Old tile ceilings can be daunting to remove without ruining drywall.
In this tutorial, you’ll see tips for safely taking down an old tile shower ceiling. It’s actually way easier than you think.
Let’s dive in!
Starting the Tile Ceiling Removal
Tools make tile removal much easier. I highly recommend using an oscillating multitool with a carbide blade.

Make a relief cut between the tile ceiling and adjacent drywall using the multitool.
You only have to penetrate the ceiling by 1/2″ to 5/8″ – most codes require 5/8″ drywall ceilings!

Wear some type of respirator while doing this; Sundstrom’s silica dust respirator is fantastic.
Pulling Down the Ceiling
Before moving on, remove the trim kit of any recessed shower light. Normally the trim is held in place with springs; pull down the trim from the light and press the springs inward to release the trim.

From here the demo is fairly easy. Smash out a small section of the tile ceiling next to the drywall, I used a hammer for this.

I then use a long pry bar to try and remove one large section. Be careful doing this, and don’t stand under the ceiling!

You can always break up the ceiling into smaller pieces if it’s large.
Here’s my short video that shows all the tools and tips in action
What’s Next
Tile ceilings are one thing. But maybe you have to remove a tile floor – if so, this tutorial is excellent
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Cheers,
Jeff
