Remodeling a tile bathroom

Tina
by Tina

My husband and I have a 1973 house and we are remodeling it to make it look more modern. We have two tile bathrooms and we are planning to get rid of the tile walls. We are going to put up new sheet rock where the old sheet rock is. Do we just need to put new sheet rock everywhere after taking the tiles down or what do you recommend? I definitely don't want any tiles on the walls. I really dislike tile walls.


  11 answers
  • GrandmasHouseDIY GrandmasHouseDIY on Mar 25, 2021

    Hi Tina, in almost every case you can go right over old sheetrock with new it just makes it a bit harder finding those studs to screw it to but its totally doable. If the old sheetrock is in decent shape though you could clean it up with new tape and mud and just use that.

  • William William on Mar 25, 2021

    Yep, you can put new over the old. Just make sure the old drywall is smooth. Locate where the studs are with a stud finder and mark the floor with tape. i also suggest using construction adhesive in case you miss a stud.

  • Kmdreamer Kmdreamer on Mar 25, 2021

    You should put green board in the shower area and regular sheet rock in the rest of the bathroom.then tape and plaster as usual.

  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on Mar 25, 2021

    Hi! I have done it both ways. If the sheetrock is in decent shape and just has some minor damage, you should be able to fix it. My experience is that big chunks came off and it wasn't worth the time and effort to repair. If you cover it, make sure you've smoothed and cleaned up the old wall or it won't lay smooth. Your outlets will need to be brought out so they are level with the new surface. I ended up ripping out the old stuff in the kitchen, because it was an easier process. I added more insulation, a vapor barrier and nice walls. It was actually easier to do it that way for me. The walls I didn't replace it on, had rough areas that I spent hours smoothing, sanding, etc. Some of it is acceptable for now. But, I may replace it in the future. Choose what will work best for your situation. Good luck!

  • Kathy Gunter Law Kathy Gunter Law on Mar 25, 2021

    If you have sheet rock that is in good condition, it may not be necessary. However, there will most likely be a texture difference between the old and new. In the case of such an extensive project I would replace all of it. Also, I would go with the "green" sheet rock in the entire area. It is moisture resistant.

  • Maura White Maura White on Mar 25, 2021

    It will depend on how damaged the sheet rock gets during the tile removal process.

  • 17335038 17335038 on Mar 26, 2021

    In my experience, it is not worth the time and effort involved in trying to repair the old sheetrock after the tiles come off. The walls in the bathroom will have much more uniformity in appearance if you were to remove all the old stuff, then start fresh with installing the new.

  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Mar 26, 2021

    I'd just gut the whole thing as you'll likely damage the old drywall when you remove the tile. IMO, will save time and frustration repairing the damaged drywall. Will also give you the chance to inspect/change wiring/plumbing., etc. if the area is opened up.

  • Annie Annie on Mar 27, 2021

    It will be the fastest and easiest to just take out the old sheet and install new... You can also do any electrical changes you want as well..

  • Libbie B Libbie B on Mar 28, 2021

    We just did our bathroom and ended up having to re-drywall the entire space. We took advantage of it being open and used green wallboard (for moisture resistance) when we did it. I too wanted tile-free walls!