Bathroom Demo - concrete wall with metal wire nightmare

[Zoran Domazet]

Hey BP members, 

I am starting a remodel on one of the bathrooms in my property and need some advise on removing tile that was placed on concrete and wire mesh. The house was built in 1940's and the material they've used is almost 2 inches thick with the tile. I was thinking about cutting it with a 7' diamond blade on a grinder and detaching it with a pry bar from the studs in sections.  It doesn't seem like a sledgehammer will do much but damage the surrounding walls from the vibration in this case.

Let me know what you guys think would be the best way to demo this bathroom.

[Mike McCarthy]

@Zoran Domazet yup... have dealt with those before. They are a pain (and heavy!), but certainly doable once you figure it out.

I use a wrecking bar (pry bar, but 3’ long). Hammer it to get between the cement and the stud then pry. Move to the next stud and do the same thing.

Basically you want to pull out sections. It usually comes out in 2’ square (ish) pieces - or sometimes larger. As you start using the pry bar, the cement and tiles will crack, and the mesh will snap.

It’s not so bad. But wear gloves. The wire mesh is tough on skin.

Good luck, you’ll get a workout!