I’m looking around elsewhere to gather info on being properly equipped and developing a plan of attack on gutting a bathroom in the near term.
Any resident experts want to make it simple? I’ve got the fixtures out. The main water supply to the bathroom is shared by the one below it, so that’s my problem #1. The walls are tiled halfway up all around and the entire tub area is tiled as well. Floor is also tile.
So what’s the best plan of attack? Tub first (old cast iron enamel), then floor, then walls?
The ceiling is somewhat new and in good shape- is it worth trying to save. Last wrinkle- I had insulation blown in a few years back. When I rip out the exterior wall, I’m going to have all that stuff fall out. How much do I need to worry about losing insulation from adjoining rooms in the process?
I’m fairly handy, but have never done anything like this. I’m just trying to save money by doing the parts I can myself. What would be a good list of tools? Pitfalls?
If the tub is in a five-foot niche, it may be easier to pull out the tiled walls first. Otherwise you can’t get the tub out.
I was surprised how easily this went for me, since I wasn’t trying to save anything but the studs. I just broke the tiled drywall off in square chunks and put it in small boxes that I could easily carry down in the elevator. Once that was gone, we could easily move the tub up and down and figure out where it was still attached.
If you don’t have shutoffs for the water in the bathroom you’re demolishing, you might want to put them in before you do anything else. Otherwise you lose your water from the downstairs bathroom. You’ll need to have shutoffs there anyway, ultimately.
After that, it doesn’t really matter how you go about it. Probably just use a crowbar to bash at the walls and pull them down. You’ll watch for electrical wires, naturally. If you’re really determined to save the ceiling (I wouldn’t bother), cut around the perimeter with a utility knife before you knock the walls down. But if you’re really doing the bath over, you probably want to put a ceiling vent/fixture in, which is a lot more straightforward with the ceiling down.
The tub you might need to bust up with a sledgehammer. Under no circumstances do this without wearing safety glasses.
Don’t worry about the insulation from the other rooms. I can’t imagine that you have any wall cavities that span two rooms – but in any case, with the wall open, it’s easy enough to fill up the cavity with batt insulation. It’s conceivable, depending on how your house is framed, that insulation will fall from wall cavities *above *the bathroom. That one you’ll have to play by ear.
The floor might be a nuisance. When you say “tiled,” I’m guessing you mean ceramic tile, which needs to be broken up by force. Make an opening, then use a cold chisel to try and pop the tiles off. You probably need to get the plywood underneath up, too. Take a circular saw and set the blade to the depth of the plywood, then make a number of scores across the floor in both directions. If the floor is screwed down, try to unscrew the screws; otherwise use a crowbar to pry everything up.
The only reason I considered saving the ceiling is that I had a vent put in a few years back when I was having some other work done, but pulling it all down is probably easier in the long run.
The tub is set in a nook, so I guess surrounding walls first is the way to go. I’m just trying to reuse the studs, too.
As far as breaking the tiled walls off in squares goes, did you cut them that way? Or did you just get a starter hole going and pried your way along?
Thanks everyone (and I am laying off the burritos, too.)
blow it all out.forget trying to save tiles.2 important tips.mqake sure the closet flange is on top of the finished floor.not flush.check the bathtub 4 level.one of the most common areas for problems
Sometimes tubs are tiled in at the base, so removing floor tiles around it may be necessary. Ditto the wall as someone already mentioned. If the tub can’t be removed, cut it up with an angle grinder. If the tiles were set with mastic they can be pried up with a putty knife or other flat instrument once a couple have been removed. Otherwise just take a hammer to them. If they’ve been set on plywood I recommend removing that and replacing with tile board, and using tile board for the walls as well. If you get the tub out in one piece take in outside and make a bathtub madonna
