Safety tip :-   Do not attempt to remove wall tiles without safety goggles (not safety specs) and protective gloves, fragments of the tiles being removed will shoot off in every direction and they can have extremely sharp edges.

Safety goggles

Before you start work, if you are removing wall tiles above, around or near sinks, baths, worktops etc, protect these surfaces with several layers of dust sheets, old towels or whatever you have available to avoid the surfaces being scratched. If you are removing wall tiles from above, as an example a bath, extra protection may be needed as a wall tile dropping from height may do a great deal of impact damage on whatever surface it lands on.

Start by lining up the edge of the bolster chisel with the tile grout line, angle the bolster chisel as close to the wall as possible and strike the chisel with your hammer (the first tile is usually the hardest to remove), you will soon get a ‘feel’ for how hard you need to hit the chisel in order to remove the tile. When you have removed several wall tiles the others should hopefully start to chisel away much easier, this does depend on the original adhesive used to hold the wall tiles in place, if the adhesive is standard tile adhesive, the wall tiles should come away fairly easily, the adhesive can then be removed from the wall using a strong paint scraper or wallpaper scraper, if the wall tiles are stuck in place on a cement render or adhesive then it would be a good idea to let your friends and family know you may be busy for a while.

If the cement adhesive is on a solid brick or block wall you can remove it using a bolster chisel and hammer/lump hammer but this will take some time, if the cement adhesive is on a partition wall , then removing the cement may damage the partition wall surface so much that it may need to be re-boarded with an appropriate board such as Aquapanel. I had this problem at home and after attempting  to remove several wall tiles and cement adhesive I decided it would be far easier to tile over the original tiles on this particular section of wall.

• Plastering trowel - Made from Stainless or Carbon steel

• Plastering corner trowel – Produces a better corner edge to edge finish

• Hawk - A hand held flat base from which plaster can be more easily applied

• Plaster mixing tub or bucket

• Plastering float – A lightweight trowel to help create a good top coat finish

• Plasterboard and drywall scarifier – Used to scratch the surface of plasterboard / drywall prior to plaster being applied

• Paint brush – For wetting down dry surfaces usually by flicking the water from the brush rather than direct contact

• Pad saw – For cutting holes in, or trimming plasterboard / drywall

• Straight edge – To check the finished surface is flat

• Stanley knife – For cutting plasterboard / drywall to size

• Hacksaw – For cutting angle bead to length

• Spirit level – For checking the finished surface is level

• Hammer – For removing any unwanted lumps and bumps prior to the plaster being applied

• Dustsheet – To protect floors and furnishings

Safety tip :-  Wear safety googles and gloves to avoid any injury from sharp pieces of flying tile and sharp tile edges, keep children and pets away from the work area as again there may be sharp pieces of tile on the floor.

The first job to do is to remove any existing tiles from the wall, this can be done using a hammer and bolster chisel (Wear safety goggles and gloves), protect any surfaces in the work area to avoid damage caused by falling tiles and be aware of any sharp pieces of tile on the floor.

When all the tiles have been removed, the wall surface needs to be prepared for the new tiles and adhesive. The wall should be as flat as possible as reflections from glazed tiles will show up and exagerate any discrepancies in your tiling.

Any loose plaster should be removed, any high spots chiseled out and patched up, any holes filled, Allow time for the new plaster to dry thoroughly before tiling. Don’t try to tile over old wallpaper, it must be removed, and any smooth or shiny surfaces should be scratched with a knife and/or  course sand/wet and dry paper so the adhesive has something to ‘key’ to.

To fit architrave around a door you will have to cut four mitres, two in the head (top) piece and one in each of the two side pieces. Architrave is normally set back around 1/4″ (5mm) from the edge of the door casing, (see fig 1). This is done so the architrave doesn’t impede the fitting of the door hinges.

fig 1

 Mark the 1/4″ (5mm) line around the edge of the door casing first, now cut the head piece with two mitres to length allowing for the additional 1/4″ (5mm) each end, (see fig 2). To cut the mitres you can use either a mitre box and wood saw or a power mitre saw, when the cuts are done lightly sand the cut ends smooth if required. Fix this piece in position using three or four 2″ (50mm) lost head nails, hammer them in about halfway for now.

fig 2

Saw each floor end of the two side pieces of architrave square and place each one in turn against the door casing in line with your 1/4″ (5mm) guide line and mark where the mitre needs to be cut using the bottom edge of the head piece mitre as a guide, (see fig 3) and make the cut (s). Again fix the two pieces in position using seven or eight 2″ (50mm) lost head nails only hammering them in about halfway. When you are satisfied with the finished appearance of the architrave and the mitres, hammer the nails in flush with the surface of the architrave and then sink them below it using a nail punch and hammer, these holes can be filled and painted over. Fill any small gaps in the mitres and around the outside edges of the architrave using decorators caulk to give a professional finish when painted.

fig 3