How to Rip Out Tile
Demolition of any sort is a lot of fun and is a great stress reliever. More so, the fun of demolition is increased with the use of power tools. Don't pay a contractor to demolish anything for you, do it yourself. Ripping out a tile floor is messy and time consuming, but it is easy to do and you will get to use power tools. Demolition is something that contractors charge a high cost for, due to the process being labor intensive, and the high chance of injury when it is done without being careful. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Trash cans
- Small electric hammer
- Broom and dustpan
- Protective eyewear
- Ear plugs
Instructions
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If you do not own a small electric hammer, rent one from your local equipment rental shop.
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Put on protective eyewear and ear plugs.
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Use the electric hammer to break tile off of the floor. Attempt to get the blade of the hammer attachment between the sub-floor and the tile.
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Clean up the tile chips as you go using a broom and dust pan. Put the scraps into the trash cans.
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Clean tile chips and dust off of entire floor when all tile has been chipped away.
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Use the electric hammer to chip off any remaining grout or old mortar from the floor. This will flatten out the bumps and make a more smooth surface to which your new floor covering can adhere.
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If you are attempting to save and reuse your tile, do not use an electric hammer, because there is little chance that your tiles will not be broken. In this case, use a hammer and a flat sturdy chisel or putty knife to pop each tile off individually. You will still have some tiles break with this method, but the number of broken tiles will be far fewer.
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Tips & Warnings
Tile is very heavy, so do not overfill the trash cans.
If you are putting a new floor down, after you are finished ripping up the old tile, mortar and grout, you will want to ensure a smooth surface on the floor. You can fill any damage to the floor with thinset mortar. A good option on concrete floors is to use a self leveling cement mixture to level any dips in the floor.
If you are planning on reusing your tile, decide this issue carefully, because it may be difficult to find matching tiles to replace tiles that break in the removal process.
Always use the eye protection and ear plugs, because the electric hammer is very loud and causes tile chips to fly in all directions.
Use gloves to avoid cutting your hands on the sharp edges of broken tile.
