How to Remove & Reinstall Ceramic Wall Tile

Whether you have never removed and reinstalled wall tile or you are able to do it in your sleep, this article gives step-by-step instructions in an easy-to-understand format on how to deconstruct an existing wall of tile and how to reassemble it using new tile.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Safety glasses
• Gloves
• Dust mask
• Oversized hammer or small sledge hammer
• Large trash receptacle
• Utility knife
• Steel-toed footwear (optional but suggested)
• Chisel (optional)
• Cat's claw (optional)
• Wire cutters (only needed if concrete board behind tile is old and embedded with chicken wire).
• Protective material, such as a tarp, of generous thickness.
• Tile
• Grout
• Tile spacers
• Notch trowel
• Thin-set mortar
• Rubber grout float
• Oversized sponge

Tile Removal

1. Lay the protective material over any flooring or fixtures that will remain after tile removal is complete.

2. Put on your safety glasses, gloves and dust mask.

3. Break up the existing tile by starting at the top of the tile and delivering solid hammer thrusts.

4. Remove residual drywall nails with either the cat's claw or your hammer. The cat's claw is better for reaching bent nails.

5. Use the wire cutters to detach the chicken wire inside and behind older concrete board from the wall.

6. Pound the top of the chisel with your hammer to break away small, hard to reach sections of tile.

7. Separate the joint between the drywall and the ceiling with your utility knife.Remove all material down to the wooden studs.

Installation of new tile

8. Ensure that the surface is clean and dry.

9. Mix the mortar and using the straight edge of the notch trowel, evenly and liberally spread the mortar across the entire area to be tiled.

10. Run the notched edge of the notch trowel transversely over the mortar to create a grooved effect.

11. Place the tile directly onto the ribbed mortar. Space each tile evenly by positioning the tile spacers between tiles in a vertical, standing position. Put a tile spacer between every tile.

12. Allow the mortar to dry for 24 hours, leaving the spacers in place.

13. Mix the grout and remove the tile spacers.

14. Use the rubber grout float to apply the grout between each tile.

15. Wait 10 minutes and run a clean, wet sponge over the tile to remove any grout that has spilled onto the tile

16. 
     
    Newly installed wall tile.

    Allow the grout to dry for 24 hours.

Tips & Warnings

• Falling tile is sharp and heavy. It can break ceramic or scratch wooden flooring below it. It can chip a bathtub or a sink. Given the correct angle and velocity it can break a human foot.