How To Take Up Bathroom Floor Tile

Use a ball peen or masonry hammer and cold chisel to tap the pieces free.

How to take up bathroom floor tile.

If there are no cracks or loose grout you can hit a tile with the chisel so that it breaks. Break up the first tile with the blunt edge of a hammer image 1 and then use a chisel to pry up the remainder of the first tile. Use a 3 4 or 1 in. If you find a damaged tile or two in your floor it is much easier to remove and replace them than installing a new tile floor altogether.

Make sure you have enough to cover the area and that any patterns end somewhat consistently around the edges. Work the chisel between the tiles and the concrete hammering them up with a 2 lb. The dry fit process is especially important if you re setting a pattern. Even modern tiles often use lead glaze which creates lead dust during removal.

Once this first tile is removed place the chisel against the bottom edge of adjacent tiles apply pressure with your hammer and the tiles should pop up easily image 2. In some cases the only way to tear out the ceramic tile is with heavy equipment such as a jackhammer or air chisel. Removing floor tile can be a difficult and time consuming project and the challenges often remain hidden until the project is underway. Strike the face of stubborn tiles to break them up for easier removal.

One tile removal project is unlikely to cause dangerous exposure but to be on the safe side ventilate the bathroom to the outside and wash skin and. Depending on the construction the tile may be attached to bare cement a plywood or mason board underlayment or even affixed to a previously installed floor. Then hold the chisel under the loose tile at a 30 degree angle and hit it with a mallet to separate the tile from the ground. However if they were set in mortar follow these steps for proper tile flooring removal.

How to remove tile. Start at a broken tile or between tiles where the grout has loosened. This bathroom happened to have an old pink tile floor with a thick mortar bed under it so removing it was a bit of a challenge. To remove floor tile start by finding a spot on the floor where the grout is coming loose or the tile is chipped away.

Set the tiles on the floor to grid out the space beginning with the center of the bathroom floor. Masonry chisel and a 2 lb. This guide details how to successfully complete this project in 6 easy steps including removing the grout and tile applying new mortar and setting the new tiles. Hit the tile in the center with a hammer.

I used a combination of a sledgehammer a hammer drill and a shovel to pry it up. To get started first i had to remove the existing floor and prepare it for the new tile floor. Test old tiles and mortar for asbestos and if asbestos is found hire a professional to remove the tiles safely. If the tiles you re removing were set in mastic and not mortar you re lucky a floor scraper will do the job.