How to Remove a Glass Splashback from a Wall

Glass splashbacks create an elegant, focal point in a room. They boast many advantages for both the home and commercial premises.

Essentially, they are one large glass tile that works to protect the wall behind the glass surface. You may be in a position where you’d like to remove the one you currently have and get it replaced.

Our customers often ask us how to remove their current glass splashback in advance of us coming to fit their new one. Whether you’re looking to do this in your home, shop, reception area, restaurant, bars or clubs, spa or salons, we have a simple guide showing you exactly how:

Equipment needed

You can get all the equipment you need from a good DIY store, you will need:

• A wire cheese cutter
• Rubber hammer
• Crowbar or chisel
• Plastic bin liner
• Towels or drop cloths
• Black bin bags
• Eye protection
• Gloves

We would also recommend having someone with you to help remove your glass splashback. If it comes off all in one piece, an extra pair of hands will help you support the weight.

How-to

Although the idea of going at your glass splashback with brute force might seem appealing, we certainly would not recommend this. Unless, you’re happy having a kitchen full of shards of broken glass! Your aim is to remove your glass splashback whilst keeping as much of the drywall underneath as intact as possible, and creating the least amount of mess possible.

How you remove your glass splashback my vary slightly depending on its age, type and the installation methods that were used. Your experience will be unique to you, but please use the guides below as a starting point.

Preparation

Clear your kitchen countertops

The first thing you need to do is clear your kitchen countertops of everything. Although we’re hoping you’ll get the splashback off all in one piece, it could end up being a messy affair.

Protect your kitchen countertops

To protect your kitchen countertops, cover them with towels or drop cloths. If you are removing the glass splashback near your kitchen sink, put the stopper into the sink drain to stop any stray bits of debris clogging your drain.

Place a towel / large cloth under the splashback

Place a bin bag, towel or drop cloth underneath the splashback. If your splashback is above your cooker hob, make sure the hob is completely covered.

Remove face plates (if needed)

Remove any face plates of outlets and light switches that are installed on top of, or near to the splashback.

Wear protection

Before you begin removing the glass splashback, make sure that you are wearing your gloves and eye protection. 

Removal

1. Cut through the silicone sealant, corner to middle

Use your wire cheese cutter to slice through the silicone sealant that attaches the splashback to the wall. With a strong, steady pressure, start at a corner edge first and work into the middle by slowly drawing the wire diagonally downwards.   

2. Repeat the process for the other side

Once you reach the middle of the splashback, you can go to the opposite corner and repeat the process.

3. Slowly level the glass off the wall

When the two cuts meet, use your chisel to slowly lever the splashback off the wall. Your helper can be there to take this weight. 

My splashback won’t come off with a wire cheese cutter

You may find that your glass splashback is fixed to the wall and the wire cheese cutter doesn’t cut through the adhesive. If this is the case, we recommend using your rubber hammer to break up the splash back, and then remove it. 

Bash the glass, working from the outer edges of the splashback inwards towards the centre. You should be left with a smaller piece of glass that is stuck to the wall. By using your chisel, you should be able to wrench it off.

Removing a glass splashback isn’t an easy task but we hope the steps outlined above will help you if you want to do it yourself. If, however, it all sounds a bit much and you don’t want to deal with the mess or the worry about safety then please do get in touch.

Can you replace a glass splashback?

The simple answer is yes. A glass splashback is not part of a wall, or fused with a kitchen counter top. If you want a new colour, or need to get rid of it entirely, you can simply remove the splashback from the wall, and put a new one in it’s place.

Can you re-cut a glass splashback?

Generally, glass splashbacks are made with tempered or toughened glass, which is very difficult to re-cut. As the process of making the splashback in the first place, involves cutting the glass to shape, then processing. It’s not advised to re-cut splashbacks, so it’s easier if you get a new one.

How are splashbacks attached to the wall?

Glass splashbacks use a silicone adhesive when being fixed to a wall. Translucent silicone adhesive is used so you can’t see the adhesive through the splashback, and this creates a strong bond to keep the glass in place.

How do you remove silicone adhesive from a wall?

If you have removed your splashback, you may have some silicone adhesive still on the wall itself. Similar to removing plaster, you can use a metal scraper to scrape the silicone off, and for larger silicone deposits, you can use a knife to cut directly into the silicone, and peel it from the surface – using a scraper to remove the rest.

Should you use super glue to fix a splashback to a wall?

No. It’s not recommended that you use super glue, or any kind of super glue (Gorilla Glue) to fix your splashback to the wall itself. The glue can become brittle overtime, and will not ‘stick’ as well as silicone adhesive. Super glue is good for fixing cracks, but not for using as an adhesive. Plus, this may break the glass if you need to remove it from the wall.

As part of our glass splashback installation service, we are certainly more than happy to remove your current glass splashback, and replace it with a new one!

Contact our team for a free quote! Send us a message online, or call us on 01438 540 140.