cover-Up Specialist · Manassas, Virginia
Old, unwanted, or poorly done tattoos, redesigned into work you're actually proud of — one of the most requested services at The Thirteenth Floor.
The most repeated story here: a client shopped a cover-up around, got turned down or talked out of it elsewhere, then brought it to Tanchez and it got done. Cover-ups take more planning than a fresh piece — the old tattoo's size, ink density, and skin condition all shape what the new design can be. That's worked out in a consultation, before anything is committed to.
Most tattoos can be covered, but the result depends on the size, color saturation, and placement of the existing piece. Dark or heavily saturated tattoos usually need a larger, darker new design to fully cover the old ink. A consultation is the only way to know what a specific cover-up will require.
It starts with a consultation over text or email — photos or video of the old tattoo, along with reference images for the new design — to assess size, ink density, and skin condition. From there, a custom design is built specifically to work with the existing piece, often using darker shading, bold linework, or a larger scale to fully absorb the old tattoo.
Usually, yes. Cover-ups typically need to extend beyond the edges of the original tattoo and use more black and grey depth to fully neutralize the old ink underneath.
Pricing is per session rather than a single flat number. Larger or more complex cover-ups are often completed over multiple sessions, and each one is priced individually. Cover-up work takes more design time and skill than a fresh tattoo of the same size, so it's priced accordingly as the fine art it is.