How to remove floor tiles
Tiles - the coating is strong and durable, but it will someday require replacement. However, in order to put in new material, a lot of work will have to be done to remove the old one. This work is dusty and rather laborious, but still breaking is not building, and it can be done much faster than installing a ceramic coating. How to remove tiles from the floor?
Any repair work in the house is not only updating the interior, but also the destruction of the old design of the room. Removing ceiling coverings or wallpaper from walls is a difficult task, but necessary in order to apply new materials and update a room. Ceramic floor tiles are removed much less frequently than other coating options, but someday her turn comes.
Removing tiles from the floor is quite laborious, they should be done by a person who is ready for physical labor and does not suffer from allergies, since during dismantling, as a rule, a lot of dust hovers in the air. The removed coating itself is heavy, which means that it will also take a lot of effort to take it to the landfill.
However, in some situations, the tile should remain intact after dismantling. Usually, the need to save it arises if the material has not yet lost its appearance and can be used elsewhere (for example, in the country).
On a note! If it is planned to install a warm floor in the bathroom, the tile will also have to be dismantled and then installed in place or replaced with a new one.
The timing and complexity of the work will help to identify the definition of the composition on which the material rests. It can be:
- old cement-sand composition, which was widely used for laying tiles during the Soviet era. Now it is not used, but we must pay tribute - the tile on it holds very tightly. There is a chance to remove material from such a whole composition, but it is minimal, so you have to prepare for the worst. Only the use of water-salt solutions will help soften this adhesive mixture from the removed tile - they will have to soak the dried composition for a long time. If they did not help, then an acid agent sold in specialized stores will come to the rescue.
- adhesive for ceramics. A reliable and modern composition has been used for repair work with tiles for about 25 years. It is more plastic and the chances of keeping the floor elements intact during dismantling increase significantly.
Tile removal methods
There are different methods for dismantling ceramics from the floor, among them there are both sparing and rather rough, drastically spoiling the coating. The choice of option for removing the coating as a whole will depend on which adhesive the material “sits” on. There are three main ways to remove old tiles:
- using a perforator;
- chisel and hammer;
- using special hooks.
Any of the methods requires precise adherence to technology and does not give any guarantees that it will be possible to immediately make the base even and leave the tile intact. Also, each method requires a certain tool that you will either have to buy or rent.
Table. The main methods of dismantling tiles.
| Way | Short description |
|---|---|
| Manual method of removing ceramics. To implement it, you need a chisel equipped with a fairly wide blade. Sometimes it can be replaced with a spatula or a wide flat screwdriver. A scraper may be required to remove the grout, and a hammer is needed to exert a mechanical effect on the tool. The grout between the tiles is wetted with water, and then removed with a scraper. If it is old, then several stages of moistening will be required. Cement grout cannot be removed by this method - only a grinder can handle it, with whose help the seams are sawn to a depth exceeding the thickness of the tile. If the depth of cut is less, then the tile is likely to split during the removal process. Usually, material is removed from the edge of the floor - a chisel is inserted between the coating element and the wall, then neat blows are made on it with a hammer. So the tile is separated from the base. The method is suitable for gentle removal of tiles while maintaining their integrity and the possibility of further use. |
| This powerful tool can also be used to remove ceramics from the surface of the floor, only you need to buy a wide breaker blade for it. This is a destructive method, after which the tile can definitely not be used again for cladding. The method is fast, but quite noisy and dusty, so it is important to warn the neighbors that such work will be carried out. The spatula is inserted into the puncher, you need to wield it in the same way as with a chisel in the previous method. It is important to work with a puncher very carefully so as not to get injured. But on the other hand, he will easily remove the tile, even if it is planted on cement. |
| This method also makes it possible to try to remove the tile while maintaining its integrity. But the removal tool will have to be done by hand. Two hooks are made of metal, for example, from old screwdrivers. Further, the seams between the floor elements expand, and the space between them is well moistened. Hooks are carefully brought under the floor element from both sides and the tile is removed with pulling movements. The method is also suitable for removing one tile from the entire coating, if it needs to be replaced with a new one. True, the tile should not hold firmly. But the remnants of glue from the floor can be removed using the impact force of the perforator. |
Advice! The edges of the tiles can be covered with masking tape in several layers to protect them from damage. This is necessary if you want to keep the coverage elements intact.
Precautions when removing old tiles
However dismantling tiles is not such an easy way as it may seem at first glance. And you have to work with care. To begin with, it is recommended to determine how and where the wiring of water and sewer pipes takes place. It happens that communications lie not only in the walls, but also under the floor, and how deep they are located there is a big question. During operation, they are easy to damage, especially when working with a puncher.
It is also important to know if there is any electrical wiring in the floor - it can also be easily hit by a tool and cause serious injury. It is important to know about the presence of an underfloor heating system under the tiles. In all cases, you will have to be very careful not to damage any wires or pipes. And very often the presence of such features affects the choice of the method of dismantling and the tools used for work.
Important! During the dismantling of the tiles, quite a lot of dust is released, which means that it is important to stock up on a respirator and old clothes. Otherwise, you can inhale this dust and then suffer from problems with the respiratory system.
Pieces of tiles, flying off, can also spoil what is in the bathroom. In order not to damage furniture, mirrors and other interior objects, it is recommended to either remove them from the room or close them with something. An old blanket is perfect for this.
A few tips will help you do everything right and as quickly as possible.
You should not hope for a miracle and think that with a gentle dismantling option, it will be possible to keep all the material intact. Usually it is possible to save only 80% of the tiles from destruction.
What do you need to prepare for tile removal?
To perform the dismantling of tiles quickly, without being distracted by the search for tools and materials, you need to prepare everything at once. To remove the old tile you will need:
- spray bottle with water- it is convenient for them to wet the grout between the tiles;
- tool, depending on the chosen method of dismantling - chisel, hammer, perforator, spatula for it, etc.;
- putty knife- useful for expanding the seams between the elements, as well as for cleaning the tiles from the old adhesive composition;
- grinder with a small disc- sometimes needed for sawing joints between floor elements;
- screwdriver or drill can replace the grinder, but in this case the tile is unlikely to remain intact;
- protective clothing and personal protective equipment.
Gentle removal of tiles in full
Let's see how the tiles are removed in a gentle mode in one of the dismantling options.
Step 1. The first step is preparing all the necessary tools. It should be a hammer drill, a construction mini-drill, a stone and ceramic disc.
Step 2 The seams between the tiles are cut. All of them are carefully embroidered with a stone disc, put on a mini-drill.
Advice! If it is possible to invite someone to help, this person can be entrusted with the following task - to hold the hose from a working vacuum cleaner in the place where cutting or drilling is performed. Thus, all the dust will immediately go inside the cleaning device.
Step 4 First, a notch is made in the middle of the side of the tile, then exactly the same - on the left or right, almost at the edges of the product.
Step 5 In the course of work, the blade of the perforator, as it were, is wound up under the lower part of the tile and it can be easily removed.
In this way, all tiles are removed from the floor surface and there is a chance to keep almost the entire coating intact. This method is also suitable for dismantling individual floor elements if they need to be replaced.
Dismantling of floor ceramic tiles
Step 1. First, dismantling is done carefully using a hammer and chisel.
Step 2 With the help of hammer blows, a small piece breaks off from the edge of the tile from the edge.
Step 4 The tile begins to crumble and move away from the base. So you will have to act in places where the tile is very tight to the plumbing elements that need to be saved.
Step 5 The rest of the tiles are removed using a perforator with a spatula nozzle. There is no need to regret the material here, because you can work quickly enough.
Step 6 Tiles are thrown away. They are assembled with gloved hands to avoid damage and cuts - the pieces can be very sharp.
Video - Dismantling tiles
Video - Tile Repair
How to remove glue or cement from ceramic surfaces
In order for the removed coating to be reused, it must be thoroughly cleaned of dried-on residues of the adhesive solution, since it usually lags behind during dismantling along with the cladding. Removing the usual adhesive composition for ceramics is easy - you just have to use a little thin spatula. The dried mixture is pre-soaked with water. The remains of the composition are easy to grind off with a conventional brush, which processes metal.
And it will be quite difficult to remove the cement composition. The tile is pre-soaked in water for several hours, then treated with a spatula. But this method does not always help. If so, it is recommended to pour ordinary salt on the moistened cement and moisten the dried mortar again. Next, another attempt is made to scrape the adhesive off the tile with a spatula. In especially difficult cases, it is advised to buy a special solution for removing the cement mixture, it is sold in stores.
Dismantling tiles is noisy, troublesome and long work, especially if the coating will be used for the second time. And you need to be ready for this before you get down to business. But if you follow the dismantling technology, then usually there are no problems and you can remove the tile yourself.
