Please note that the JLC forums are now displayed read-only. New posts are no longer possible, but the collected work of building professionals sharing information remains available here as a resource to the JLC community.
I am not sure if this is the correc tforum, but I need some tips on ways to remove some 12x12 porcelain tiles from a floor WITHOUT BREAKING THEM. I can't get any new tiles and need to fix a subfloor before resetting the tiles. Any help?
You will be the first to successfully do that. Maybe you could cut the whole floor out, including the plywood, then burn, or bake, the plywood off, then grind the remaining thinset from the back of the tile. Short of that, buy some new tile.
If those porcs were set proper, well ....good luck with that.
If you are very lucky the guy who put them in was a hack and they may be salvageable.
I have done it....wasn't trying to, but the tiles came up as the guy who layed them most likely let his mud skin over before setting them.
You may be able to get a few by removing the whole subfloor even if they are bonded well.....but good luck.
Glad to see that most here are in agreement with a properly-built porcelain floor. I am surprised that nobody mentioned that the task may actually be quite simple if the wrong adhesive was used. This would be especially true if there was no movement joint, and the tiles were shearing away from the setting bed.
If the tiles are shearing off the setting bed undamaged, it may be because dryset thinset mortar was used to bond the tiles (accompanied by the lack of movement joints). If this is the case, dryset thinset mortar will not adhere to plywood either, and removal from the underlayment may not be so difficult either.
By the way, are the subfloor repairs the result of not using a membrane under the existing tiles?
THANKYOU! I have spent hours, days looking for a possible solution to a floor tile problem. You are the first to say that the removal and re-use of tile may be possible.
My ceramic tile was improperly set (too much drama to explain.) I removed tile from 3/4" plywood floor with very little effort and nearly no loss of tile. I have removed all of the Thinset from the plywood (sealed with oil based floor paint.) I am determined to find a way to reuse as much of the tile as possible, or at least experiment in a small area. They are large 16x16 floor tiles and were buttered with Thinset on the back of the tile. The Thinset is still intact, didn't even squish most of the trowel marks.
The opinion seems to be that the Thinset cannot be removed. I will agree, I tried the chisel method, even I am not that persistant (over 700 square feet of tile.) I read a recommendation on another forum to add Thinset to a floor where the adhesive could not be moved to give a smooth surface to adhere to. Can I do the same in reverse, rebuttering the tiles and let them dry, then reset by buttering both the tiles and the proper subfloor?
I am certain, to most this sounds crazy and very labor intense. However the expense of purchasing new tile and the logistics for removal/waste of existing tile is just not in my ability. I can divide the space into small areas to make a test zone. Again I greatly respect the fact that you did not immediately tell "mickprue" that it is impossible. If you have any suggestions or opinions I will be truely grateful.
Thank you,
Kym
THANKYOU! I have spent hours, days looking for a possible solution to a floor tile problem. You are the first to say that the removal and re-use of tile may be possible.
My ceramic tile was improperly set (too much drama to explain.) I removed tile from 3/4" plywood floor with very little effort and nearly no loss of tile. I have removed all of the Thinset from the plywood (sealed with oil based floor paint.) I am determined to find a way to reuse as much of the tile as possible, or at least experiment in a small area. They are large 16x16 floor tiles and were buttered with Thinset on the back of the tile. The Thinset is still intact, didn't even squish most of the trowel marks.
The opinion seems to be that the Thinset cannot be removed. I will agree, I tried the chisel method, even I am not that persistant (over 700 square feet of tile.) I read a recommendation on another forum to add Thinset to a floor where the adhesive could not be moved to give a smooth surface to adhere to. Can I do the same in reverse, rebuttering the tiles and let them dry, then reset by buttering both the tiles and the proper subfloor?
I am certain, to most this sounds crazy and very labor intense. However the expense of purchasing new tile and the logistics for removal/waste of existing tile is just not in my ability. I can divide the space into small areas to make a test zone. Again I greatly respect the fact that you did not immediately tell "mickprue" that it is impossible. If you have any suggestions or opinions I will be truely grateful.
Thank you,
Kym
I have successfully removed thinset from the backs of tile by using a 4" grinder with a diamond blade. Much quicker than chisel and no chance of breakage. Even if you had to buy a grinder and blade, you'd be under $100.
Tom
Tom
"Whoever ceases to be a student has never been a student." George Iles
I can not believe that it will be less expensive to salvage the existing then to demo the existing and start with new, unless of course you charge 5 cents per hour.
Restoration work (that’s what you are doing) is very costly because of labor.
You could cut out each individual tile with a diamond cutter.
You said the logistics of waste removal is not in your ability. Where is the job? On the moon?
I gathered from kyms post and profile that she is a ho who spent all her money doing the job wrong the first time and now needs to find an inexpensive way to get it done right. I think the amount of time she has to spend is irrelevant.
Sounds like she has time but little money. No money for new tile, no money to pay for disposal.
Tom
Tom
"Whoever ceases to be a student has never been a student." George Iles
Unless there is something unique or special about this particular tile, new tile can be found at Home Depot and elsewhere for around $1/sq ft, sometimes less.
I don't know what your time is worth but I think you'll spend more than a $1 worth of labor messing with the removed tiles.
HERS Rater • BPI Building Analyst • BPI Envelope Professional
Certified Green Building Professional • Certified Existing Home Advisor
General Building Contractor • Asbestos Certification • Hazardous Substance Removal Certification • EPA Approved Lead-Safe Contractor • Locksmith
PMP • ESEP • CISSP
I am less concerned about how or why a person might want to re-use tiles than I am about what they are going to do about the "sealed with oil-based floor paint". Why do you think the tiles were so easy to remove from the floor? Paint, especially the hard surface paint used for floors is a definite bond-breaker, and it should be removed before retiling.
By the way, don't make things worse by using a paint stripper!!!! Remove the paint by sanding only.
Comment