When we say we’re “tackling a room,” it’s often figurative—but this time it was almost literal: a big bathroom demolition weekend. Before we could welcome anything new, the old bathroom had to come out. After clearing baskets, the shower curtain, mirror, rugs and other small items, we were ready to remove the fixtures and start demolition. Even our dog Burger got a goodbye pat before we began.
Sherry helped remove the toilet, vanity, faucets, shelves and shower curtain. I took on demoing the tiled walls and the entire floor since Sherry was busy with other things. Neither of us had ever stripped tile this extensive before, so we did some research and prepared the right supplies. We divided our gear into three groups:
- Tools for dismantling and demolition — hammer, sledgehammer, small crowbar, screwdrivers, wrenches, razor, drywall saw, and similar hand tools.
- Supplies to manage the mess — broom, dustpan, rags, buckets, heavy-duty contractor trash bags, painter’s tape for drains, and a shop-vac.
- Protection for people and the house — safety goggles, gloves, a respirator or gas mask, old clothes to discard, cardboard and a cloth tarp to cover the tub, and a thick plastic drop cloth to seal off the room.
Prepping felt like a lot, but every item proved useful. Below is a detailed account of our three-day demo.
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Day One: After a late-afternoon trip to buy supplies, we started with the cleanest tasks. Together we turned off the water, disconnected plumbing and unscrewed the vanity and sink so they could be carried out. The toilet was removed next; we plan to reinstall it since we replaced it a few years earlier. We capped the sewage opening with a rag to prevent fumes and debris from traveling through the pipes.
After unscrewing the shower fixtures, the room was cleared and we rested up for the larger demo that would begin the next morning.
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Day Two: Saturday started early. I planned to do most of the wrecking while Sherry stayed out of the dust. Because our house dates from an era when lead paint was used, we took extra precautions: we sealed the doorway with a thick plastic drop cloth, avoided wearing dirty clothes outside the room, and cleaned up dust frequently with a wet rag and TSP cleaning solution. I also wore goggles, a respirator and gloves.
We sealed vents and the ceiling fan, and taped over the toilet opening to prevent dust from traveling through the house. Once sealed, the room stayed contained and the demolition dust was limited to that space.
I started with a crowbar-and-hammer technique to remove wall tiles. Progress was slow—one or two tiles for every few swings. Behind the tile I found not drywall or modern backerboard but a thick mortar layer with heavy metal mesh embedded, an older tiling method. That discovery meant more work than anticipated, but I kept chipping away. After many hours I removed all wall tiles and much of the mortar and mesh down to studs and cinder block in places.
Exhausted and coated in dust, I rinsed off outdoors in cold weather before calling it a night.
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Day Three: Sunday began with more hauling of heavy-duty trash bags to the garage and another round of demo. We planned to rent a truck later to take debris to the local dump rather than rent a dumpster. Removing smashed tile, mortar and metal mesh from the walls consumed several hours. The mesh behind the tile was thick and robust—definitely not chicken wire.
By mid-afternoon it was clear the floor would be fastest with power tools. We rented a demolition hammer—essentially a mini jackhammer—which made the floor removal quick compared to the manual work on the walls. Using the chisel on grout lines, the demo hammer lifted tiles and the concrete beneath them; the remaining floor came up in about 90 minutes, a huge time saver.
Throughout the weekend I experienced a mix of frustration, fatigue and satisfaction. There were moments I wanted to stop, but seeing the structure of the house exposed made the work feel worthwhile—even when I discovered an area of rot next to the tub that will need repair.
…even if it included an area of rot next to the tub that we’ll address in a future post.
By late Sunday night the demo was complete. I cleared the debris, shop-vac’d the remaining dust and wiped surfaces and tools with a TSP solution to minimize potential lead dust. After a long weekend I managed a few hours of sleep before returning to work, and that final rinse felt much better than the first.
Safety note: always wear proper closed-toe shoes and protective gear during demolition. Bare feet and heavy debris are a bad combination.