How to remove brick cladding from the wall?

Prepare protective clothes

The first essential step is taking care of your safety. As you may suspect, while removing brick elements from the wall, you will have to deal with plenty of dust and debris. Cover up your eyes with safety glasses and wear a mask to filter any fine particles floating in the air. Opt for long sleeves and sturdy boots - they may help you if any stray piece of brick falls on you accidentally. 

Figure out what you’re dealing with

So how to remove brick cladding? The method will depend on the way it was installed in the first place. As you may find out, some pieces are just put on the wall with a mortar as an adhesive and others are installed on a frame, typically a wooden one. If you want to figure out which situation you are dealing with, just tap on the brick. Hollow sound will mean that there is some kind of space between your cladding and the actual wall, and it will be easier to dismantle. And if it sounds like a regular thick surface, then cladding is directly attached to it.

Basics of brick cladding removal

In most cases, however, cladding is put on the wall with just mortar in between, kind of like traditional tiles. If you want to remove the pieces, you will need a tool that will allow you to chip away them one by one. You can reach for a pry bar, hammer, or chisel. The key here is targeting the space between the two bricks and then leveraging one of them. Once the one element is loosened up and separated from the mortar, you can move on to the next one. Of course, using tools such as a chisel or pry bar can mean that the wall underneath the cladding will need some fixing up after you’re done with it, so bear in mind that removing the cladding is just the beginning of the process.

Brick cladding vs full-sized bricks

Remember that brick cladding differs from actual bricks, and if you’re dealing with a wall made of full-sized material, it’s most likely a crucial part of the structure of the building. If you don’t want to see those bricks anymore, then your best option is to cover them up.

Get professional help

Remember that you don’t have to do everything by yourself! If you’re not sure how to remove brick cladding from the wall without damaging it, you should turn to experts. You will certainly find companies that specialize in the professional removal of brick cladding, and they can do it much faster and safer than you.