How do I shift these grotty green tiles

[the.fee.fairy]

Guys, i need some advice.

I've got disustingly horrible green tiles in my bathroom and i want to take them down and redo it all 50s diner style.

The problem is that they've been there for 30 years, and i'm convinced that should a bomb drop, they'll still be standing there..

Help Please!

Ta

[Muddypause]

Is this in the right bit, Fee?

I dunno what 50s diner style is, but you can tile over tiles, if that's is easier. Obviously it will bring the tiles out from the wall a bit more, so you need to think carefully about going round baths, sinks, etc., and about how they will fit round corners and into window reveals. You can hide any exposed edges with beading to stop you seeing the double thickness.

But you are right - hacking off old tiles can sometimes take a lot of the plaster with it, which can mean a lot of extra work before you can put the new tiles up.

If you do decide to take the old ones off, get a wide bolster chisel and a heavy hammer, and whack the chisel longwise against the edge of the tile, where it meets the wall (so that the chisel edge is flat against the wall and you force the tile away from it IYSWIM).

Alternatively, wait until green tiles are back in fashion.

[the.fee.fairy]

ah..that's where it went. Must toddle off to delete the new one now..
For some reason, insted of starting a new thread, the thing decided that it would carry on a different one. then i went back to delete it when i realised and it had gone, so i thought i'd deleted it.....an on and on...

Tiles: ye, thanks for the help, but i want rid completely. i want to paint the walls turquise with black and white tiles. I shall try the hammer and chisel approach unless i hear anything slightly less destructive!!

[Annpan]

You can buy tile paint, and just paint over them - I think it's called international tile paint. It would be less destructive than the chisle and less likley to need re-plastering afterwards (not to mention cheaper) I can't pretend that it looks amazing, but... done well it can certainly look good enough.

Having done it, it is not easy or pretty to remove old tiles. You are likely to hurt yourself once or twice in the process, need to re-plaster,clean up and dispose of lots of broken tiles and risk lossing the will to live half way through.

Please for your sake seriously consider the paint before you go mad with a chisle.

[Muddypause]

In that case, you will have to resign yourself to at least some damaged plaster. It is very difficult to get tiles off the wall without doing damage. In the worst case, if the plaster is in poor condition, it may come off in great chunks.

Not trying to put you off, just trying to alert you to the posibilities.

And as it happens, since my last message, someone has just phoned and given me the job of stripping a bathroom of its tiles. The plasterer has been alerted.

[Shirley]

For some reason, insted of starting a new thread, the thing decided that it would carry on a different one. then i went back to delete it when i realised and it had gone, so i thought i'd deleted it.....an on and on...

Not sure about the first bit, but it ended up in the 'what's that mum' thread so I moved it which is probably why you couldn't find it again

[the.fee.fairy]

that's fine.
i went to delete it and failed, so i'm glad you moved it for me!!

unfortunately, the tiles are patterned and ridged, so painting won't work!

looks like destruction is in the future...

[9ball]

Wow, good luck Fee, having stripped out my bathroom last year and retiled it, it can turn into a nightmare of a job. Bolster chisel and lots of dust sheets is the way to go to get rid of them though.

[Thomzo]

Please please please invest in a pair of heavy duty goggles. Tiles can shatter and fly everywhere. A pair of heavy duty gloves too but they do make things more fiddly. If you haven't already got a bolster then get one with a guard on the handle to give you some protection from the hammer!

And book the plasterer now. I have taken loads of tiles off and always needed to replaster. Old tile adhesive was more like concrete so in one house I actually ended up with a hole in the wall that went right through to the cavity!

Better forwarned.

Keep the tiles though. You can use them to make mosaic paving slabs (or in my case I gave them to my mother who made the paving slabs and gave them back to me ).

Cheers
Zoe

[goldy1]

I was told by a tilere that the best surface to tile on is old tiles. once you take them off you don't know what state the wall is underneath.

[Annpan]

Sounds like you are going to let rip with the bolster. Well good-luck, be careful and plan ahead. You don't mention how many tiles you will be removing, well however many make sure that you are going to be able to finish the job. You will probably have to repair some woodwork and silicon sealant around the bath/ shower/ sink aswell.

You can re-plaster yourself (you don't need a plasterer) Chances are that it will be a repair job rather than a full re-plastering. Its a bit messy but hey its a new talent you can learn. Don't expect to get a perfect finish but since you will be tiling over your plastering it doesn't really matter Remember to seal the plaster before you re-tile.

Good-luck and keep us posted.

[Kev]

Hi.
Definitely take Thomzo advice and get some googles and gloves. The bolster you use should have a flat broad head.

Also Behind the tiles is it a solid wall?. If not It could be plasterboard. If so try not to damage it. Afew weeks ago at work I made that mistake and had to replace most of a wall with new plasterboard, But if the tiles are really stuck (like these were) you will find it hard not to damage the board.

All the best.
Kev.

[greenbean]

Hi fee fairy, having worked on several diy nightmare pojects on my old old house, I would seriously suggest tiling over the tiles in situ, plasters are very expensive. rgds, pam

[greenbean]

p.s. I meant plasterers!