How to Remove a Tile Backsplash

Whether in your kitchen or your bathroom, the tile backsplash is a kind of design that will always be in style. But what if you decide to do another makeover in your room? Maybe you feel like changing the peach-colored tiles in your kitchen counters to that of a more clinical white? Sure you can hammer your way in, but that would just leave you with a gaping hole in your drywall and more things to fix. Fortunately, removing a tile backsplash doesn’t have to be difficult, and it certainly doesn’t have to be at the expense of your drywall.

Step 1 – Remove the Grout

Removing the grout is easy as long as you have a grout remover. Using the grout remover, file away all the grout in between the ceramic tiles that you wish to remove. Make sure that you remove all the grout surrounding the tiles that you wish to remove.

Step 2 – Crack into the Ceramic Tiles

Carefully with the use of a ceramic chisel, crack into the ceramic tiles that you wish to remove from your tile backsplash. Be very careful with the amount of force that you exert to create a hole into the ceramic tiles. Remove as much tile as you can with the use of the ceramic chisel. However, make sure that you do not chisel all the way through the drywall.

Step 3 – Removing the Ceramic Tiles with the Use of a Pry Bar

Using a ceramic chisel to remove ceramic tiles can be really difficult and time-consuming, which is why you can go on and use a flat crowbar once you have removed the central part of the ceramic tile. To do this, place a small flat crowbar in any small gap between the tile and the drywall. Then start hammering so that you completely detach the ceramic tile from the drywall. If you do this carefully and well enough, you can remove the ceramic tile from your tile backsplash in one piece.

Do steps 2 and 3 until you are done removing all the ceramic tiles that you have to. It’s important that you assess the condition of the drywall once you’ve successfully removed all ceramic tiles. See that there are no patches and other deterioration done by water leaks. If there are none, then you can go straight to scraping the remaining adhesive. If there are any patches, simply remedy them by patching them with plaster of Paris.

Step 4 – Remove the Adhesive

To ensure that you have a smooth finish, all you have to do is simply scrape away any remaining adhesive with the use of a spackling knife. Once you’re done removing all the adhesive that you possibly can start sanding the entire surface before you begin repainting the wall or attaching new tiles.