removing tiles and old grout from a wall

[nospam]

Hi,

I was hoping to tile the bathroom. I removed the old tiles with a bolster chisel and club hammer (with ear and eye protection). However, the grout was smeared on quite thickly and has left an uneven surface. I have tried to chisel it off, without much success. Either nothing comes off or it gouges a hole into the plasterboard.

Would a sds drill with a chisel attachment be any better?

I see Bosch do a chisel/scraper machine for about £30. Is this any use or is the sds drill more versatile?

I thought I might be able to sand it but my orbital sander with a coarse grit has not moved much either. Would a belt sander be more powerful?

I think I need something to grind it off. Do I need to look for something to attach to my drill? A wire brush or some similar abrasive disk?

Failing that, should I rip the wall off and replace with aqua panel to give a smooth, flat surface?

Thanks.

[Andy Hall]

The easiest solution by far, and the least expensive in terms of time and outlay, is to take off the plasterboard and replace it.

Either plasterboard could be used again or a tile backer board like Aquapanel or Wedi.

[Shay]

I've done the same recently.

Getting my Kitchen and Bathroom re-tilled. I removed the old tiles with a Bolster and Hammer aswell (feckin nightmare job big time....ahhhhhh).

I've still got the old grout adhesive on the wall (tried to get as much off as possible). I thought it was a problem so called my Tilers.. they said it shd be fine. They'll put their grout/adhesive over the old stuff thus filling the gaps (between the lines on the wall where the old adhesive is) from the previous Tiles. The wall seems pretty flat since it was all tiles flat anyways.

Hope it all works out for ya.

Shay

[John Rumm]

Yup, I would agree. You could just slap another layer of plasterboard over the top, or if you wanted to be a real cheapskate, just turn the existing board round! ;-)

[nospam]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

On the one wall there was some grout which I have been able to sand down and will be able to tile on top.

However on the other wall the grout is much thicker. I asked a local handy man and he said to tile on top of it, as some people have said here, but the grout is so thick, I was worried that I would have to apply it thickly to cover the lumps and bumps. I think that removing the panel would be the best idea.

I think that if I use plasterboard it has to be plastered before the tiles can go on, so I think aquapanel would be the best thing.

I did change some panels downstairs some moths ago but there were no studs or noggins, just a frame around the edge! So I wonder what I will find when I take this one off. Has building practice changed since the house was built 30 years ago or was it built by cowboys? No matter, I can easy put some noggins in.

Thanks again.

[Andy Hall]

No it doesn't at all. The aquapanel suggestion was really only because it's a bathroom environment.

[nospam]

Really? So I can tile straight onto fresh plasterboard? I never knew that. I always thought you needed a skim first.

[John Rumm]

You can tile straight onto plasterboard. Give it a coat of dilute PVA first if you want to waterproof the board a little.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yeah: a skim with tile cement ;-)

[F]

Yes, but I'm still clearing up the dust months after.

Steam wallpaper stripper (Argos ~£30) and a scraper is the way to go.