Are you looking for some detailed actionable advice from a remodeling expert about removing tile from a bathroom wall and demoing your entire shower? If so, you won’t be disappointed.
This post will help you through the entire demo process… step by step. Everything from removing tile from a bathroom wall, to dust control, the right power tools, and safety equipment. This is a great diy project, as long as you follow the tips and tricks presented below.
This is Steve from Redblock (Steve’s Bio) with more great tips on bathroom tile removal and shower demolition.
Stay Tuned!
Topics Covered:
Feel free to jump to any section you like by using the topic links below.
Prepare your Space – Dust Control
First Step – Floor Tile & Mortar Demolition
Shower Pan Demo – Sledge Hammer Required
Removing Tile From a Bathroom Wall
Post Tile-Removal Steps, and Cleanup
Important Note – Safety Gear
If you want to do this job responsibly, you and / or your contractor MUST wear the proper gloves, ear protection, safety glasses, and particle mask (preferably a respirator) and the proper footwear during every stage of the demo. It also really helps to get a pair of good knee pads for when you have to kneel down. The demolition stage is especially unpredictable & dangerous. Don’t take any chances – take it slow, use the right tools, and follow my helpful tips !
Preparing Your Space for Tile and Fixture Removal
Dust Control
Removing tile from a bathroom wall and Bathroom demolition in general, is EXTREMELY dusty. Construction dust can also be a problem throughout the entire remodel. As such, I have a couple of suggestions to largely prevent the dust from migrating into the hallway and/ or other rooms in your home during the demo and construction stages of your shower remodel.
Strategy #1
The easiest way to accomplish this is to create a dust suppression system using your old ceiling mounted bathroom exhaust fan, if you have one. No matter how lame your old bathroom exhaust fan may be, you can use it to eliminate dust from getting past the bathroom door and into your home.
To use this construction dust control strategy effectively, you’ll need to keep the bathroom door closed (or just slightly ajar) so that air can move into the room while the fan is on. The bathroom window (if there is one) should also remain CLOSED. You also need to make sure that there’s a fresh air supply outside of the bathroom to supply the bathroom fan with a continuous flow of air (leave a window open in another room, for example). The objective here is to create a slight vacuum in your bathroom by venting the air out with your bath fan.
To verify that it’s working as described, you can (and you should) verify that air is blowing into the bathroom under the bathroom door, before you proceed with any dusty work. You definitely need to replace your bathroom exhaust fan after your demolition is complete, because the fan motor bearings really take a beating with this strategy.
Strategy #2
The following dust control strategy is a real heavyweight. Even without an exhaust fan or window in your bathroom, you can rig up a system of your own by placing a larger portable exhaust fan in an open doorway or window somewhere in the house. You can rent both the fan and the duct from your local tool rental retailer.
This fan would be sealed into the door opening so no air can escape around it, then connected to the bathroom via a large sealed flexible duct. The other end would be placed into the bathroom door opening with a shroud around it so no air can escape around the duct. This creates the vacuum you need to vent the dust from the room. With this strategy you would also need to make sure that the bathroom window was always closed when using the exhaust fan.
Strategy #3
This is a simpler version of strategy #2 above. The fan is sealed into an outside door or window opening, to depressurize the demolition area (the bathroom in this case).
I also created a temporary wall to keep the dust from migrating into the rest of the home. I included a “zip door” that I purchased at my local home store, extended it a bit with some plastic sheeting, and wrapped the edges with a 1″x2″ wooden frame so I could connect it to the perimeter walls with screws.
I fully covered another opening with plastic sheeting, but left a hole on the bottom to serve as an air supply for the fan. While the fan is on, it effectively depressurizes the demolition space so that it is virtually impossible for dust to get out of the demo area and into your home. You can see how the plastic sheeting is extending into the room while the fan is on. This shows that all the air is coming from the inside the home, keeping it completely free from dust.
Tools and Materials Needed
Electric Demolition (Jack) Hammer (buy or rent)
Tile breaker blade (buy or rent)
Several Hammer Chisel blades (bits)
Sledge Hammer – 10-12lb (possible rental)
Heavy Duty 3 mil Contractor Trash Bags
First Step – Floor Tile & Mortar Demolition
Before you start removing tile from a bathroom wall, or demoing anything else in the bathroom, the first thing is the floor tile removal. The best way to do this is with a demolition hammer tool with a “tile breaker” blade. This pneumatic tool and blade can be rented at your local tool rental store.
You can also get away with an smaller electric hammer chisel tool. I use mine for small jobs when the tile (porcelain and ceramic tile) is not too well adhered to the subfloor. For everything else I will just rent the demolition hammer tool and bits from the rental store. These tools are expensive and need a lot of maintenance, so it’s best to leave it to the equipment pros.
In contrast, the larger, more powerful, demolition hammer tool (see materials list) is pretty destructive, so it does an amazing job removing pretty much any tile and tile adhesive, as long as the subfloor is concrete. But if you have a plywood subfloor, you’ll have to be extra careful not to destroy the upper layers of the plywood. if you do, it will be a lot more challenging when you eventually install your new tile.
Also beware of flying tile pieces. These tile bits will shoot everywhere so be sure to protect your eyes with good safety glasses… preferably goggles. If there is a gap under your safety glasses, tile bits will get into your eyes. You should also cover your face. The flying chards of porcelain tile can easily cut your face if not protected. Ceramic tile pieces can also be dangerous, but not nearly as bad a those nasty porcelain bits. I’ve got the scars to prove it.
Removal of Bathroom Fixtures
After you remove the floor tile (before removing tile from a bathroom wall) you need to get rid of all the fixtures. This is a multi step process so I will go over it for you, in sequence.
Tub/ Shower Drain Removal:
Before removing tile from a bathroom wall, and completing the rest of the bathroom demo, you need to remove the drain assembly from your shower pan or bathtub. The drain must be disconnected before these old fixtures can be removed and disposed of.
For a bathtub, it usually involves unscrewing the outer drain flange. With older tubs, especially the steel ones, this can be challenging since the tub drain flange is almost always rusted and the threads are seized. To accomplish this I usually insert a pry bar or a pair of heavy duty pliers onto the drain opening to get some leverage, then try to unscrew the flange from the tub drain base.
If this does not work, I usually use a piece of flat steel stock (1/8″ thick, 1 1/2″ – 2″ wide, 6″ long) and try to wedge it firmly into the drain hole. Just be sure that it’s not too wide to distort the tub drain flange (making the situation worse!). Then use a pair of channel lock pliers or long vice grips to clamp onto the metal bar and turn. This method has rarely failed me.
If it fails to unscrew, unfortunately your only option is to cut out a small section of the tub (around the drain) to free the whole drain assembly (not fun with a steel tub).
To remove the shower drain you need access to the underside of the pan (only if it’s acrylic/fiberglass). If you don’t have access to the underside of the pan, your only option is to demolish it. After the base has been demoed, the drain assembly (and the liner if it’s a concrete pan) will be exposed and easy to remove.
But before the demo, you should check if you can access the drain pipe and P-trap that is beneath the shower. If you do have access, you should disconnect it before demolishing the pan.
The drain couplings connecting to the P-trap are almost always rubber banded couplings with hex screws that can be easily removed. If possible, I detach the top section of drain pipe (just above the p-trap) so you can replace it later with the exact size piece of pipe when installing the new drain.
If you have no access, you’re stuck with cutting the existing drain pipe. This is very difficult and awkward especially if it’s cast iron. If so, you should plan on replacing it with plastic ABS pipe instead. It’s much easier to work with, compatible with solvent welded drain assemblies, and very strong.
Keep or Remove the old Bathtub?
If you decide to keep your existing bathtub, you’re going to have to be very careful to cover and protect the tub surface before removing tile from a bathroom wall.
- I would first suggest using masking tape to cover the entire tub rim.
- Then tape a layer of cardboard onto the tub rim.
- Then place a piece of 5/8″ plywood cut to size, on the tub rim, covering the entire tub opening.
- Also tape all around the perimeter of the plywood to ensure that nothing falls in the gap around the plywood sheet.
The plywood will protect the tub and provide a work surface for the demo, framing prep, and backer board install. I know it seems like a lot of hassle but believe me, you will appreciate it many times over as you work through the different stages of reconstructing your tub/shower wall. It only takes one piece of old tile (or hand tool) falling on the tub surface during demo, to cause irreparable damage (along with the inevitable cursing, sadness and regret, of course).
Now you can pry up the tub off the subfloor and try to remove it in one piece. Or…. You can use my preferred strategy, cutting the bathtub into manageable pieces.
No need to herniate yourself wrestling the old tub out the bathroom, destroying furniture and drywall in your path. Using your reciprocation saw and a metal blade (if the tub is metal) or a regular demo blade (if the tub is acrylic / fiberglass) cut the tub into 3 or 4 pieces.
From about 1 1/2′ from the right or left wall, cut the tub from the top, down the front skirt first, then proceed with the back and the inside. Be very careful to watch where your blade is protruding and NEVER cut towards your body. You don’t want to injure yourself or damage any plumbing or electrical services. The goal is to slice the tub into 3 or 4 pieces that are easy to carry out and dispose of.
Shower Pan Demo – Sledge Hammer Required
Before removing tile from a bathroom wall, I always demo the shower first, and the shower pan (shower base) is the first to go. With an acrylic pan this can be done by removing the shower wall first, then the screws, then simply lifting it out.
But an easier method is to cut it out with your reciprocating saw just like I showed above with the tub removal. Then you can just lift it right out.
This takes longer so most people chose the smashing technique instead. The problem with this is that it’s very loud, with a lot of dust. It’s also much more hazardous because of fiberglass shards flying everywhere and very sharp broken edges of the pan that can easily cut your legs.
Mud Pan Removal:
Most old school concrete shower bases are poured (or dry pack mortar base) bases that were applied over a rubber liner that lays over the concrete or plywood subfloor. Since you can easily get a prybar underneath these liners, you can pry the entire shower base up off the subfloor.
Proceed to pry the liner & base high enough to wedge a piece of scrap wood underneath. Then smash the shower base with a sledgehammer anywhere above your spacer (I do like smashing things). The space created by the scrap wood allows you to easily crack the brittle concrete into bits.
The shower base material will be immensely heavy so you will have to proceed with this technique until you smash it into pieces that are light and small enough to put into trash bags and disposing. After cleanup, the shower pan liner will be exposed so you can begin cutting it away with a utility knife.
If you like, you can try to use the liner to get under the tile and backer board with a pry bar. If there is framing (backing) between the studs, you can sometimes use this to easily pry off the bottom section of tile and backer board.
Shower Valves & Trims
Before removing tile from a bathroom wall, you still need to remove the shower fixture trims. If the water supply has not been shut off, make sure you shut it off now. If it’s not possible to shut off the water to the bathroom only, then you need to shut off the water to the whole house.
The plan here is to shut off the main water supply only long enough to install hot and cold shutoff valves somewhere inside the bathroom, or in an adjacent room. You need to arrange for a plumber to come in to figure out the best way to approach this.
Tub Spout:
The most common type of tub spout has a Allen head set screw on the underside of the spout next to the wall. The spout can be removed by loosening this set screw (with Allen key) and sliding the spout straight out from the wall. Often there’s a bead of silicon caulking glueing it to the tile. If present, you will have to cut this away with a utility knife before you can remove the spout.
The image above shows the tub spout mounted in a tub deck. This one is also often removed with an Allen wrench (or key), but it’s usually out of site, behind the fixture.
Valve Trims:
The valve assembly trim can usually be removed by first removing the water control levers (hot and cold) or the single control lever. This can usually be accomplished in one of two common ways.
The first way is by prying off the H or C caps of the control lever(s), then unscrew the levers by the center screw that fixes the lever to the valve body. After these levers are removed, the rest of the trim removal is usually quite straightforward.
There may be two obvious screws on the face of the trim that you can remove. Alternately, there may be a ring at the base of the water supply control(s) (where the levers were attached). This ring holds the trim against the wall and can simply be unscrewed. This should release the trim from the valve body.
Shower Head and Shower Arm:
And finally, if it is a standard shower head, it can simply be screwed off. The shower arm can also be unscrewed from threaded shower head coupling inside the wall. You can use channel lock pliers or Vice Grips for this if you don’t want to retain the shower arm for future use. If you do, you’ll have to use a strap wrench to remove it, so you don’t damage the finish.
Removing Tile From a Bathroom Wall
Removing tile from a bathroom wall may seem as easy as chiseling or prying the tiles off the backer board, but it’s not often that easy. But you should definitely give this a try initially, because you might get lucky and the tiles might come off easily.
But more than likely the tiles will be firmly attached to the substrate and very difficult, if not impossible) to remove from the backer board (or the drywall board). In this case, the only practical strategy is to remove the tile and board together. You can accomplish this is with a angle grinder (and masonry wheel). This would allow you to remove the tile by cutting it into sections. The big problem with this strategy is that the dust production from the grinding wheel is crazy, and completely unmanageable. As such, I usually employ a different strategy:.
As you can also see in the image, I smash a series of holes in the wall tile with a hammer between the wall studs so that both the tile and backer board collapse into the stud cavity. Crude, I know….. but effective. The goal is to smash holes like this from the ceiling to the floor vertically, and then horizontally to create a matrix of approximately 2′ square sections.
I am not talking about a “Hulk Smash” kind of impact. You only hit hard enough to see the tile crack and then another to see it collapse slightly into the wall cavity. You don’t want to hit too hard because of the possibility of water lines running through the walls behind the tile.
Good practice is to start with an investigation hole near the ceiling, where there’s little chance of water lines. Carefully smash a hole big enough to stick your head and a flashlight, so you can see what’s going on in there. As you can see in the image, electrical wires and copper water lines are running behind the wall section I just removed…. Yikes!
Just before removing the sections, you should first try to separate the wall from the ceiling with a carpenter’s knife. The ceiling and wall backerboard and/or drywall are often taped in the corner, so removing tile from a bathroom wall can tear away the corner tape and in turn, tear away the ceiling drywall facing paper, creating more drywall patching work.
Remove the Sections:
With proper gloves on, break away some of the broken tile in two locations around each of the sections to create holes big enough to get both hands in behind the backer board. With several rhythmic pulls of the sheet it will gradually loosen from the screws that hold it to the framing. You don’t need to pull super hard to get it off in the first pull. You’ll only strain yourself. After a few sequential pulls, the section will separate from the screws easily.
After removing all the sections, you should remove all the fasteners that remain connected to the walls. It’s worth while applying some extra effort on this task to make sure you don’t miss any. A nasty injury can result from even a single screw or nail left in the wall, especially one that lost it’s head. If you don’t get them all…. Ouch! Lots of blood and a visit to the Emerg to get stitches. Believe me…I’ve been there!.
Insulation and Vapor Barrier
After removing tile from a bathroom wall, my recommendation is to ALWAYS remove and dispose of the vapor barrier in your shower as well as any insulation in the outside wall. It’s not worth reusing any of this material since It’s very difficult to detect moisture in wall insulation, and it may also contain mold.
You may not be able to determine whether the framing and wall have become moist from condensation or leaks, so it’s best to leave the area uncovered for a few days to let it completely dry. You can replace the insulation when you start the rebuild.
Of course if you see that the area is definitely wet, you should call a remediation contractor to remove any mold and thoroughly dry the area. You can also do this job yourself but make sure you do your research. You want to be certain that this area is completely clean (mold free) and dry before proceeding with your remodel.
Post Tile-Removal Steps, and Cleanup
Your best friend will be your shop vac on this job. But also a good broom and dust pan along with some really good construction grade trash bags (see materials list).
FAQ’s
What tools are needed to remove tile from a bathroom wall?
When removing tile from a bathroom wall, you’ll need a few essential tools: Sledge hammer, framing hammer, chisel, putty knife, safety goggles, ear protection, gloves and angle grinder (optional). These tools will help you effectively and safely remove the tiles.
Can you remove tile from a wall without damaging drywall?
Removing tile from a bathroom wall without damaging the drywall beneath is possible, but not easy. If you’re only removing decorative tile attached with acrylic mastic, a heat gun may be able to soften the adhesive behind the tiles, making them easier to pry off. To do this you’d start with removing the grout between the tile, apply the heat, then use a putty knife to lift the tiles. However, if the adhesive is thinset mortar, you shouldn’t waste your time. You’re better off removing the drywall along with the tile. Drywall sheets are not that expensive, difficult to attach, or difficult to finish, especially when you’re planning to cover with tile.
What is the easiest way of removing tile from a bathroom wall?
Removing tile from a bathroom wall starts with a framing hammer to smash shallow holes through the tile and backer board between the wall studs. Smash a series of vertical holes close together as to separate one side from the other. Continue this from ceiling to the floor vertically, then horizontally creating a bunch of 2′ square sections. Smash these holes with only enough force to break through the tile, and into the wall cavity with two to three hits. Be very careful with this because you don’t want to hit any water supply lines that may be running through the stud cavity.
Wrap Up
I’ve provided you with some useful tips for removing tile from a bathroom wall, as well as helping you with the rest of the demolition process. I hope it will reduce your demolition stress and make the job run a little more smoothly. Please let me know in the comments below, if you have any of your own shower demo tips or if you have any questions or comments. I am always happy to hear from you!
This post is for information purposes only and should NOT be interpreted as professional advice. You should always consult a licensed local contractor before undertaking any remodelling work in your home. Click here for my full Personal / Professional Disclosure.
