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How to remove batroom fixtures

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  • Nov 13th, 2006 4:05 pm
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Banned
May 5, 2003
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Toronto, Ontario

How to remove batroom fixtures

I am in the process of remodelling and want to remove the existing builder towel racks and toilet paper holders... there are no screws and they seem stuck to the wall... how to i remove them with least damage?

Thanks!
9 replies
Deal Fanatic
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Nov 13, 2005
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Shaf wrote: I am in the process of remodelling and want to remove the existing builder towel racks and toilet paper holders... there are no screws and they seem stuck to the wall... how to i remove them with least damage?

Thanks!
You really don't have much of a choice. Those builder towel bars and toilet paper holders are glued directly onto the drywall. I just bought a house not to long ago and that was one thing I made sure that the builder not install any towel bars or holders in any of the bathrooms.

However, the only way to get them off is to chisel your way thru. You may have some drywall damage, but nothing that is not repairable.

Good Luck

sk
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Nov 20, 2002
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Edmonton
ummm before you take the drastic measure of ripping it off of the wall you can try other options. Typically towel bars etc are held on using hidden means. You might want to have a really close look at attachment points, searching for small allen screws (you know hex ones) ~1mm across. These are often used to keep the rack on the underlying holder. Failing that you may want to gently push the rack up from the attachment points (likely) or sideways, because sometimes they are attached to the holder through friction and just dont have the screws. The rack should slide off of the underlying holder.
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Aug 22, 2003
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mrlarouc, Shaf is talking about the builder installed ones. The kind that are ceramic end pieces with a plastic bar type in between. The toilet paper holder is one large ceramic piece glued to the wall or vanity.

Shaf, if you have patience you can get them off with minimal drywall damage. Use a box cutter and just keep running it around the outside to break that caulking seal. Then just keep working the blade underneath the ceramic end pieces. If you try to pull it off directly you will rip the drywall paper off which isn't good. If the paper starts to rip at any point cut it with the box cutter to minimize damage that will need to be repaired. I got ours off with minimal damage but it took lots of patience....
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Feb 1, 2006
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Muskoka
I'm an impatient type, and even though I do attempt the box cutter trick, I usually end up tearing it off the wall the rest of the way. Sometimes I get lucky and get a pretty clean break, others I take out a chunk of wall. Last week I got both when I was doing my master bath! I ended up having to actually cut out drywall and put in a new piece, then compound the joint up and sand, sand, sand. PITA, but it's done now, and looks decent.

I find you have to do the compound and sand even when you get a clean break, at least to some degree.

We also have the crappy ceramic TP roll holder glued to our nice wood vanity. I actually exercised patience, and really worked at that one for a good hour, to no benefit. I broke the caulk completely, only to find it was also glued to the vanity, and would not break, even using a wire and see-sawing between wood and holder. I got nowhere, and gave up, I can't see how I can get it off without destroying the side of the vanity. Open to ideas, if anyone has them.
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May 5, 2003
4879 posts
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Toronto, Ontario
CSK'sMom wrote: mrlarouc, Shaf is talking about the builder installed ones. The kind that are ceramic end pieces with a plastic bar type in between. The toilet paper holder is one large ceramic piece glued to the wall or vanity.

Shaf, if you have patience you can get them off with minimal drywall damage. Use a box cutter and just keep running it around the outside to break that caulking seal. Then just keep working the blade underneath the ceramic end pieces. If you try to pull it off directly you will rip the drywall paper off which isn't good. If the paper starts to rip at any point cut it with the box cutter to minimize damage that will need to be repaired. I got ours off with minimal damage but it took lots of patience....
Yes exactly... i have tried the blade option and it's really hard and taking long... i'll keep trying or just rip it and fix the wall... the whole whole is being painted anyways...
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Nov 13, 2005
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Just remember, if you get lucky and only tear away the tape on the drywall as opposed to a hole in the wall, make sure you prime the bare wall with regular paint primer before you apply the compound to it or else the drywall will bubble when you apply a skim coat of compound.

Good Luck with your project.

sk
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Feb 1, 2006
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sunnybono wrote: Just remember, if you get lucky and only tear away the tape on the drywall as opposed to a hole in the wall, make sure you prime the bare wall with regular paint primer before you apply the compound to it or else the drywall will bubble when you apply a skim coat of compound.

Good Luck with your project.

sk
I've never done that, and never had that problem.
Deal Addict
Dec 29, 2005
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Mississauga
Just slowly pry it behind the ceramic unit... That's what I did... You will have to patch it no matter what... Patch it, sand it and then paint it...

Good Luck....
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Nov 13, 2005
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Bullseye wrote: I've never done that, and never had that problem.
It happened to me not too long ago. I removed the bathroom mirrors put on by the builder. Upon my surprise they did not only installed mirror holders, but they put some silicone based glue on the back. Therefore when I removed the mirror, the outer layer of the drywall came off with it (tearing it like wallpaper). So now the inside of the drywall was exposed, which looks like a sheet of cardboard.
I started to skim coat it with compound and noticed that the cardboard material started to bubble. I asked a drywall friend of mine and he told me to now sand off the bubbled up compound, apply a paint primer to it first, then go back an apply your skim coat.

sk

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