How to Remove a Tile Soap Dish
Some consider removing a cracked or broken soap dish that is set in tile the hardest part of replacing it. (See references 1) It is critical to remove the tile soap dish without damaging the backer board behind the tile wall. Tile soap dishes, made from fire-baked clay, bond to the wall with thinset tile mortar or tile mastic. To keep water from seeping behind the soap dish, grout or caulk fills the seam between the soap dish and the tile. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Dropcloth
- Masking tape
- Cardboard box
- Safety glasses
- Leather work gloves
- Razor knife
- Hammer
- Chisel
- Flat screwdriver
- Vacuum
Instructions
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1
Cover the tub or shower floor with a dropcloth. Use masking tape to form a tight seal between the edge of the dropcloth and the wall that has the soap dish. Place a cardboard box under the soap dish to catch larger debris.
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2
Put on safety glasses and a pair of leather work gloves.
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3
Remove the caulk or grout that seals the edge of the soap dish to the wall, using a razor knife. Score two lines, one next to the soap dish and one along the wall, to break the sealing material's bond.
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4
Tap around the edge of the soap dish with a hammer. Poorly installed soap dishes sometimes fall out in one piece when tapped lightly. Keep a hand on the soap dish shelf to prevent it from falling and chipping the floor.
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5
Break a hole in the center of the soap dish with a hammer. Break apart the outer shell of the soap dish with the hammer. Work from the hole out to the seam between the soap dish and the wall.
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6
Remove the remainder of the soap dish and the setting material from the wall tile's surface with a hammer and chisel. Start at the outside edge of the soap dish and work to the center. Do not pry away the soap dish remnants as this can damage the tile backing board and cause the wall tile to chip.
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7
Remove the soap dish's setting material from the backing board. If the soap dish used tile mastic as the setting material, use a flat screwdriver to scrape away the glue. If the soap dish used thinset as the setting material, sharply angle the chisel and strike it with the hammer. Try to dig between the thinset and the backer board without damaging the backer board.
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8
Clean the debris from the soap dish hole with a vacuum. Remove any setting material that remains. Pay special attention to the corners of the hole in the tile.
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9
Remove the cardboard box and tape holding the dropcloth to the floor. Fold the dropcloth in half, capturing the debris, then vacuum the work area.
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1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit shower image by green308 from Fotolia.com
