I've got the great job of removing old kitchen tiles from the wall. I've done a few using a wallpaper scaper and hammer and it's not too bad. Any better methods?

Also I wanted to paint the wall instead now. How's the best method of getting the grout off the wall without doing any more damage than necessary? The rest of the kitchen walls have paint straight onto the plasterboard!

finney wrote:
I've got the great job of removing old kitchen tiles from the wall.
I've done a few using a wallpaper scaper and hammer and it's not too
bad. Any better methods?

Also I wanted to paint the wall instead now. How's the best method of
getting the grout off the wall without doing any more damage than
necessary? The rest of the kitchen walls have paint straight onto the
plasterboard!



You have a massive job on your hands if you want to paint the walls after.

Getting the last grout of the walls is going to be Hard work (yes the
capital was intentional). You might try using a wall paper steamer. It
will probably soften the grout (assuming it's not water proof grout) but
it's likely to damage the plaster as well. A skim of plaster might be
the best way. It will certainly be the quickest.

As for removing the tiles quickly (and probably with the minimum of
damage) I would use a bolster chisel and lump hammer. I wouldn't have
though a wallpaper scraper would be up to the job. However you do it
your walls are going to suffer.

In article , "finney"
says...

I've got the great job of removing old kitchen tiles from the wall.
I've done a few using a wallpaper scaper and hammer and it's not too
bad. Any better methods?

Also I wanted to paint the wall instead now. How's the best method of
getting the grout off the wall without doing any more damage than
necessary? The rest of the kitchen walls have paint straight onto the
plasterboard!

If the tiled wall is plasterboard it's probably going to be a lot
quicker to rip it off and replace it.

finney wrote:
I've got the great job of removing old kitchen tiles from the wall.
I've done a few using a wallpaper scaper and hammer and it's not too
bad. Any better methods?

Eew. Bolster chisel and hammer? :-)
David

Rob Morley wrote:
In article , "finney"
says...

I've got the great job of removing old kitchen tiles from the wall.
I've done a few using a wallpaper scaper and hammer and it's not too
bad. Any better methods?

Also I wanted to paint the wall instead now. How's the best method of
getting the grout off the wall without doing any more damage than
necessary? The rest of the kitchen walls have paint straight onto the
plasterboard!


If the tiled wall is plasterboard it's probably going to be a lot
quicker to rip it off and replace it.

I'd 2nd that. It quite difficult getting back to a smooth surface good
enough to paint on a previously tiled wall.
My preferred tool is SDS drill with tile removing bit.
Works a treat if walls are sound, but if tile adhesive is stronger than
plaster/plasterboard then it removes the whole lot. :-)
If the wall is undamaged after tile removal, use a heavy duty 4" scraper
to remove residue. Then fill and sand, and fill and sand .... until it
looks good with an oblique light shining on wall