How to Safely Remove Ceramic Tiles
There are many ways of removing ceramic tiles. Methods vary depending on where and the manner they were installed. In all instances, safety is a primary concern. Lucky for you, these aren’t as hard to remove as stone tiles, but it’ll still require a bit of a fight though. However, to save you a lot of time and frustration, in this post, we will list easy-to-follow instructions on how to safely remove the ceramic tiles.
Step 1
First, you need to be prepared with the necessary tools to accomplish the task. The tools you’ll be needing are:
1. Handheld and power scrapers
2. Flat spade
3. Thin chisel
4. Grout remover
5. Pry bar
6. Stiff putty knife
7. Electric demolition hammer
And of course for your protection, it’s best to be clad with leather gloves, a dust mask, ear protection, knee pads, and safety glasses. A broom and a dust pan will also be needed to wipe off the dust from the removed tiles.
Step 2
Focus on the grout that surrounds the tile you want to remove. You can use either the thin chisel or the grout removing tool and then slide the putty knife to bang under the tile at a low angle. Lift the handle up relative to the wall until the tile pops off.
For ceramic tiles installed on the floor, the procedure is likely the same. This time, you just have to remove the edgings and moldings first. Also using the putty knife, slide it almost parallel to the floor to remove the grout around the tiles.
Step 3
Once a small opening is created, you can start breaking up other tiles by banging your hammer. Slide and lift the shovel under the ceramic tiles and cement board. Repeat this step while you get rid of the rest of the tiles on the wall or the floor.
Removing old tiles that have been in place on cement board, wood or any underlayment for decades is extra hard. To remove them safely, you have to break the tiles up along the underlying mortar with a sledge hammer, a scraper or chisel to have minimal damage.
Step 4
After removing the tiles and knocking out the adhesives properly, make sure to clean up the mess with the broom and a dust pan. It’s expected that an immense amount of dust will be left. So it can also help if you have a vacuum cleaner to easily sweep up the small shards of tiles from your furniture, carpet and other items inside the home.
Removing ceramic tiles is really a laborious task. You can either do it yourself or ask someone to do it for you. Once you have decided to try doing it on your own, just take your time and slowly but surely break up the tiles one by one and in one section at a time. Wear protective clothing and clean the place once you’re done.