How to Remove Tile Tub Surround with Metal Mesh

This tutorial will show yous how to remove a tile tub surroundings with metal mesh. Before you begin, take ane last look at your bathtub. For better or worse, in one case you begin this projection, in that location's no turning dorsum.

You must be prepared for any you find underneath that tile, backside those walls, inside that drain. If you're fully committed to getting it done, let's motion on. Step by footstep, we'll show y'all how to remove a tile tub surround with metal mesh.

How to Remove a Tile Tub Surround - with Metal Mesh

DIY Level: Intermediate

Materials Needed to Remove Tile Tub Surround:

Hammer and crowbar
Heavy duty gloves
Grit mask
Condom glasses
Large dumpster / garbage can
Broom and store vac or similar
Razor bract, chisel
Patience

DIY Remove Tub Surround Tile - First step

Reasons to Remove a Tile Tub Surroundings

I goal of this item tile tub surround removal is to be able to re-tile the surround all the way up to the ceiling.

DIY Remove Tub Surround Tile - remove the outdated tile

Another reason for this removal was to update the outdated tile with increasingly chipped grout areas. Of course, if we loved the tile, nosotros could accept redone just the grout.

Removing Tile Tub Surroundings Stride Ane: Clear the infinite

So, let's begin the bath tile tub environment removal. Offset, remove everything from the bathroom itself. The upcoming project will be incredibly messy and dusty…and even that is an understatement.

Removing Tile Tub Environs Footstep Two: Plug holes

Cover any outlets and drains and vents with painter'due south tape, plastic, or cloth.

Lay an old drop cloth or sheet in the tub itself

Removing Tile Tub Environment Step Iii: Protect the tub

Lay an sometime drib cloth or sheet in the tub itself. This will serve to provide a little protection to the tub itself as tiles autumn, and it will as well aid catch falling tiles and droppings for easier cleanup.

DIY Remove Tub Surround Tile - with hammer

Removing Tile Tub Surround Footstep Four: Commencement at the edge

Pick a spot on the edge of your tile surround and, with a hammer and crowbar, start pounding.

The goal at first is to become at least one tile removed then you can see what you lot're looking at underneath.

Removing Tile Tub Surround Step Five: Create a crack

Work your crowbar from i side of the tile's edge to the other until you've formed a crack big enough to wedge your crowbar into.

Removing Tile Tub Environs Pace Six: Remove that beginning department

Push on the crowbar's handle, which serves as a lever to shove the tile away from the wall. The tile may come out in one piece, or it may break and come up out in multiple pieces. Since we are not saving our outdated tile, either mode is fine.

Finding Metal Mesh Under Tile Tub Environment

Depending on the age of your house'south construction, you may discover metal mesh underneath your tile. This complicates the project, but it's not an insurmountable claiming. Basically, yous're looking at only another layer: drywall, metallic mesh, mortar, and the tile itself. All of this except the drywall (although probably that, too) volition need to exist removed.

Here's a better look at the metallic mesh. This was a common practice in abode structure decades agone. Information technology'southward no longer necessary, though.

Removing Tile Tub Environment Step 7: Continue removing tiles

At present that you know what yous're dealing with, simply proceed on with your hammer and crowbar, ripping out tile by tile. You lot may find information technology easiest to move strategically from one row to the side by side, or you may be more comfortable fanning out from your first removed tile. Whatsoever is most comfortable for you lot and makes the most sense for how your tile is coming out is nifty.

Removing Tile Tub Surround Step 8: Remove debris as you go

Be sure to clear out the fallen tiles, chunks, and debris periodically. I found it most helpful to clear out every iv-ish square feet.

Tip for Removing Tile Tub Surround

You'll observe it easiest, whether y'all're working from side to side or top to bottom, to ever move from the outer edges toward the inside of your tiled tub surround walls. Stick the crowbar backside a tile, hammer it in, and push the handle toward the wall.

This should pop out $.25 of or the whole tile. Be particularly conscientious around windows, with removing the tile and swinging your hammer. Tiles can go flying when levered out of place aggressively, then use caution.

Removing Tile Tub Surround Stride Ix: Remove moldings

Speaking of windows, if y'all are tiling up to the ceiling, yous'll need to remove whatever molding around your window(s) and so that you lot can run the tile correct up to them. Utilise a hammer and crowbar to do this.

Once y'all get going, you volition probably observe some strategies that work well with your particular combination of tile and mortar (and metal mesh). I found that information technology was helpful for me to hammer (difficult) the corners of the tiles I was about to remove. This weakened the bail of each tile's corners likewise as the grout betwixt the tiles, which ultimately made removal (with a crowbar) much easier and more efficient.

Some other strategy I employed was to avoid aligning the crowbar exactly with the dorsum of the tile, which left the mortar intact on the wall. Considering we'll be removing that anyway, it makes sense to try to remove it along with the tile where possible.

Removing Tile Tub Surround Step Ten: Remove face plates

Remove the face plates where applicable from your shower and tub fixtures so you can remove the tile and mortar from behind them.

Removing Tile Tub Surround Step Eleven: Remove residuum of tiles

Once the tile behind the fixtures is exposed, remove it in the same way you've been doing elsewhere in your tub surround.

To do this, align your crowbar tip at the back of the mortar, right exactly next to the metal mesh. Then, when yous lever the crowbar, it volition pull off both the tile and mortar, leaving an exposed (and more than easily removed) metal mesh.

Removing Tile Tub Surround Step Twelve: Remove the metal mesh

Removing the metal mesh can be piece of cake nevertheless tricky at the same time.

Wherever the mortar came off with the tile, the metal mesh is left exposed on top of the drywall. I could sometimes remove just a few nails effectually the edge, and then grip the metal mesh with my gloves, and pull it off in big pieces.

Removing Tile Tub Surround Step Thirteen: Loosen large chunks

Wherever large clumps of mortar are still stuck to the metallic mesh, smash your hammer over those sections to loosen them from the metal mesh. Then you can remove the metal much more hands.

Removing Tile Tub Environs Step Fourteen: Prepping the drywall

If your drywall has remained intact, and if you're planning on keeping it, you may movement onto the upcoming tutorial for prepping your tub surroundings for tile.

Even so, you may cull to remove the drywall for a number of reasons.

These might include: (i) Yous want a flush alignment between hardibacker (the cement backerboard to which your tiles will be fastened) and next drywall. (2) Your drywall was damaged in i or more areas, so it makes sense to remove information technology all for continuity. (iii) You will be making plumbing changes with your shower/tub fixtures and thus demand to access the area behind the drywall.

Removing Tile Tub Surround Step Fifteen: Removing the drywall

Strategic removal of your drywall will create less work for yous overall, then pay attending to where and how you remove information technology. You'll need to remove the drywall to the commencement stud by the edge of your tub, merely yous should just remove it to the halfway bespeak on the stud itself. And then, on a two×four stud, you'll just want to cut out your drywall to ane" (or really 3/iv″, since 2×four isn't the true measurement).

Advisedly locate your starting time stud past cutting out a sliver of drywall from the edge of your tub. One time y'all've found it, utilize a razor blade to cut, at the stud's vertical halfway line, the drywall all the fashion up to the ceiling.

Score the corners and joints of the drywall, then use your easily or hammer to pull the drywall off the studs.

Do this all the fashion effectually your tub surround until all drywall is removed.

Removing Tile Tub Surround Step Sixteen: Clear window frame

Remove anything next to the window frame. This window had PVC board installed next to the frame itself, before the window sill and moldings. It all has to be removed when y'all are tiling around a shower window.

Chances are high that y'all'll have some balance caulk or similar material on the border of your porcelain tub itself. If information technology doesn't peel off easily, endeavor working with your chisel to get it off.

Employ a hammer to gently but firmly bit the stuff away. This can take a bit of time.

With everything removed and your insulation/framing exposed, you lot're fix to make any plumbing changes are required and begin prepping the area for tiling.

Note: The author is an experienced, although not professional person, DIYer. Neither the author nor Homedit is responsible for any injury or damage that may be a result of post-obit this tutorial.

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