Yes, you can remove the brick backsplash. However, it is important to make sure that you don’t end up damaging the wall behind it. Using the right technique can help you avoid that.
It is possible that your home may have a brick backsplash that you do not like. You may have considered getting rid of it many times but you may wonder if there is an actual procedure you have to follow.
Yes, you can remove the brick backsplash in your kitchen or elsewhere. These aesthetic additions were very common in the 1970s and many homes today still feature them. However, if you are remodeling your home and giving it a completely futuristic outlook then you may not want to keep the brick backsplash.
These brick backsplashes look like real bricks and even feel like them, however, they are just for show and made out of concrete. These bricks are not real and are installed with a mortar base.
If you wish to remove the brick backsplash you need to use the right tools and the right technique. Let’s learn more about removing brick backsplash.
Is It Hard To Remove A Brick Backsplash?
It is hard to remove the brick backsplash wall as it comes with a mortar base. This mortar base sticks onto the drywall and is very difficult to remove. Removing the brick backsplash can damage the surface of the wall.
The brick backsplash comes off with the mortar base and this can impact the wall. The removal may cause rips along the wall. It may also cause holes and other extreme damages. If you do not remove the brick backsplash properly, the extent of damage can increase significantly.
What Tools Do I Need?
You need the following tools to remove the backsplash successfully:
Plastic Tarp
Goggles & Gloves
Pry Bar
Hammer
Chisel
Rags
Without the right tools, you won’t be able to remove the brick backsplash easily and that will cause a big mess and further damage the wall behind the brick splash.
How To Remove A Brick Backsplash
If you are looking to remove the brick backsplash, then you need to use the right technique and work your way carefully. These steps are the best guide for you to get the brick backsplash off, without any problems.
Step 1: Switch Off Electricity
Before you get on to removing the brick backsplash you must move on to removing the electrical outlets. But before you do that, take the safe route and switch off the electricity. As you are going to remove the electrical outlets it makes sense that you should shut down the electricity. As you can switch off the electricity of the whole house, you can switch off the electricity from that particular area. Switch off all the lights so you do not have to face any mishaps when you start removing the brick backsplash.
Step 2: Remove All Accessories
Since you are going to remove all the brick backsplash, you need to make sure that there is nothing on the backsplash. There may be electrical outlets or other accessories on the brick backsplash and without removing them you won’t be able to remove the brick backsplash completely.
Other than the electrical outlets you may have wall hangings on or near the brick backsplash. Remove them before you start removing the backsplash.
Whatever you remove, make sure that you keep it in a safe space so that you can get it back when you have to put them all back in their place.
Step 3: Remove Trip Molding
Now that you have cleared the area you can start to remove all the trim moldings. For that, you can use the pry bar and slide it into the trim moldings. 3 inches inside the moldings will be enough for you to remove them. The pry bar alone will not help you remove the trip molding. This is why you need a hammer to hit on the edge of the pry bar after sticking it into the trip molding.
Hit the opposite end of the pry bar and push it into the trip molding by half its width. Keep on doing the same thing over and over again so that you can remove the piece of the molding. Repeat the process for all of the molding. If you want you can keep the molding someplace safe and then use them later on.
Step 4: Score The Dry Wall
To score the drywall you can cut along the edge of the veneer brick surface. This will help you score the veneer bricks off the drywall. The depth of the veneer is typically half an inch. This step is typically for the exposed edges. If you do not have any exposed edges, you can simply skip this part of the process.
Step 5: Chisel The Veneer Brick
Now you can keep the chisel in between the mortared section and the veneered brick. This will help you remove the bricks completely. Here again, you need to use a hammer to tap the edge of the chisel so that you can get rid of the mortared section and the veneer brick. You can keep on repeating the process so that you can get rid of all the bricks and pieces of mortar.
Step 6: Pop Veneer Bricks
You have already made indentations in your drywall with the help of your pry bar. Using these indentations you can pop the veneer bricks out. All you need to do is put the flat pry bar against the indentation and tilt it. Tilting it will help you pop the veneer brick at a 45-degree angle. You can repeat the same process for all your veneer bricks and pop them one after the other. Keep using the pry bar to pop out all the veneer bricks.
Step 7: Remove All Veneer Bricks
Make sure that you work with the same process. Once you start popping the veneer bricks you can pop all of them out this way.
Step 8: Clean the Mess
The digging and popping of veneer bricks can create a lot of mess. That’s why it is important you clean all your counters and spaces with the help of a clean cloth. The cloth might not be enough for the floor which is why you must use a vacuum. The vacuum will help you remove all the debris easily and then you can collect all of the loose material and dispose it all however you want or are directed by the state.
Final Words
Do not like the way your brick backsplash looks? Don’t worry, you can remove it! Yes, removing a brick backsplash is possible; however, you need to ensure that you use the right tools and the right techniques. For instance, do not dig further into the drywall or you will end up damaging it.
It is very important to remove the brick backsplash without damaging your drywall and for that, the right technique and the right tools are of uber importance. Make sure you take all safety precautions so that you can do it easily without causing any harm to you and your wall.
Sources
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/how-to-troubleshoot-a-charcoal-grill-13768632.html
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/remove-brick-veneer-backsplash-45236.html
https://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-remove-a-brick-backsplash
