Bathroom Demo - Part 2

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Hi there,

I'm back with the second part of  the master bathroom demo.  For many and even for me, this part of a makeover is kind of boring, who want to see this mess, right?

Well, I'm doing it for all of us, those that are going or planning to go on to a renovation of this type. I'm including myself, because I usually forget stuff and then I have to come back to my post to check how I did it.

Doing the demo yourself, is a great way to save on the total cost of the makeover, if you do it right. Forget about swinging a sledgehammer to remove the old tile. You want to make sure you remove things without creating more damage than needed. Don't force anything.

All throughout this bathroom renovation I've had the invaluable help of my BIL, he's been through hundreds of bathroom and kitchen renovations. He's being one call away when I need help with something. Many of the tips I'm giving you here are coming straight from him. :)

So, after removing the vanity and mirror on the other side of the bath, (you can check that first part right here), it was now the turn to say good bye to the shower.

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1. How to remove the shower fixtures

This was my first time uninstalling the fixtures in a bathroom.  The fixtures where I could see a screw holding them in place, looked easy enough to uninstall. But, the bathtub spout was something I had no idea how to uninstall. Don't worry, it's easy. ;)

Of course, I started with the ones where the screws were showing. 😁
Using a flat screwdriver I removed the cover on the shower handle. Once the cover was removed, I could unscrew the plastic handle and then the round trim from the wall.  You might also need to use a putty knife to remove the caulking around the trim.

Screwdriver set

How to remove the Bathtub Spout

Who knows there's a little hole underneath those tub spouts?! Well, nope. I had no idea.
You need to use a 1/8" hex/Allen wrench to loosen that spout. Once it's a bit loose, you can turn the entire spout upside down to work easier.

Hex key set

How to remove the bathtub drain

First you need to remove the drain stopper by turning it counter-clockwise.
Insert the drain remover (usually the smaller side of the remover is the one that fits on tub drains). Align the notches on the remover with the cross bars in the drain. Pass a screwdriver through the middle holes on the remover and turn it counter-clockwise until the drain is released.

Tub Drain Remover

How to remove the shower head

Grab the connector or nut with a wrench. I used a pipe wrench. Turn it counter-clockwise until it's removed.
Another thing I had no idea how to remove was the pipe that holds the shower head. As my BIL said: "Oh, it's so simple!"
Insert the leg of the pipe wrench in the shower arm or pipe.  Grab the wrench tightly and turn it counter-clockwise. DONE!  You can also unscrew it by holding the pipe by its body.

Pipe Wrench

Having all the fixtures removed meant it was time to get rid of the tile!

2. How to remove tile from shower

The tools you need to remove the tile and the cement backerboard are: A jab saw, pry bar, utility knife, heavy duty gloves, dusk mask and maybe a second pair of helping hands to help you pull off and carry away those heavy chunks of material.

Again, you don't want to create unnecessary damage, especially to the Sheetrock around the tile.

• Using a jab saw, cut throughout the Sheetrock all along the outside line of the tile. 
• Then, grab a utility knife to cut the line of caulk all around the bathtub and the corners of the shower tile.
• Start pulling those side or smaller chunks of tile. The pry bar might be of help, but strong arms are what's needed to pull the wall and tile off the studs.
• once both sides are removed you can go ahead and work on that back wall.

Jab Saw

3. How to remove a bathtub

There are many types of bathtubs, the one I had to deal with was a plastic, paste? material. The ones the builders are using lately. The good thing is, they're easy to remove and carry away.

With the tile and backerboard gone you can see how is the tub attached to the studs or floor.
Mine was held in place with those clips you see in the picture below. One clip per stud, held in place with a nail.
I removed those nails with the pry bar and a hammer to free the tub.

There is usually a plastic strip covering the part where the tub meets the floor, pull it off.
Then, using a shovel, bring that tub up.

Shovel

This is how the bathroom looked at the end of the day:

I got another trouble here in the shower area with that pipe sticking out the floor.

The following day I removed the toilet. I might or might not write about it. This is the second toilet I've removed, it's easy to do.

4. How to get rid of that pesky vinyl floor

Start by removing any baseboard that is still attached to the wall. Use a pry bar and shims to lessen the damage on the walls.

The vinyl floor is attached to another layer of plywood or underlayment. You need to remove both of them. The vinyl was glued onto the underlayment and the later one was nailed onto the sub-flooring.

I used the Dremel oscillating tool to score small sections of the vinyl/underlayment. Then, using a flat shovel, both layers of material were pulled off the floor.

Pry Bar           |            Dremel Oscillating Tool        |         Shovel

Remove the tar paper and the hundreds of staples it was held with.

Clean up time was easy with this RIDGID 6 Gallon Wet Dry Vac. Those staples were a joke for the great sucking power this little guy has! Easy to carry around and I love the hose locking mechanism, it stays put when I pull it! Something I couldn't do with my old vac.

RIDGID - 6 Gallon NXT Wet Dry Vac

Well, the cleaning didn't last long. The area on the wall below the little windows was opened the following day.

Once again, try to do minimal damage to the wall. Whatever you want to do might not work and if you need to cover that space again, you can do it with the material you nicely removed.

Follow a level line to cut the Sheetrock and remove any screws you can spot before pulling the piece off the wall.

Well, I couldn't wait to explore that side of the eaves and I also went around the corner, behind the shower wall.  :D

Husky 48" In. Box Level with Plumb Site

This Milwaukee cordless light is the tool for this job! Its 2200 lumen were more than enough to light that entire area.
I love that it's also AC inlet for all day run time and it has a hook to hang it as overhead lighting.

Milwaukee M18 18-Volt Cordless 2200-Lumen Radius LED Compact Site Light with Flood Mode (Tool-Only) 

However, all my findings there in the dark space that's the roof of my garage are going to be shared on a later post. ;)



For more about this bathroom makeover check these out:

Vintage Modern Bathroom - Mood Board

The Plan

Bathroom Demo Part 1

Follow me on Instagram where I'm sharing small videos throughout the makeover of this bath.

The following are the links to the projects done in this bathroom:

• Bathroom Reveal
• Tiling the Shower
• From Bathtub to Walk-in Shower
• The fake window
• The Mirrors
• How to Install Real Shiplap
• The Vanity Area
• Under the Eaves Storage Shelves
• How to Plank a Ceiling - ShipLap Ceiling
• Floor-Level Shower Install
• The Lighting Plan
• Fixing Trouble Areas - Plumbing
• The Shower Extension
• Getting to the other side of the bathroom
• Bathroom Demo - Part 2
• Bathroom Demo - Part 1
• The master bathroom plan
• Vintage Modern Master Bathroom Mood Board

Here's how I easily change the look of the shower.

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