Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Removing old tile from kitchen wall?
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Farmgirl84
04-11-08, 02:20 PM
I wasn't sure whether this should be here or under the "walls" thing, so if it's in the wrong spot, please move it and accept my apologies. :o
OK, so I want to rip the tile off the walls in the kitchen....it's ugly, it's on all the walls, goes up about 4 feet (again, on ALL sides), and there is plaster underneath. Will I have to replace the plaster to do this, or can I somehow take the tiles down and "sand" the surface to make it smooth again and just paint over it? If I can't do that, what are my other options? Preferably something that doesn't mean that I have to rip all the plaster down and put up new???
***I forgot to mention....I plan to leave the backsplash for now, I'm just wanting to tear it off on the walls that don't need a "backpsplash". Later, when we have more saved up and can buy some new tile, I plan to redo the backsplash. But I want to put "new" (haha!) cabinets in and need the tile out of the way to do that.***
OK, so I want to rip the tile off the walls in the kitchen....it's ugly, it's on all the walls, goes up about 4 feet (again, on ALL sides), and there is plaster underneath. Will I have to replace the plaster to do this, or can I somehow take the tiles down and "sand" the surface to make it smooth again and just paint over it? If I can't do that, what are my other options? Preferably something that doesn't mean that I have to rip all the plaster down and put up new???
***I forgot to mention....I plan to leave the backsplash for now, I'm just wanting to tear it off on the walls that don't need a "backpsplash". Later, when we have more saved up and can buy some new tile, I plan to redo the backsplash. But I want to put "new" (haha!) cabinets in and need the tile out of the way to do that.***
Bud Cline
04-11-08, 04:26 PM
You may be headed for a costly mistake!
First, are you absolutely sure the substrate is plaster or are you just calling it plaster because you assume all walls are plaster?:)
Which is it? Drywall or plaster?:D
First, are you absolutely sure the substrate is plaster or are you just calling it plaster because you assume all walls are plaster?:)
Which is it? Drywall or plaster?:D
Farmgirl84
04-11-08, 04:45 PM
It's plaster--the whole house is....did they even have sheetrock as we know it in the 30's? That's when the house was built.
Bud Cline
04-11-08, 08:24 PM
....did they even have sheetrock as we know it in the 30's?
Actually Sheetrock is a trade name coined by U.S. Gypsum Company. Drywall is the general term. Drywall (Sheetrock) wasn't used generally until the urgent needs of rapid building construction became evident during WWII. Sheetrock was invented about 1916 but wasn't too well received in the building trades of the times. Ah-h-h-h-h, but I digress!
Here's the problem you're up against. If you can't remove the tile without extensively damaging the plaster substrate you could be facing serious repairs. In the days of plaster, a layer of "wooden lath" was nailed to the studs. Then a "base-coat" of plaster was applied. Then an intermediary "scratch-coat" of plaster was applied. Then a "finish-coat" of pure plaster was applied to refine the surface quality.
The problem is.....everyone that did this had their own idea as to how it was to be done as far as thickness was concerned. Some tradesmen had a heavier hand than others. Problem being the thicknesses were never truly consistent.
Once you start removing the plaster you may have to remove the coating over the entire wall if you intend to use drywall. Three coats of plaster as well as the wood lath will have to be removed. The related thickness is anybodies guess at this point but generally it is 3/4" to 1". Drywall on the other hand is only 1/2" but is available in thicker versions but they aren't likely to match the thickness of the previous plaster.
The problem with all of this is the wall to ceiling junctures as well as the door jambs won't match up. Big trouble if you aren't prepared to pay for this type of remodel.
OK OK OK, I'm getting too winded here.
Your best bet would be to try to "gingerly remove" the tile only. Hopefully the only damage will be to the finish-coat of the plaster but you won't know for sure until you jump in.:D
Actually Sheetrock is a trade name coined by U.S. Gypsum Company. Drywall is the general term. Drywall (Sheetrock) wasn't used generally until the urgent needs of rapid building construction became evident during WWII. Sheetrock was invented about 1916 but wasn't too well received in the building trades of the times. Ah-h-h-h-h, but I digress!
Here's the problem you're up against. If you can't remove the tile without extensively damaging the plaster substrate you could be facing serious repairs. In the days of plaster, a layer of "wooden lath" was nailed to the studs. Then a "base-coat" of plaster was applied. Then an intermediary "scratch-coat" of plaster was applied. Then a "finish-coat" of pure plaster was applied to refine the surface quality.
The problem is.....everyone that did this had their own idea as to how it was to be done as far as thickness was concerned. Some tradesmen had a heavier hand than others. Problem being the thicknesses were never truly consistent.
Once you start removing the plaster you may have to remove the coating over the entire wall if you intend to use drywall. Three coats of plaster as well as the wood lath will have to be removed. The related thickness is anybodies guess at this point but generally it is 3/4" to 1". Drywall on the other hand is only 1/2" but is available in thicker versions but they aren't likely to match the thickness of the previous plaster.
The problem with all of this is the wall to ceiling junctures as well as the door jambs won't match up. Big trouble if you aren't prepared to pay for this type of remodel.
OK OK OK, I'm getting too winded here.
Your best bet would be to try to "gingerly remove" the tile only. Hopefully the only damage will be to the finish-coat of the plaster but you won't know for sure until you jump in.:D