Need advice on removing an old wall tile...

[Puddy]

...without damaging the others around it. This old protruding bathroom tile needs to be removed. I don't want to take down all the tiles but this thing needs to go (there is also a matching one that holds toothbrushes that needs to go as well). How can I do this successfully?

 

I also don't know what I'm going to do with this space once this this is gone. I doubt I can find a matching tile since these babies are old.

Edited December 26, 2011 by Puddy

[Footballjoe]

Need to loosen / remove the grout around it. You might be able to work it loose after that by trying to move it back and forth.Be sure to wear gloves. I would put duct tape on the surrounding tile to prevent damaging them. You would need to go to a place that sells old tiles and try to match what you have to fill the hole or put some type of decorative tiles.

[Chief Dick]

I'd call someone if I were you.

[Furd]

Your wife is going to have to chisel it (and maybe the tile above it) out. She'll need: steel punch (or other metal object to beak the surface of the tile), hammer, drill, chisel, sandpaper (I used a mini-disk attached to the drill.) She's going to drill through the tile (not the wall ) in a dozen or so spots. The soap dish may make this tricky.

 

Punch a series of shallow holes in the tile from corner to corner (in an X pattern). She'll just need to break through the surface so the drill bit can penetrate the tile.

 

Drill through the tile at each hole. Chisel the tile out. She may need to drill a few more holes depending on how well the tile is affixed to the wall. Hope that she doesn't have to drill though the dish. She may be able to work the chisel in under it.

 

Sand away. When done, she should use a dampened rag to wipe away the residue.

[Hugh 0ne]

Your wife is going to have to chisel it (and maybe the tile above it) out. She'll need: steel punch (or other metal object to beak the surface of the tile), hammer, drill, chisel, sandpaper (I used a mini-disk attached to the drill.) She's going to drill through the tile (not the wall ) in a dozen or so spots. The soap dish may make this tricky.

 

Punch a series of shallow holes in the tile from corner to corner (in an X pattern). She'll just need to break through the surface so the drill bit can penetrate the tile.

 

Drill through the tile at each hole. Chisel the tile out. She may need to drill a few more holes depending on how well the tile is affixed to the wall. Hope that she doesn't have to drill though the dish. She may be able to work the chisel in under it.

 

Sand away. When done, she should use a dampened rag to wipe away the residue.

 

She'll need special drills for drilling tile FYI. Have her take a few pics when she's done Puddy, and be a good little camper and post them for us, mmmkay?

[Puddy]

I'd call someone if I were you.

Ding ding...we have a winner. Dude will be here tomorrow earning the admiration of my wife.

[Puddy]

Your wife is going to have to chisel it (and maybe the tile above it) out. She'll need: steel punch (or other metal object to beak the surface of the tile), hammer, drill, chisel, sandpaper (I used a mini-disk attached to the drill.) She's going to drill through the tile (not the wall ) in a dozen or so spots. The soap dish may make this tricky.

 

Punch a series of shallow holes in the tile from corner to corner (in an X pattern). She'll just need to break through the surface so the drill bit can penetrate the tile.

 

Drill through the tile at each hole. Chisel the tile out. She may need to drill a few more holes depending on how well the tile is affixed to the wall. Hope that she doesn't have to drill though the dish. She may be able to work the chisel in under it.

 

Sand away. When done, she should use a dampened rag to wipe away the residue.

 

 

And that actually sounds like decent advice...especially from a penny loafer wearing dude.

[Furd]

She'll need special drills for drilling tile FYI.

 

I used an regular ol' electric 1/4 in drill, but I used a carbide drill bit. (I was remiss for not mentioning that.)

 

Its not that bad if you break the surface of the tile before drilling.

 

And I don't wear penny loafers.

[Hugh 0ne]

I used an regular ol' electric 1/4 in drill, but I used a carbide drill bit. (I was remiss for not mentioning that.)

 

Its not that bad if you break the surface of the tile before drilling.

 

And I don't wear penny loafers.

 

I meant drill bits, a special drill like a hammer drill is required for concrete, not tile. I think if you used a hammer drill on tile it would have bad results for both the tile and the carbide tipped drill bits.

[SEC=UGA]

Make it easier on yourself and invest in one of these

[Hugh 0ne]

Make it easier on yourself and invest in one of these

 

You can borrow mine anytime: http://www.us.hilti.com/holus/page/module/...;nodeId=-161078

[SteelBunz]

Actually, a multi-tool of some sort is extremely valuable. Fein makes the original....but it's $400. You can get a knockoff from Menards or Sears. The grout removal accessory vibrates/cuts out the grout joint around the tiles you want to remove. If your grout space is too thin (1/16th of an inch as typical with the smooth, thin ceramic) then you'll have to use a razor knife to score out the grout. If you don't want to buy the tool, you can get a little hand grout saw. But again, 1/16th of an inch grout line needs to be razor bladed out. Takes some patience.

 

After you've isolated the tiles you want to remove, tapping one with a hammer to crack it should get you going. With the adjoining grout removed, there shouldn't be a transfer of energy from the hammer to a nearby tile. After that you can work the edges with either a stiff putty knife/5-in-one tool and a hammer, or use the scraper blade attachment on the multi-tool. The tool you use will depend on the adhesive they used. Some of the old adhesives were more like carpet glue. The multi-tool is great for that. If they used genuine thinset, the stiff putty blade and hammer pop those pretty quickly. They make some putty knives with a slight chisel to the edge....these are best. Like a stiff, flat chisel.

 

No matter what you do, there WILL be some wall repair of some sort. Just try to minimize it by not gouging, but sliding the putty knife as flat as you can. Easy taps on the end with a hammer. Once you get a good inch under it, pop it.

 

As for the wall repair, it will depend on what your final will be. If you are retiling, just sand or scrape the high spots to level. Any gouges can be filled in with a thinset skimcoat allowed to dry before you apply another combed out thinset to set the new tile.

 

If you want a drywall finish and the wall isn't too bad, use an easy sand 90 to skimcoat and repair. This is in a bathroom so do NOT use the premixed drywall mud (comes in the bucket). The EasySand90 is a 'setting compound' and sets up via a chemical reaction. It comes dry in a bag and you add water to mix it up, then have 90 minutes to work with it. You can make just as much as you need at a time.

 

I make this distinction because the premix is water soluble....NOT GOOD in a wet area. It can mildew and fail in a wet area. This is a common mistake for DIYers.

 

If the wallboard is too badly damaged, you can drywall over it. At Menards (they are in your area), they carry DensShield in 1/4" thickness 48X48's. That 1/4" thickness might just finish flush with the tile you left on the wall making a nice, clean finished surface. DensShield and DensArmor are paperless and great for high moisture areas. Again use the EasySand90 to cover any screws or joints. Sand smooth. Paint with a PVA primer first, then finish with a high gloss or semigloss.

 

Get with me on FB is you need anything!

[whomper]

Actually, a multi-tool of some sort is extremely valuable. Fein makes the original....but it's $400. You can get a knockoff from Menards or Sears. The grout removal accessory vibrates/cuts out the grout joint around the tiles you want to remove. If your grout space is too thin (1/16th of an inch as typical with the smooth, thin ceramic) then you'll have to use a razor knife to score out the grout. If you don't want to buy the tool, you can get a little hand grout saw. But again, 1/16th of an inch grout line needs to be razor bladed out. Takes some patience.

 

After you've isolated the tiles you want to remove, tapping one with a hammer to crack it should get you going. With the adjoining grout removed, there shouldn't be a transfer of energy from the hammer to a nearby tile. After that you can work the edges with either a stiff putty knife/5-in-one tool and a hammer, or use the scraper blade attachment on the multi-tool. The tool you use will depend on the adhesive they used. Some of the old adhesives were more like carpet glue. The multi-tool is great for that. If they used genuine thinset, the stiff putty blade and hammer pop those pretty quickly. They make some putty knives with a slight chisel to the edge....these are best. Like a stiff, flat chisel.

 

No matter what you do, there WILL be some wall repair of some sort. Just try to minimize it by not gouging, but sliding the putty knife as flat as you can. Easy taps on the end with a hammer. Once you get a good inch under it, pop it.

 

As for the wall repair, it will depend on what your final will be. If you are retiling, just sand or scrape the high spots to level. Any gouges can be filled in with a thinset skimcoat allowed to dry before you apply another combed out thinset to set the new tile.

 

If you want a drywall finish and the wall isn't too bad, use an easy sand 90 to skimcoat and repair. This is in a bathroom so do NOT use the premixed drywall mud (comes in the bucket). The EasySand90 is a 'setting compound' and sets up via a chemical reaction. It comes dry in a bag and you add water to mix it up, then have 90 minutes to work with it. You can make just as much as you need at a time.

 

I make this distinction because the premix is water soluble....NOT GOOD in a wet area. It can mildew and fail in a wet area. This is a common mistake for DIYers.

 

If the wallboard is too badly damaged, you can drywall over it. At Menards (they are in your area), they carry DensShield in 1/4" thickness 48X48's. That 1/4" thickness might just finish flush with the tile you left on the wall making a nice, clean finished surface. DensShield and DensArmor are paperless and great for high moisture areas. Again use the EasySand90 to cover any screws or joints. Sand smooth. Paint with a PVA primer first, then finish with a high gloss or semigloss.

 

Edit to Add: It seems Bunz beat me to this advice. She is right. Good luck drilling your wife Puddy

Edited December 28, 2011 by whomper

[SteelBunz]

FYI Puddy......that is a tile that you can indeed find now. It won't an exact match because of age and runs, etc. It's now made by Daltile. It's a ceramic tile, the line is called Semi Gloss and the color is Golden Granite. Semi Gloss Series

 

You can probably special order a couple tiles from anyone that carries Daltile. Problem is some may not let you order less than a case. I think a case of 4X4's is 100 tiles or 12.5 sqft, so a case will probably run you about $50. But it's a fairly popular tile, at least for repairs and matching to older tile. If you call around a bit, you might find someone that has a couple stray tiles.

 

PS....sorry...I didn't look at the picture the first time around. Could have saved you a few days.....lol.

Edited December 29, 2011 by SteelBunz

[Puddy]

I appreciate the advice...thanks to Jules for taking time here and on FB to help. I ended up having the two tiles removed and replaced with two that are close but not an exact match. Our new vanity is much taller and there is only 1 1/2 inches of each of those tiles visible over the backsplash. The bandaid we did to the old bathroom looks really nice IMO and was thousands cheaper than a complete redo (and with what's happened to the property values in my area those types of expenses are hard to swallow). Plus Mrs. Puddy is happy and that's really all that matters.