tool for removing ceramic tile?

[barlowc]

Next weekend I'm going to start remodeling our master bath. The first part of demolition will be removal of the ceramic tile flooring and the ceramic tile on the walls of the shower.

What is the best tool for removing ceramic tile? Safety glasses and a good, heavy hammer are obvious. Should I be looking for some kind of chisel?

I don't know what is underneath the tile flooring. I'm assuming it's some kind of underlayment (e.g. cement board or HardiBacker) and then 3/4" plywood subfloor. Similarly, I don't know is behind the tile on the shower walls. My guess is that it's greenboard drywall.

The house was build in 1983 and I'm assuming that in tearing out the shower I'm going to end up having to re-drywall. Other aspects of the project are likely to require replacement of drywall anyway, so I probably don't need to be too "surgical" about the tile removal.

 

[JHZR2]

I dont have an answer, but Id sure love it if you would post pictures of your work as you go through it. Im thinking of doing the same, and pulling the tub and all that scares me, a lot...

 

[Tdbo]

I just got a cheap 5 in one tool from Big Lots and a hammer and went at it. Wasn't much of the 5 in one tool left after I was done, but for $1.99 it worked fine.

 

[matrass]

I use a nice prybar that has a small flat chisel at the end. once you get a small area started just pry up on the tile . with the prybar and a hammer you should be able to move quickly since you are not looking to save the tile

 

[Bobaloo22]

A hammer and chisel is ok, but I like to use a multi tool such as a Fein brand. There are many more less expensive models now and they work well. Once you get the tool "started" under the tile it will pop the tile off fast.

Bob

 

[dubie2003]

Rent an SDS hammer drill and keep it n hammer with a chisel attachment. Will make the job a lot easier and quicker. Defiantly worth the cost to rent and will save your arms and back for the re-tiling that you have ahead of you.

 

[Warstud]

I just finished remodeling my bathroom. For the floor I just used a hammer to break away the tile to get to the floor. Once you have a large enough area cleared out you use a spade to pry it up and tear it off by hand. For the shower...find out where the studs are and with a hammer break out the tile and mortar between studs. Once you get a large enough area cleared out use a flat pry-bar and pry out the nails holding the screen to the studs. You should be able to pull 1-1/2 ft sheets off the wall (less cleanup).
BTW: Chances are that beneath the tile you'll have about 3/4in of mortar then a sheet of screen and then tar-paper. Any questions PM me.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: barlowc
What is the best tool for removing ceramic tile? Safety glasses and a good, heavy hammer are obvious. Should I be looking for some kind of chisel?
The house was build in 1983 and I'm assuming that in tearing out the shower I'm going to end up having to re-drywall.

Small sledge, hammer, and a prybar of some sort, cover the tub carefully and have at it. Take it right down to the studs. You'll also need to buy or rent a tile cutter, 5 gallon bucket, 1/2 heavy duty drill and mixer for the thin set and grout. Small drills will burn out and mixing buy hand is exhausting.

Don't use drywall in the shower area walls. I prefer cement board over the Hardibacker, much easier to work with and has a rougher texture for the thin-set mortar to grab on.

Better study up on the project, there are tricks to the surface prep, layout and setting of tile.

 

[3311]

When I did my hallway the first shot with my BFH was like getting shot in the face with bird shot. I used an old sheet or towel on top of the tile I was hittng to help control those sharp shardes of tile. It keeps the mess/dut down as well.

 

[barlowc]

JHZR2, here's a picture of the tile on the floor coming out. With the steel screen, mortar, and tile, it took my BIG pry bar to tear that stuff out.

The same thing was on the shower walls. PITA! But I now have it all removed and have torn out the drywall down to the studs.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: barlowc
Next weekend I'm going to start remodeling our master bath. The first part of demolition will be removal of the ceramic tile flooring and the ceramic tile on the walls of the shower.

What is the best tool for removing ceramic tile? Safety glasses and a good, heavy hammer are obvious. Should I be looking for some kind of chisel?

I don't know what is underneath the tile flooring. I'm assuming it's some kind of underlayment (e.g. cement board or HardiBacker) and then 3/4" plywood subfloor. Similarly, I don't know is behind the tile on the shower walls. My guess is that it's greenboard drywall.

The house was build in 1983 and I'm assuming that in tearing out the shower I'm going to end up having to re-drywall. Other aspects of the project are likely to require replacement of drywall anyway, so I probably don't need to be too "surgical" about the tile removal.


Try this from HF.

Floor scraper

http://www.harborfreight.com/48-inch-heavy-duty-scraper-66847.html

SDS Rotary Hammer

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-1-inch-sds-rotary-hammer-97743.html

Depending on who installed the floors it might come up easy or might be a pain if they did the job the proper way.

For your walls I would go with fiberglass drywall for the parts that will not be in the shower. For the walls in the shower I would be spending the extra bucks and using this product Kerdi Board. http://www.schluterkerdiboard.com/

You want your shower to last for a long time and not leak and more importantly not allow mold to grow behind the walls.

Regards, JC.