You can use a claw hammer to scrape them off. I assume your going to replace the wall with cement board anyway.

Tara-- is there mortar behind those tiles, or some kind of wallboard?

Bill, it looks like mortar put right on the drywall...so I wondered if it might be better to just simply cut the drywall off and start with the hardibacker board in its place. Ideally, I'd love it to all flake off so I can just retile over the previous wall. My dreams are fading fast, aren't they?

Tara

Use a cold chisel and a hammer to pop the tiles one by one.
Hold the chisel about 30 degrees off the wall and into the back at the edge of a tile.
Tap with a hammer.
A dead blow will save a lot of wrist/elbow wear and tear.
Time consuming but it actually goes pretty fast once you get the angle right.
Wear safety glasses and gloves.
Tile chips are as sharp as glass and WILL go flying sometimes.

You need to rip the drywall out. NO way, and NO how, should tile be installed on drywall inside a tub area. Your job is somewhat easier now that you are not trying to surgically remove old tiles. Get a long wrecking bar and go for it. Make sure you rebuild correctly using a vapor barrier topped with cement board (durock, wonderboard, hardibacker).

Exactly right. Take a hammer, and punch a bunch of holes into the wall, and then you can take it down in big pieces.

Sorry I lost track of this thread!

I just did this and after pussyfooting around the edges I finally did some real therapy. :) Put on your safety gear, tile shards can be sharp and all's fun and games until someone loses an eye. ;)

I used a skill saw along the edges but then just busted the surround up alternately with a giant hammer and a long, heavy wrecking bar. Take care of what is on the other side of the walls, tho. I whacked so hard in places, some nails backed out of the drywall on opposing walls!

Cover your tub up if you intend to save it. I didn't and mine got really beat up but we took it out anyway since it was YELLOW under about five layers of paint and kept chipping anyway when the kids dropped stuff in there.

Amy
Fremont, CA

I'm chicken, I'm sucking up my "can do it" pride and paying a man $300 to tear it down put cultured marble panels with rope trim around it...much easier to clean and don't have to worry about grout issues down the road...any cons to marble walls? I laid hardibacker in 4 rooms and am just tired of cutting it and screwing it in..plus I have 2 more floors to tile so I'm getting a wee bit burned out on doing it all myself..I've saved $$ on appliances so I'll just move it over to let someone else have the fun at my ugly grey tile! :)
Thanks, YAHOOS to all of you who did it yourself! BRAVO!
Tara