When we say we’re “tackling a room,” it’s usually a figure of speech, but this time it was nearly literal: a big bathroom demolition weekend. Before we could bring in the new finishes, we had to take everything old out. Once we removed the small items — baskets, shower curtain, mirror, rug — and told Burger goodbye, it was time for the heavy lifting.
Sherry and I removed the fixtures together. We took out the toilet, detached the vanity and sink, and removed the faucets and shelves. With the easy stuff gone, I took on the tiled walls and the entire floor. Neither of us had ever demoed wall and floor tile before, so we prepared by researching techniques and assembling supplies. Our demolition gear fell into three categories:
- Tools for dismantling: hammer, sledgehammer, crowbar, screwdrivers, wrenches, razor, drywall saw.
- Supplies for managing the mess: broom, dustpan, rags, buckets, heavy-duty trash bags, painter’s tape to cover drains, and a shop-vac.
- Protection for people and the house: goggles, gloves, a respirator, old clothes to discard, cardboard or a cloth tarp to protect the tub, and a plastic drop cloth to seal off the room.
It turned out that demolition takes plenty of prep. Every piece of protective gear and cleanup tool came in handy. Here’s the detailed three-day account of our project.
Day One: After buying supplies the night before, we started with the cleanest, simplest steps. We shut off the water, disconnected the plumbing and unscrewed the vanity and sink, and then removed them by lifting. The toilet came out next; we planned to reinstall it later since it was replaced a few years ago. We turned off the water, disconnected the lines, and removed the tank and bowl. We stuffed an old rag into the drain to block fumes and keep debris out.
With those big fixtures removed and the shower hardware unscrewed, the room was empty and ready for the real demo work, so we rested up for the next day.
Day Two: We tackled demolition the following morning. Since our house dates from an era when lead paint was common, we were extremely cautious: we kept Sherry out of the demo zone and sealed the doorway with a heavy plastic drop cloth. I wore full protection — goggles, a respirator, gloves, and disposable clothes — and cleaned up dust promptly with a wet rag and TSP solution. We also sealed vents and the toilet opening to prevent dust from spreading through the house.
Behind the plastic barrier, I began removing the wall tiles using a crowbar and short sledgehammer. Progress was slow; a few swings would free one or two tiles. The real surprise was what lay beneath: not modern backerboard or drywall, but two inches of concrete mortar sandwiching thick metal mesh nailed into studs and furring strips. This older installation meant much more labor than anticipated.
After several hours of laborious work I managed to strip the wall tiles. Removing all the rubble produced an enormous amount of trash, so the contractor bags were essential — but don’t overfill them, as heavy bags become unmanageable. I then spent a couple more hours removing mortar and metal mesh, using a hammer and pry technique to expose the studs and the cinder block behind the window wall. By the end of the day my arms and bladder were begging for relief, and I rinsed off the dust outside since the shower was disabled.
Day Three: Sunday morning began with hauling out the previous day’s debris in dozens of heavy-duty trash bags. We staged the waste in our garage to haul away later. Clearing the smashed tile, mortar, and metal mesh took about an hour; then I focused on removing the remaining metal mesh from the walls and preparing the floor.
The floor tile used the same mortar-and-metal-mesh treatment as the walls, so to speed things up I rented a demolition hammer — essentially a compact jackhammer. This tool made a huge difference: what had taken hours with hand tools was reduced to roughly 90 minutes on the floor. With the chisel bite into the grout lines and the hammer doing the heavy work, large sections of tile and concrete lifted quickly.
The project was physically demanding and emotionally fluctuating. There were moments when the task felt overwhelming and other moments when the transformation was thrilling. Exposing the house’s structural bones — studs, subfloor and, in one spot, a small area of rot by the tub — made it feel worthwhile. We documented that rot so we could address it in a follow-up post.
By late Sunday night the demo was complete. I removed the last rubble, shop-vac’d and wiped down surfaces with TSP, and sealed tools and the space as a precaution against dust and potential lead paint contamination. I got a few hours of sleep before heading back to work, exhausted but satisfied. A final tip: always wear proper closed-toe shoes and the appropriate protective gear for demolition work — safety first.
Interested in the first chapter of our bathroom redo? See the earlier write-up for the project plan and inspiration.