Removing old kitchen floor tiles

[corned]

Hi all,

Collective wisdom appreciated in advance!

Our kitchen floor is being uprooted and replaced with lovely shiny new tiles. Trouble is, the old tiles are very well glued to the screed. Photo of the problem below:

The tiles are sitting on what looks like cement rather than grout, and are very stubborn to shift! You can see the concrete floor slab under that.

The $6M question is - what's the best way of getting them all up? They are going to the tip so I am not bothered about breaking any or all of them.

Cheers.

 

[Sp!ke]

You'll have it all off in no time with an SDS drill with a chisel attachment.

 

[Harrythedog]

I'm with Spike, an SDS will rip them up no bother. If the flor is not smooth enough for your liking cover it with marine ply then tile on top. ( It'll be easier to lift them next time your wife wants a refit!)

 

[mattc]

a good shovel with a sharp edge. quicker than drill

 

[corned]

lol! You can see in the pic what 15 minutes with a hammer and chisel did! (I.e. nothing). You can see the edge where the tiles started - they are not wall to wall...

 

[Mike Walker]

Gentle attack with Kango /chisel point - sharp will have them up in no time.

 

[Sp!ke]

lol! You can see in the pic what 15 minutes with a hammer and chisel did! (I.e. nothing). You can see the edge where the tiles started - they are not wall to wall...

Yeah but an SDS drill is doing hundreds of thwacks per minute compared with 10-15 by hand.

 

[corned]

Thanks, Spike. I was lolling this:

a good shovel with a sharp edge. quicker than drill

I'm already looking at local tool hire places for a big F.O. SDS drill with suitable chisel attachment...

 

[wobbly]

You'll have it all off in no time with an SDS drill with a chisel attachment.

On one of my rental properties, I decided to replace the kitchen flooring, it had vinyl floor tiles, but three layers thick.

It took the best part of a day to remove them with a sds drill with chisel, as the botton two layers were so brittle, they just chipped off in tiny pieces.

I was a shaking mess when I finished, with all the vibrations.

 

[renault12ts]

Thanks, Spike. I was lolling this:



I'm already looking at local tool hire places for a big F.O. SDS drill with suitable chisel attachment...

But the shovel is actually a good idea...been there. Wear protective glasses...broken tiles are incredibly sharp.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Hire a nice heavy drill with chisel function, there's not much else you can do.

I have a Hilti TE that you could borrow, but by the time you could get over here you'd have been as well just hiring one for the day.

 

[corned]

Thanks for the advice guys. I've just booked a 110V 5kg SDS with chisel and point attachments (and transformer!) for a weekend hire, which curiously starts from tomorrow morning until Monday.

Whitefinger here we come!!!!

 

[corned]

But the shovel is actually a good idea...been there. Wear protective glasses...broken tiles are incredibly sharp.

I didn't mean to sound dismissive. It's just that I have been clattering it with this...

... and getting nowhere. So I know a shovel blade is only going to bend.

At least the developer's shortcuts (not tiling to the walls under the kitchen units) means that we have plenty of edges to get started on...

 

[corned]

I was a shaking mess when I finished, with all the vibrations.

So - living up to your nom de plume then...?

 

[Sp!ke]

Thanks for the advice guys. I've just booked a 110V 5kg SDS with chisel and point attachments (and transformer!) for a weekend hire, which curiously starts from tomorrow morning until Monday.

You can simply buy one for £50 nowadays. How much is the rental?

Direct Power BS26S3 5kg SDS Plus Drill 230V | Screwfix.com

 

[corned]

£22

 

[Sp!ke]

I'd still buy it myself.

 

[PXW]

Possibly worth trying a tile or two that are not on the outside edge of the tiled area. Wouldn't be entirely surprised if the original workmanship had extended to fully bedding the outside tiles and just 5-spotting the rest.

Otherwise have fun with the SDS chisel. Any other jobs around the house while you've got it....great for channelling down walls to run cables for TV, surround sound, extra sockets etc...

 

[Piff]

The chisel you need for the sds drill is one of these
It has a bent shaft.
I'm with Spike, I would buy a 2kg sds drill with 3 functions - roto stop, hammer drill & non hammer drill.
A tool like this will handle all domestic drilling jobs & is also a good power screw driver

 

[Dieselman]

On one of my rental properties, I decided to replace the kitchen flooring, it had vinyl floor tiles, but three layers thick.

It took the best part of a day to remove them with a sds drill with chisel, as the botton two layers were so brittle, they just chipped off in tiny pieces.

I was a shaking mess when I finished, with all the vibrations.

A heat gun and scraper works well on vinyl tiles.