7 Important Tips To Successfully Demolish Your Bathroom

In order to get a new bathroom, you have to get rid of all the old fixtures including flooring, tiles, walls, bathroom accessories and furniture. We all wish that demolishing a bathroom was as easy as getting a hammer in hand and smashing your way in! But as you want to build a bathroom on that foundation, we recommend you do thing fun project step by step. When demolishing a bathroom, you have to consider the new changes you will be making. If you’re not getting a new floor then you have to be careful not to damage your flooring while removing major fixtures. However, if you’re going for a complete head-to-toe makeover, then follow these tips to successfully demolish your bathroom without causing unnecessary damage…

1. Careful of Plumbing and Electrical Work

engineering diagram blueprint paper drafting project sketch architectural,selective focus.

While you demolish all the big fixtures and construction, be aware of all the plumbing and electrical work that goes around. There will be pipes and wires running behind the drywall and the flooring. Be careful that you don’t damage these systems. Even one bump to a pipe can burst it or damage the electrical circuits. Getting them fixed or replaced will add to your final budget.

2. Turn Off the Water Supply and Electricity

Man working at pipes. Turning on or turning off water supply in the boiler room. Plumbing concept.

Even if you accidentally nick a pipe or electrical circuit while taking down the drywall or flooring, you can still avoid flooding and electrocution by simply cutting off their main supply. Before picking up the hammer and a crowbar, remember to cut off the electricity and water supply to avoid any major accidents.

3. Remove the Toilet Carefully

Plumber replacing broken toilet in a washroom

To replace the toilet and flush tank, you will have to carefully remove the fixture as it can be very heavy. It can also flood your bathroom if you’re not careful. Start by cutting off the water supply to the tank and carefully lift it, to remove the toilet from the floor you will have to unbolt it and break its seal. Finally, remove the old wax ring so you can install a new one for better function. Reading it might be easy but actually doing it can be extremely difficult. If you don’t want to drain your energy down the toilet, let a professional do the job for you.

4. Sink Disconnect and Pull Out Vanity

Low angle view of male hands manual worker removing the old sink in vintage old bathroom

Once you cut off the main water supply to the bathroom, it will be easier to remove all the bathroom fixtures. In the next step, you just have to remove the sink along with its faucets and pull out the vanity. Whether you’re replacing the sink and faucets or not, we recommend you remove them to get them cleaned and check for any mold saturation.

5. Remove Tub/Shower and Check for Mold/Mildew/Water Damage

Worker remove, demolish old bathtub and tiles with hammer in a bathroom

In a bathroom, tub and shower stalls are the biggest mold and mildew attractors as they deal with the maximum amount of water every day. In order to lay new flooring or even a wall, you will have to move the tub and shower stall. Check these fixtures carefully for mold and mildew saturations along with any other water damages. Fixing these damages should be your first priority before installing new fixtures to protect them from similar damage.

6. Remove Accessories

Residential plumbing repair, closeup hands plumber with screwdriver, install wall mounted height adjustable shower bar slide rail bracket.

After removing the major bathroom fixtures now comes the time to remove all bathroom accessories, hardware and furniture. Carefully remove all the faucets, grab bars, shelves, cabinets and other accessories fixed on the wall or nailed to the floor. This will literally empty your bathroom.

7. Drywall, Tiles, Bracket Board and Check for Damage Underneath the Floor and Behind Walls

A bathroom remodel project getting closer to completion.

Once you have a virtually empty bathroom, you can now remove the drywall, tiles or slabs on the floor, the bracket board and everything else except the main structure of the room. All the debris that you remove is junk and you can’t just put it in your garbage bins. Remember to hire a junk remover to get rid of all the old bathroom fixtures and debris off your hands. Once you remove the walls and floor you will be able to fix any damage that was hiding behind them and start building your new bathroom.

Demolishing the bathroom step by step by yourself seems so easy and quick but if you’re not experienced in any of these tasks, it can take days or even weeks! We highly recommend you hire a demolition crew who will successfully demolish your bathroom without causing any harm and get rid of all the debris as well.