How to remove mosiac glass backsplash
by
Sonia Hamlin
+2
I put up small 1" sq mosiac tiles. Now I don't love them anymore and want to take them down. I never even got as far as the grout. What's the best way to remove them without ruining the wall behind.
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That's tough. There will be wall damage from the thin-set used to adhere the tile. You can try prying them off or using a cutting tool to cut behind them. Either way, you'll need to repair the wall after removal.
Depends on what you used to fix them in the first place!
My vote is to use a putty knife and rubber mallet to gently "chip" off the wall one tile at a time.
Use dental floss or thin wire to slide behind the mirrors, keeping it as close to the wall as possible. I put some paper backed tape across the mirror in several places in case the mirrors cracked. (They didn't). Paper tape comes off easily if you want to re-use the mirrors. Be sure you have some way (some one) to catch them when they release. Mine just dropped and I was able to catch them. I removed several 5 foot high by 2 foot wide mirrors this way (by myself, above a tub) with no damage to the mirrors or to the tub (or to me). Some of the adhesive did remain on the wall....and that's my next project. Ideas? I thought about KILZ as primer and then painting the wall, but the texture would be different. Neighboring contractor said he'd just do new drywall (but he's a contractor and knows how to do it). I'm going to try a heat gun next to remove the adhesive, and then touch up the texture with spackle--when I can find mine.
Thanks for the ideas.