Removing Tile From Dry Wall

I learned the hard way how easy it is to damage the drywall behind.

Removing tile from dry wall.

A well installed tile job on drywall is not meant to be easy to remove. Once you have it damages the drywall behind. The adhesive bonding the tile will at a minimum pull the paper off the drywall and it may pull out some of the gypsum core in places. Unfortunately if the tile was installed directly on drywall that hope is probably unrealistic.

You can try methods to minimize the damage but in the end you re probably going to have to do some drywall repair. Ceramic wall tiles provide an easy to clean surface for kitchen backsplashes and bathroom walls. Removing wall tiles is different and more difficult than removing floor tiles because wall tiles are typically set very close together with minimal grout lines. With the proper tools and care it still won t be easy but it will be possible to get the tile off and salvage it by.

The key is not using the wall for leverage. Our tiles were pretty thick and attached to a thin cardboard sheet. However it is unlikely that removing the adhesive will leave the drywall looking like new. The use of the right tools and materials combined with some elbow grease will remove most tile adhesives from drywall.

Removing tile adhesive from drywall is not an impossible process. I found once i damaged the dry wall it was really difficult to get more tile off without damaging more dry wall.