How to Remove a Granite Backsplash

For years I’ve wanted to have a tile backsplash installed in our kitchen. 

After a lot (!) of research, I finally decided to just jump in with both feet and get it done. (A huge thanks to my husband for believing in me on this one!) 

If I was going to do this project I was going to take to the extra time to do it the right way (in my opinion). I knew I wanted the 4” granite backsplash, the builder installed, gone. I felt like removing this would give the kitchen an overall cleaner look.

The first thing I needed was a heat gun. Lucky for me, my neighbor had one and graciously let me borrow it. So thankful to him for that!

I have to admit, I was really nervous to get started. I was worried that once I pulled off the backsplash, there was no going back. I decided to have some confidence in myself and tackle this.

To start, I plugged in the heat gun and turned on the higher setting. It kind of just sounds like a loud hair dryer.

I would leave it in a spot for 2-3 minutes, then move it a few inches down the wall and repeat.

I would then aim the heat gun at the bottom of the backsplash, where it meets the countertop, and run the gun along there very slowly. It’s much easier to pull the slab off if that part is heated as well.

I then took a flathead screwdriver and hammer and tapped the screwdriver down through the silicone behind the backsplash to remove it from the wall. Do this in a couple different spots to loosen it.

I left the heat gun on 

The granite backsplash slab will start pulling away from the wall.

You should be able to pull the slab away completely.

 If it doesn’t come off just run the heat gun along the edges a little longer.

After you've removed the granite backsplash slabs, you'll need to scrape off the silicone along the countertop and walls, and then you're ready to get to work tiling your walls!!

Congrats!

I've got a time-lapse video below if you want to see the whole thing in action.