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 would strongly recommend investing into a SDS drill. As you can see in the above image, we used a SDS drill to power through wall tiles in a matter of minutes.
However, if you are tackling a single tile that may be damaged, you’ll want to take your time. It’s advised that you manually use a hammer and chisel to remove small sections of the tile in order to avoid damaging other tiles.
Below are the steps required to remove tiles as well as before and after results from a recent bathroom renovation.
Table of Contents
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. If something can’t be moved, use a dust sheet to cover it. As well as protecting the contents of the room, you will also want to wear safety glasses and gloves yourself because shards of tile may go flying.
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 alternatively drill a small hole into the tile. This will give you an area to begin using a SDS drill or chisel to remove the tiles.
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 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 And Debris
To finish up, you will want to carefully remove any large and potentially sharp shards of tile that’s on the floor. Whilst clearing up, keep your gloves and glasses on because it’s often the messiest part of the job.
Before And 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 a 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 a 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 with our team.
