Shower Screen Holder Glued To Tiles. Cant Get It Off

[shaz24]

Hello,

I am trying to fit a replacement shower screen. I have taken off the old shower screen but I am left with the aluminium frame which attached the old shower screen to the wall still stuck to the wall tiles. The aluminium frame was attached to the wall by three screws which I have removed. The frame also appears to have also been glued solid to the wall and wont budge no matter how hard I pull at at. The seal is limpet like against the tiles with not even a hint of a gap on either sode of the frame for its entire length. I have uploaded a photo so you can see what I mean.

Could anyone please advise on the best method/tools for prising the frame off without hopefully damaging the tiles it has been adheered to.

Unfortunatly I have already purchased the replacement shower screen and it is much thicker than the old one so there is no way it will fit in to the rail that is already attached to the wall.

Thanks in advance.

 

[williamglossop]

are you 100% certain youve removed all the screws?
These are normally screwed to the wall with a thickish bead of silicone behind them - if its stuck on with silicone you should feel some movement in it when pulling on it.
It may be grab adhesive though. If it is - i'd stick some card on a few of the tiles to protect them then try and get some kind of lever behind - perhaps starting with a flat blade screwdriver and working up to a crow bar or bolster chisel

 

[chappers]

chisel or Stanley knife, it will be silicone on

 

[vinn]

Use a wallpaper scraper/stripping knife - the flat spatula like tool. £2.50 @ screwfix.
Sharpen the edge on a stone or a concrete surface, and heat the blade.
Slip the blade under the edge of the frame and slide it along if possible - keep re-heating and repeating. Keep it sharp.

Ignorant installers silicone both inner and outer edges of the wall jamb - only the outside edge should be siliconed.

Dont use chisels or crowbars or knives - they all can scratch or even crack the tile.

 

[FlexR6]

 

[FlexR6]

For any else who comes across this old post because they were also suffering the same problem. I battled for hours making barely any progress until I started this method.
Make a cut across the rail a few inches from the top, flare the loose sides out for clearance ready for a bend, push a thin scraper through behind the rail to break as much contact as possible for that section of rail then bend it forward, repeat all the way down the rail.
Good luck everyone.

 

[FlexR6]

Note - I used a junior hacksaw for the cut.

 

[fadewelsh]

I found this thread when trying to remove my own stuck on shower screen holder as I needed to re-silicone underneath. After removing the three screws the thing was stuck tight. I wasn't sure if the installer had used silicone or some kind of grab adhesive. Now I've removed it - thankfully intact - I know they used glue. Thanks for that, Mr Installer.

After a few hours of barely making an impact I found a method that worked:
1. Wedge a flat scraper into the biggest gap on the length of the shower screen holder
2. Use a flexible knife with snap-off blades to cut at the glue at the gap created by the scraper

Eventually you cut away enough glue to move the scraper a little. Wedge it into the holder again then repeat with the knife. Be careful not to snap the blades as a) it's dangerous (wear eye protection) and b) getting them stuck behind the screen is annoying.
I'd recommend heading from this point towards the nearest edge as the process is faster when part of the holder has come away from the wall.

I was able to do this without damaging my tiles.

 

[opps]

As, primarily, a decorator, I have numerous filling knives that, after years of sanding them to remove two pack filler have become knife sharp. They will slice through silicone with ease.