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Cleaning up the Opening
After you have taken the necessary tile
off the wall, you need to remove the damaged wall board. Use a razor knife to
score the wall board before you try to remove the board. If you do not, you
risk damaged the board behind the good tiles. We recommend leaving a "lip" of
good wall board so that you have an edge to match the new backerboard to (see
the second picture).
Use a razor knife to score straight lines
along the wall board. Use your hand to snap the wall board and then use the
razor knife to cut the paper on the back side of the wall board.
Now is the time to examine the framing
behind the tiles. If the boards are black, use a screwdriver to test the
soundness of the lumber. If the boards are rotted or soft, they need to be
replaced. This is a job that you can do yourself but you may want to call a
professional to repair the framing. In any event, it is beyond the scope of
this article.
After you have straightened all of the
cuts and removed the damaged wall board, use a small brush and vacuum to clean
the area. You do not want to grind the junk from the wall into the tub. Also,
the success of a new tile job depends heavily on cleanliness. If the damaged
area is damp, STOP HERE and let the area dry completely.
You want to start with a dry area.
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