We’ve all got home improvement projects we should work on. According to research from B&Q, Brits typically have 16 small projects either on the go or on their minds.
The same research also revealed that replacing tiling was a project one in six respondents felt needed to be done at home.
So what’s holding people back from replacing tiles which they know need a refresh? Perhaps it’s the fact they don’t know how to get rid of them properly.
Our guide on how to remove wall tiles will teach you everything you need to know, and it could even save you a bundle compared to calling in a professional tiler.
Tools & Materials
Tools:
- Safety goggles
- Work gloves
- Face mask
- Utility knife, angle grinder or another grout-removing tool
- Hammer
- Chisel
- Scraper
Materials:
- Dust sheets (and newspaper or card)
- Masking tape
- Sandpaper (or sander)
How To Remove Wall Tiles — Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow the steps below to remove wall tiles like a pro!
1. Taking Precautions
Before removing tiles, you need to think ‘safety first’. I.e. prepare yourself and your work area.
Removing wall tiles creates both dust and sharp pieces of tile. To protect yourself from both, you’ll need some sturdy gloves, safety goggles and possibly a face mask.
Bits of falling tile can wreak havoc on bathroom suites and laminate floors, so cover as much of the area around the wall as you can with dust sheets.
To ensure ceramic or porcelain fixtures are well protected from falling objects, you might also want to put some newspaper or cardboard under the sheets. For more information on protecting your work area (and yourself), check out our guide to painting with zero mess.
Pro Tip: You may need to take precautions against dust-related problems. You’re likely to create a lot of dust if you’re removing a large number of tiles. If these particles build up in drains or air vents, they can cause problems further down the line, so try to cover or seal any vents near where you’ll be working.
2. Give Yourself the Best Access
Depending on where you’re working, different fixtures and fittings might get in the way of your work. It helps to get these out of the way as much as possible.
For instance, turn off the power to the room you’re working in before unscrewing and lifting away any plug sockets or light fittings that may be hindering your access to specific tiles.
3. Removing Grout
Your next step is to scrape the grout away from between the tiles. This is more difficult with wall tiles than floor tiles, as they’re often more closely spaced. The process of removing grout isn’t complicated, though — all you’re looking to do is scrape the grout away.
There are several different tools you can use for this, and the following video looks at the pros and cons of each option:
Pro Tip: You might not need to remove the grout between every tile you take out. If you’re removing a whole wall of tiles, you can generally concentrate on scraping away the grout by the ceiling, the floor and up the edges of each wall.
4. Removing Tiles
You’re now ready to start removing the tiles themselves. All you need for this is your hammer, chisel, and some elbow grease.
A good way to start is to tap each tile with your chisel’s handle to find a loose one. If you do, that’ll make it easier to get started.
Try to position your chisel between each tile and the wall, and tap it into the crack with your hammer. You don’t want to gouge the wall, so keep the chisel’s angle shallow.
If you’re lucky, tiles will come away in one piece. If not, you’ll have to repeat the process for each different piece. You may need to break tiles manually if you can’t get your chisel behind them.
Pro Tip: It pays to try and get tiles away in one piece, enabling you to reuse or even repurpose them. The guys at Fall For DIY have assembled a handy guide on turning old tiles into stylish coasters.
5. Cleaning up the Adhesive
Once all the tiles are down, you’ll still have some adhesive patches on the wall. You must remove this, but fortunately, it’s not too difficult. It’s certainly easier than removing the tiles!
Chip the worst of the adhesive away with your chisel, and use a scraper on the rest. You can then sand down the wall area to make it smooth for redecorating or retiling.
Transform Your Wall
Your wall is now a blank canvas with the tiles gone and the surface sanded. It’s ready for you to update or transform however you see fit.
If you’re going to replace old tiles with new ones, this in-depth guide from Tile Mountain explains how to do it right.
How To Remove Wall Tiles — Final Thoughts
Now you’ve read our guide, there’s no need to let those tired old tiles bug you any longer.
With a bit of time and elbow grease, you can turn any wall into a blank canvas, ready to be made as stylish as your home deserves.
For more tiling tips, check out our reviews of the best electric tile cutters in the UK.