Breaking out a bathroom can throw some monkey in your wrench.
Bathrooms' unique mix of materials and finishes means using the right techniques and tools for busting out old-fashioned tiles set permanently set in a mortar bed to cracking up god-awful ceramics hallmarking a previous eras' hideous taste. Stripping glass block and cast-iron tubs might require getting the sledge hammer and adrenal gland primed and ready.
Tile
When I walk into a bathroom, I'm usually struck most by the tile. It usually tells the bathroom's story, and when that's an ugly tale, it's time for the tile to hit the bricks.
Old houses. Way back when — before plywood — bath tile was installed in a mortar bed. The carpenters installed a crib work of beveled 2x4s between the joists, then poured what amounts to a 3-inch thick mortar slab over it. On this slab, they laid their tile.
The reason for this architectural history note is that if you have this in your house, you need to know what you're dealing with. It pretty much boils down to this:
- If the tile is in fine fettle I'd consider keeping it. It's probably vintage stuff.
- If it must come out, the entire system must come out. In other words, the tiles don't come off; you have to break out the whole slab. Lots of work here.
- Another option is to cover the old tile with new tile. Check with your tile dealer about products to prepare the existing tile for a new tile. This can only be done if the base tile is in decent shape — no major cracks or floor dips; not too many peeling or missing tiles.
- Keep in mind that adding new tile raises the finished floor height. You'll need to add transitions in the thresholds.
Newer houses. Newer houses' tile will be set on plywood, drywall or even cement board. Often, these tiles can be muscled off using a flat bar or tile stripping bar (you can rent these). Other times the mastic that holds them in place is so tenacious that you'll end up destroying the substrate in this process; the substrate comes with the tile as you break it up. Be prepared to remove and replace the entire substrate before installing new tile.
Glass Block
When it's go-time for glass block — whether it's a window, shower surround or some other detail — the key is not to sledge hammer the glass to pieces (although you can do that) but to break the seal between the mortar/mastic joints that hold it together. If you can't break the bond too easily, revert to option 1 and smash it to pieces. Just make sure you have a place for the glass to go and that you wear protective gear.
Tubs
Get ready for some work when the bathtub must go. Newer tubs have a flange around their top rim that tucks under the drywall and is nailed to the studs. Long story short, you need to expose this flange in order to get it out. If you're removing a tub with jets, be ready for it to be hardwired somewhere inside the framing. You'll have to delete and cover that connection. And disconnect any plumbing you can get to so the tub can move without damaging existing pipes.
Cast iron tubs can really pose a challenge. Sometimes I think old time builders used to build the house around them, they're in so hard. And they're heavy. If you can free the tub from its surround and have enough friends to hoist it and carry it out of the house, good. But if you can't free it — or fit it through the house, as often happens — get Sluggo: It's time to turn this one-piece into a bikini, and then some.
You can do this because cast iron, while heavy, is very brittle. That means it breaks. Alert: This one of the few places where the Clement Demo Doctrine of no-sledge hammers takes five. An 8-pound Sluggo is the way to go. Before blunt-forcing the tub, I recommend covering it with a thick drop cloth (this shrouds the shrapnel) and then pounding it to dust. Please note that the resulting pieces will be scalpel sharp, so wear gloves even when picking them up.
Tools
Various hand tools can knock out tile and rip out substrates easily enough, but when the going gets tough, you need a few specialty tools to clear the path:
- Tile stripping bars can divorce wedded tile from its clingy sub-floor spouse.
- A 14-pound chipping hammer (you can rent these; they work like jackhammers) can get you through and under stuck tiles and break up mortar joints.
- You absolutely need safety gear or what professional safety people call PPE (personal protective equipment). Eye protection is vital. Gloves are a must. I also recommend long pants and long-sleeved shirts to keep everything from dust to high-speed ceramic shrapnel off your skin.
The other tool you need is your brain. Work smart. Be careful of pipes and wires and remember The Clement Demo Doctrine: Even though you might be swinging Sluggo for the fences, your job is not to kill your house but leave yourself with a substrate from which that dream bathroom can grow.
Mark Clement is a remodeler and author of The Carpenter’s Notebook and The Kid’s Carpenter’s Workbook, Fun Family Projects! Find out more at www.TheCarpentersNotebook.com.
