How Do You Remove Old Tile From Walls?
Removing old floor tiles is something you can often do with the blunt force of a sledge hammer. Getting old tiles off a wall, however, takes a little more finesse. Unlike a floor (where there is usually thick plywood underneath), wall tiles are usually backed by drywall or plaster, which will break if you start hammering at it. The solution is to carefully chisel off the tiles. In some cases, you won’t be able to get the tiles off without damaging the wall, but you often can with a little work and patience. Lay a tarp along the bottom of the wall, folded a few times, to provide a barrier on the floor against falling tile. Set a hand-held wheel grinder against one of the grout lines and use it to extract the grout. Remove the grout from alongside one or two tiles. Set the tip of your chisel into the space where you extracted the grout. Angle the chisel so the point is sitting directly at the base of one of the tiles. Tap the back end of the chisel with your hammer until the tile breaks
