How to remove kitchen backsplash tiles, replace plaster board drywall, prefill & tape a butt joint

[@musicchocolate1390]

I am so grateful to have found this video. I’ve been looking at drywall/backsplash videos for weeks and this is the most complete and helpful by far. I will also check out the other videos by professionals that you have recommended. Thank you so much for making this video ❤ I’m a lot less worried to tackle the removal of my backsplash now that I’ve seen this xo

[@justmyinput3782]

Thank you for doing it the right way! So many videos out there that recommend putting skim coat over the damaged drywall! This is a great video! You ROCK!

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Thank you!

[@skullkidtrix1478]

I love construction videos with women. I want to be able to do my own improvement projects. Thanks for the video!

[@jordynmiller3986]

Great video! Did you have to do any taping against the countertop since there is drywall behind the cabinets as well?

[@nicolehoang6706]

Made a KZbin account just to comment. Found your tutorial incredibly helpful. I’m super novice at DIY and have just purchased a house. After having serious miscommunications with some tradies about the current kitchen splashback (tradie cut out one section of splashback board to replace with cement sheet instead of whole splashback and replace with new Board) I’ve decided to just do it myself and install my own plasterboard. Wish me luck!

[@nicolehoang6706]

Sorry, what have you done around the power points? Did you get an electrician in?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Ohh that’s awesome! You will be so happy with the finished result if you do it yourself. It’s very hard work and you will feel incredibly frustrated but the final result is worth it. For the power points, I turned off the mains power, leveled off the face plates, unscrewed the point from the metal holder and then pulled the outlet forward, leaving the wiring all in tact. BUT it may be illegal to do this so you might need to ask a local electrician if it’s something you can do yourself as long and you’re not disconnecting any wires. Also, I’ve done a lot of 12v wiring in my van so I’m very comfortable with wiring. If you’re not, then please do get in an electrician, even if it is legal, it can be daunting. 24v electrical (house electrical) is very dangerous and can kill.

[@behlauski4427]

Just tips for everyone, not bashing a video with good order of steps of the process. DRYWALL..., flat surface PLEASE when cutting unless your handy with dragging measuring tape on your cuts. Dont cut on a slanted wall angle! Also, for anyone new, watch a youtube video on how to pre mud larger seams before taping 🧏‍♂️

[@dbadx07]

Really love this video and now using it for installing my kitchen herringbone tiles. Not sure what to do with the bottom part of the plasterboard though just level with the countertop. Not sure jointing tape or compound can/should be used there. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

I didn’t use any joining tape or compound there. If you’re worried that there isn’t enough support behind that section, just add in some extra supports, either small pieces of plasterboard if it’s flush or you can add an extra timber noggin (horizontal timber) that you can drill in to.

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Once the tiles are on and silicone bead is done along that edge, there should t be any flex in those sections anyway. Hope that helps :)

[@faheemaslam48]

OMG that looks like our kitchen which we are changing hence searching for this....thanks

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Excellent! Such a common kitchen style isn’t it. Very easy to make some affordable changes.

[@BradGuth2688]

Thanks the great video! Very helpful! Question: did you tape along the bottom where your new plasterboard was installed (above countertop)? And also that corner joint left of your sink? Thanks!

[@benjaminbunny99]

What do you do about the seams along the countertop and cabinets?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

So for the seams that join the countertop and tiles, use silicone caulk. For the seam that joins tiles to cabinets, I used paintable caulk. Hope that helps

[@benjaminbunny99]

@@NicoleHerrickDIY thank you!

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

@@benjaminbunny99 you’re so welcome

[@alexadavidson6227]

Thank you so much for this!!! Redoing our backsplash in our 1940’s home and had no idea how to fix the missing chunks of plaster.

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

It’s so much easier and cheaper than I imagined it would be! Good luck and thanks for watching :)

[@simonpidgeon949]

Very nice job 💯👍👍

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Thanks so much Simon :)

[@gracemckenzie4637]

This is so helpful for an absolute newbie! Thanks! We have just removed our tiles and will need to re-plaster, just as you've done in this video. We still have our old benchtop in place, but will be removing this and getting a new one installed AFTER we re-plaster. Any tips on how to join the plaster correctly at that benchtop line? Or is this just not possible without removing the benchtop first?

[@nolandodson6760]

I have this question as well

[@gpcrawford8353]

Nice to see the feline assistants🐈🐈 . Thinking on it in the UK 🇬🇧 inthe main we have dot and dab walls rather than the stud variety;; these are found when a house or room gets a modification or restyle . I don't much on dot and dab because the void is narrow leads to complications fixing to such walls.

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

GP Crawford they are so handy! Always pointing out my mistakes. 😂

[@tonyn152]

Thanks for the great video. Very informative. Kind of surprised that you didn't add any extra electrical outlets on the long wall while you had the wall opened. Thanks again!

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Thank you. There more powerpoints in the cupboard on the far left of that long wall where we plug in the toaster, kettle, and loads of other appliances.

[@rachelgrill3248]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

@@rachelgrill3248 you are welcome 🤗

[@garykeighley712]

Great job very helpful 👍

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Thank you

[@AM-dm1pl]

So what about right under the cabinets and where the wall meets up with the countertops?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

After you have re-tiled, the counter gap gets filled with a silicone caulk and under the cabinets gets filled with a paintable caulk / gap filler.

[@TheWizzG]

Well done!

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Thanks so much Gaz

[@tonyalways7174]

Well done and hats off to you for being brave enough to tackle such a horrible job. 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Thank you. This part was the easy part. Tiling was the tedious part.

[@jfitzikner9]

OK I got a question.... did you tape and mud above the countertop and underneath the cabinets

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

No I didn’t tape and mud those areas. Once the tiles are on and grouted, I added silicone to connect the bench to the bottom row of tiles and paintable caulk to the top edge to join the tiles to the cupboards. Both are flexible and seal everything up.

[@jfitzikner9]

@@NicoleHerrickDIY awesome, thanks gonna re do mine next weekend and don't plan on even attempting to save the sheetrock 😂

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Look up some videos on taking off the tiles as a full sheet without needing to smash them. I didn’t realise you could do that when I was removing but have since heard of it. Just be careful not to cut any wires.

[@jfitzikner9]

@@NicoleHerrickDIY yeah I'm a plumber and that's how I take out old tubs... usually use my multi tool and cut out large sections. Makes it a lot easier that's for sure! Do you have DIY tik-tok?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

@@jfitzikner9 oh perfect! You know a lot more than me then haha. Yes my tiktok is NicoleHerrickDIY

[@user-zx9bp8qv1c]

Hi, after removing a few wall tiles I think my next tactic will be replacing the plasterboard on our backsplash. Can I ask- when you ‘plaster’ over the taped joints, are you using the same gyproc compound as the initial fill?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Yes that’s right, the same joint compound.

[@mbag54]

We are in the process of replacing drywall in preparation for tile and wonder why it’s necessary to fill the seams with joint compound prior to tiling. Just seems like extra work. What are we missing?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Good question, a lot of my joins are above the tile line so I had to fill those but I’m honestly not sure if you need to fill the seams behind the tiles. I did it for practise as this was my first time doing any of this.

[@hanwin651]

Amazing Job !

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Thanks so much

[@lorrainemcintosh4353]

I have just watched this as soon moving into a house where I need to re vamp the kitchen on a budget. Can I ask did you put teh joint compound plaster over all of the plasterboard to get the smooth finish. I'm asking because i was think of replacing the existing tiles with just a small plinth or acrylic sheet.

[@realisticrenovating]

Nice work Nicole! And great instructions!

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

DIY DORIS thanks Jo! We need to grab a virtual beer together one day!

[@realisticrenovating]

@@NicoleHerrickDIY absolutely!! 😎😎😎

[@amomandotherstuff]

Can you tell me, did you do this in the small area between your sink and the window above? My setup is similar and only 6 inches wide- just wondering how you handled that area. Thank you and it looks gorgeous!

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Hello, yes I sure did. It was a little more tricky as you can lose track of what the herringbone pattern looks like but I made sure I started in the corner of the kitchen, then worked my way across both walls so that I didn’t have to meet anything in the middle. I also made paper templates for those tiles so that I could work out the exact right cut for each tile.

[@amomandotherstuff]

@@NicoleHerrickDIY thanks. I did a terrible job patching drywall when I took the old backsplash out and now realize I need a flat wall even if I’m tiling over it, lol 🤦‍♀️. I think I need to replace the drywall with concrete backer board but have the same setup with a sink under a window and it makes me nervous to cut out the drywall but makes sense. My backsplash is 1x3” glass on mesh so it’ll be easier (I think?) than your pattern, perhaps. Still researching. Thanks again for your feedback and helpful video, I appreciate it very much!!

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

@@amomandotherstuff it’s much easier than you think. Just make sure you don’t cut too deep and turn off the power beforehand just in case you accidentally cut through a wire.

[@aldilima3126]

Hi, how did you join and fill in the gaps of the plaster which connects to underneath the top cabinets

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

I used paintable gap filler up under the cabinets and anywhere it met a wall. Silicone for any places it met the counter top.

[@1227babo]

Great Job!!! You should be a professional and experienced worker.

[@Geekygirlsjournal]

Really informative. Thanks. Redoing my backsplash soon and needed tips on how to repair the walls. I'll be looking at the pros also 😉

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Haha yes, definitely check out the pros! Good luck!

[@tanyaogrady2240]

Thank you for the tutorial. I was wondering whether you could have tiled over the existing tiles? I am considering doing this as an easier option. What are your thoughts? regards Tanya

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

You definitely can tile over the exisiting tile. The only difference will be that you will have a thicker edge at the top, which will only be noticeable where the tiles finish on the wall. You also need to check if the thickness of the new tiles plus adhesive will still be code approved where your cooktop is. They need to be a certain distance from the wall (it varies on your country and state usually). And also check that you will have enough room behind the sink and for things like doors being able to open and power points being able to stretch out that little bit further. If there is no slack in the wires, it might not be possible.

[@tanyaogrady2240]

@@NicoleHerrickDIY yes I am aware of the extra width of the tile and adhesive. Thank you so much love your grit and determination! Girl power! 👍

[@nicoleszelag8858]

Excellent video. Thank you !

[@yaron5651]

Hi, thanks for the video. Which plaster coat type did you use ?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

You’re welcome. I used multi joint compound by Gyprock, pre mixed.

[@yaron5651]

@@NicoleHerrickDIY Also for the final coat?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Yes, same for each coat.

[@vanessaruiz4065]

Great video! Did you use the prefill (gyprock) when adding the tape or is that something else?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Thank you. Yes I beveled the edges of any cut joints to expose some core then added a prefill layer in the joint and let that shrink overnight before adding the tape and first layer of joint compound.

[@ceeIoc]

You dont need joint compound on the gaps near the bottom of the cabinet or top of the counter?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

ceeloc no, for joint compound to work, you need to have access to both sides of the plasterboard you are joining. The gap along the counter is later finished with silicone and the top connecting the cupboards is filled with caulk after the tiling is done.

[@BenjaminJ]

Great video, one creative suggestion for the video if you could add your own subtitles that would be fab but apart from that great video and thank you 😊

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Thanks Benjamin, great tip, I will make sure I add the subtitles. Thank you!

[@BenjaminJ]

@@NicoleHerrickDIY no worries you are welcome 👍

[@ellebickmore9577]

Hiya, Thank you so much for the video! What would your advice be when a kitchen is small square tiled all the way up to the ceiling from the work tops? And wanting to do Half tile to the cupboards (will tile over the old) and have the rest of the wall upwards painted like yours?.. Is there anyway around it other than smashing the tiles off? Ahh hope this makes sense Lol! Thanks in advance :)

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

It would be difficult to add new plasterboard over existing tiles for the top half. Instead of smashing the tiles, you could cut them off in large sheets. You just have to make sure you turn off the power at the mains in case you cut a wire. And set the depth of your blade to be now longer than the depth of the tiles plus plasterboard to minimise the risk of that. I will see if i can find a video on this process. It's honestly very easy to remove tiles and add new plasterboard and isn't as time consuming as you'd think. I was so scared to do it at first but i'm so glad i took the extra step and didn't tile over tile.

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

OK here is a video that explains how to take off tiles in large sheets without having to mash them off first. You can do it with a box cutter and in smaller sections. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4iwamt6o8trqLc Or another thing might be to just see what happens when you start pulling off a few tiles, maybe they will come off easily and you can just replace the plasterboard above the line where you will need fresh smooth wall.

[@jennifermiller9444]

Wonderful video! Thank you! Question: How long did the entire process take?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Jennifer Miller Thank you. About 1 day to remove the kitchen tiles and install new plasterboard and add the first coat of plaster. Then had to wait a day in between each new coat of plaster.

[@ROYAL-sj4kj]

Well done.

[@ArunkumarJanarthananVillupuram]

Did you just end up removing the cabinets above ?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

No I painted all the cabinets. Here’s a look at the finished project. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXipfqyeaqeajJY

[@sandramarsh2654]

Awesome work! Thanks for the informative information 🙌👏

[@nicaelaemily3446]

Thanks!!

[@cyndiluuhuu]

Amazing! So empowering, informative, and detailed! I feel confident in the project I’m about to tackle! THANK YOU! P. S. Your cat is so adorable!

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Thank you so much! I can’t wait to see your project, tag me on insta! @NicoleHerrickDIY

[@MarkMash17]

Vacuuming plaster will eventually ruin the vacuum just fyi as well

[@MaryOKC]

OR you could have just scored all around the existing tile, if you intended to put up new plaster board, and broke away the tile in large chunks with the plaster board attached to the tile instead of taking the tile off then scoring and replacing the plaster board...but hindsight is always 20/20.

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Yes I explained in the beginning that this is definitely a much faster option, however it was my first time and I didn’t want to run the risk of cutting through any wires behind the plasterboard. Scoring wasn’t going to work for the mastic that these tiles were held on with, it was super thick and solid.

[@jenniferdowns9]

Can you tile on top of tile? That's just too much work for me. Lol

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Yes you sure can! Just add a deeper capping edge.

[@romerito2211]

You should pull the drywall alon with the tile all on one

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Yes I have seen people do this but I was too worried about cutting an electrical wire.

[@desdenz]

Tomorrow I’m basically putting on a backsplash peel sticker and removing the old one looks like it’s going to be like this 😭 cause I noticed behind the old backsplash peel on sticker the previous owner looked like they used like a plaster which made a textured wall 😭

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Good luck. Just remember, if you do need to cut out old plasterboard and replace, it’s easier than you might think.

[@pro_vok3d]

Why bother with the joint compound if it's getting tiled? Can't you just tile onto the fresh drywall?

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

3 of the joints were above the line where i tiled to. 2 were behind so that was just me practicing. You still need to prime the fresh drywall otherwise the moisture from the tile adhesive will effect it.

[@mohammedfarhaan704]

She calls that ugly? Lol that looks beautiful to me 🤣

[@george-constantinarnautoiu4688]

👏🏻

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

❤️

[@turdferguson5300]

This is the scenario I'm trying to avoid, anybody can screw up the wall.

[@strawberryme08]

Oh boy I think I’ll just paint mine 😂

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Much easier ;)

[@ClarkS963]

Gloves!

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

Yes indeed!

[@angelf9800]

I always thought you had to use cement board for tiles.

[@w2ttsy670]

It’s recommended for wet area installations such as showers. However you can also use villaboard and aquachek gyprock for these areas. In this kitchen splash back area you could easily get away with aquachek or even regular gyprock as the water will be splash level rather than immersion. The only differences between tile and non tiled plaster installation is no adhesive paste between board and studs and you don’t do a finish coat after doing the tape coat.

[@zlatkozivkovic8694]

If you were a bit less aggressive you would not have so much damage to the drywall.

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

If you watch the video you will see that I was gentle at the start to see if I could save the drywall. However the adhesive used meant there was no way to save it.

[@Utrecht-s2b]

The whole house is made of plasterboards. No wonder houses in US just fly away with any storm

[@ccl7856]

👍😀🇦🇺

[@tinalee6627]

I prefered the tiles that were already on 😂😂

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

We all have different tastes, and that’s ok!

[@westensanchez9483]

Dear God....🤐

[@angelonicassio7131]

Omg, why destroy all that drywall and do it again? Just pry the tiles off.

[@NicoleHerrickDIY]

As I said in the video, the tiles were not able to be simply pryed off. No way to remove them other to remove drywall. It was super easy and very cheap to replace.

[@Emzo99]

For fuck’s sake, why did the people who lived in my flat before even put such ugly tiles in the first place? Thanks for the video!