Ripping a Shower Down to the Studs

Removing the Shower Opening

• 1

  Remove the shower rod simply by pushing it loose or unscrewing it. If there is a shower door, remove the screws that hold the shower door in place, and carefully remove the shower door.

• 2

  Remove the top shower track by unscrewing the top from the side pieces of the shower frame. If there is any additional glass, pull out the rubber seals holding in the glass with a flathead screwdriver or drywall knife. Remove the glass by lifting it out of the bottom of the frame.

• 3

  Cut any silicon caulking with a utility knife in the corners where the shower framing meets tile or fiberglass. Unscrew the framing on the sides from the walls and possibly from the bottom shower track. Use a pry bar to gently pull the shower framing away from the tile or fiberglass walls.

Removing the Rest of the Shower

• 4

  Remove shower handles and mixer plate with a screwdriver. Unscrew the shower head from the shower arm. Unscrew the shower arm from the dog-eared drop in the wall. The dog-eared drop lies inside the finished wall. Remove the shower drain with a screwdriver and stuff a rag into the drain to keep debris out.

• 5

  Score any corners that have drywall with a utility knife. Snap a chalk line across the ceiling where the shower opening is located. Use a keyhole saw to cut through the drywall along the chalk line. If there is a light in the shower, remove its trim ring. Most trim rings simply pull down slightly and are unhooked from the fixture.

• 6

  Punch holes through the ceiling with a hammer and pull the drywall down by hand. Remove any drywall that may sit on top of the edge of a fiberglass enclosure. Most fiberglass enclosures have either a tiled edge or an edge with drywall to cover screw heads. Remove a tiled edge by busting some tile from the edge with a hammer and then prying the rest of the tile off with a pry bar.

• 7

  Unscrew all the screws around the perimeter of a fiberglass enclosure. Score any caulking that may be in the corners. Use a pry bar and hammer to pry out the fiberglass enclosure. Cutting the fiberglass enclosure into sections with a reciprocating saw will make the process go quicker.

• 8

  Break a few chunks of tile out with a hammer and remove the rest of the wall tile using a hammer and pry bar. Bust holes through the backerboard or drywall with the hammer and pull the backerboard down from the wall by hand or with a pry bar.

• 9

  Clear away all the nails or screws from the studs with a hammer or screwdriver until the walls are completely free of debris before attempting to pull out the shower floor.

• 10

  Pull out the rag from the drain and use a wrench to unscrew the top section of the shower drain from the base of the shower drain. Insert the rag back into the drain. If the shower floor is fiberglass, remove all the screws on the perimeter of the shower base and remove it. If the base of the shower is tile, break the tile with a hammer and remove chunks of the tile floor. If the shower membrane on the floor is rubber or vinyl, cut out with a utility knife.

• 11

  Remove the final concrete base of the shower floor by busting it apart with a hammer.