How To Remove A Wall Tile Without Damaging Others

Protect ceramic shower pans and bathtubs from falling tiles by covering them with cardboard.

How to remove a wall tile without damaging others.

2 x research source. Be careful when storing the loose tile until you use it again. Tiles installed with thinset or another tile adhesive often require more work to remove them. If not insert a thin flexible putty knife under the tile and try working it loose.

Score the 1st tile you plan on starting with using the grout cutter. For semi soft adhesive mastic use 120 grit sandpaper to remove it from the wall. Next position a chisel in the grout line under the bottom of the tile and tap it gently with a hammer to see if the tile will pop loose be careful not to chip or crack the adjoining tile. Therefore you should use the same chisel to remove the adhesive from the wall by tapping it with a hammer progressively.

Wear wrap around safety goggles a long sleeved shirt pants and work gloves to protect yourself from. From there the remaining tiles are easier to access during the removal process and are much less likely to break. You can remove the rest of the flooring in the same way until you re finished. In order to remove the adhesive from the back of the wall tiles you should use a scraper.

Place a suction cup in the center of the tile and thread twine through the protruding hole. Protect yourself and your surroundings. Examine the perimeter of the tiled area looking for exposed tile edges or edging strips that can be removed to give access to the tiles. Start by removing all the grout using a grout saw rotary cutter oscillating tool or utility knife.

Pull on the twine as you carefully pry the tile from the floor. Cover any drains as well. Using a hammer and chisel gently chisel the tile away from the wall. Don safety goggles and gloves.

Fill drywall gouges with drywall joint compound and sand it smooth. Run the gout cutter around the tile edges in the grout area. Allow to fully dry. Because of the steep chiseling angle the first tile to be removed tends to break especially if it set hard in the mortar.

Then make and x motion within the tile with the tile cutter. Once those tiles loosen pry them off. A wide blade putty knife is helpful in prying the tiles loose.