Whether you need to remove tiles quickly or you are just replacing a single tile, the process is quite similar.
If you need to remove tiles quickly, we strongly recommend investing in an SDS drill. As you can see in the above image, we used an SDS drill to power through wall tiles in a matter of minutes.
However, if you are tackling a single tile that may get damaged, you’ll want to take your time. Therefore, it’s advised that you manually use a hammer and chisel to remove small sections of the tile to avoid damaging other tiles.
To give you an idea of how easy it can be to remove tiles, below are the steps required to remove tiles as well as before and after results from a recent bathroom renovation.
What You’ll Need
- Safety glasses
- Gloves
- Hammer
- Chisel
- Scraper
- SDS drill (optional)
How To Remove Tiles
1. Prepare The Room
Removing tiles is a dusty and potentially messy job and it’s advised that you remove everything you can out of the room beforehand. However, if something can’t be moved, it’s recommended that you use a dust sheet to cover it.
As well as protecting the contents of the room, you’ll also want to wear safety glasses and gloves because shards of tile may go flying as you are removing the tiles.
2. Crack A Tile With A Hammer Or Drill
To begin removing tiles, you will want to crack one of the tiles with a hammer or drill a small hole into the tile. This will give you an area to begin using an SDS drill or chisel to remove the tiles quickly.
3. Start Removing The Tiles
Depending upon whether you are removing all the tiles or just a single tile will determine how aggressive you can be in removing the tiles. If you are just removing a single tile, we advise that you start from the middle and use a chisel to chip away at the broken tile. Alternatively, if you want to remove tiles quickly, simply use the SDS drill to chip away at the tiles.
4. Remove The Old Adhesive
After you have removed the tile(s), you will be left with hardened adhesive from where it was laid. Therefore, if you plan to replace the tile(s), you will need to use a scraper to remove the adhesive.
5. Tidy The Dust & Debris
To finish up, you will want to carefully remove any large and potentially sharp shards of tile that are on the floor. Whilst clearing up, keep your gloves and glasses on because it’s often the messiest part of the job.
Before & After Results
As you can see from the below photos, the bathroom wall tiles weren’t the nicest and certainly not to my taste. However, with the use of an SDS drill, we were able to remove the tiles quickly and the photos show the results.
Conclusion
Removing tiles is relatively straightforward and genuinely quite fun if you enjoy destruction like myself!
If you are completely renovating a kitchen, bathroom or en-suite, we strongly recommend using an SDS drill. This is because it will make it far more easier and you will also be able to remove the tiles more quickly.
If you need any advice or recommendations regarding the removal of tiles, feel free to get in touch and we will try to provide our assistance where possible.
