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Ideally, you should remove tile before installing hardwood floors, but there are good reasons not to. Removing stubborn tile can be a labor-intensive job that adds days to the project. The subfloor beneath the tiles could also be damaged during the process, meaning you’d have to repair the subfloor before installing the new hardwood floor. 

The difference between floor and wall tiles is that floor tiles generally have higher strength and porosity ratings than wall tiles. Wall tiles are typically weaker and more likely to crack or become damaged under sustained pressure like high foot traffic. 

For this reason, avoid using wall tiles on floors and vice versa.

If you’re handling your tile removal yourself, seal the room using painter’s tape and heavy-duty contractor bags to prevent dust and shards from escaping. Use a claw hammer or a pry bar and a mallet to get behind the tile and pry it away from the floor or wall. Once your tiles are all removed, sweep everything into contractor bags for disposal, being careful not to overfill them. Make sure you wear a dust mask, safety goggles, and work gloves to keep yourself safe from injury while you work.

As long as you follow the instructions on your peel-and-stick tile packaging, it should not damage your walls. A possible instance when you may accidentally damage your walls is if you install tiles improperly using additional adhesives that aren’t recommended.

Also, you can damage your walls if you’re not careful when removing tile. For example, you could accidentally make holes in the drywall with a paint scraper if you don’t heat the adhesive long enough before trying to pry it off.