Any tips or tricks for removing kitchen wall tiles?

[transmaniacon]

I was trying to remove tiles from the wall of a kitchen i am having renovated. I was using a hammer and chisel and after around an hour i had gotten around a third of them off together with some skin on my knuckles and blisters in my hammer hand (which was also getting tired).
Apart from that the neighbours must be out of their heads with the noise, it's an apartment so the whole block just reverberates and these seem to be the tiles from hell they just dont want to budge in decent size chunks.Any thoughts or ideas would be greaty apreciated.

cheers.
steve

[d. meyers]

3" magnum Buckshot? Probably impractical. How wide is the chisel? I've removed a lot of tile, brick veneer, etc. and I've got a big old 3" cold chisel that, when paired with a small sledge, makes short work of tile and masonry. depending on the situation (i.e. method of construction), however, it might be easier to remove the substrate instead.

[pohorsky]

and pry bar (some call them crow bars)

[popthree]

go to home depot and rent an air chisel or something. they can tell you what you need.

[Sarge]

Use a small plumbers propane torch ONLY if you have a gypsum/sheet rock as the under layment. Heat the tiles(keep the torch tip about 8-10" away from tiles) and it will inturn soften the adheasive. Keep a spray bottle handy and use EXTREAME CAUTION if you have wooden lathe boards behind the tile!

[Ben Harmless]

Well, I know a Tele and a Twin are supposed to be able to peel paint, so by logical processes I am left to assume that A Tele, a Twin, and a Marshall Major should be able to remove kitchen tile. Make sense?

[FMA]

But the torch method may not work if the tiles were installed with mortar, which may be the case. The best way is get the biggest hammer you've ever seen and a big crow bar and whale away. It'll make a lot of noise and a huge mess, but it's really the only way. You're going to have to take the wall down to the studs anyway, so don't worry about the substrate and just tear it all out.

[cg73cmc]

I found that after my house was flooded for two days by the waters of Lake Ponchartrain - the wall tile just peeled right off the wall pretty as you please! You might be able to simulate the effect in your house by dosing up a mixture of salt water, motor oil, marsh mud, and sewage - all in equal parts and keeping your tile moist with that for a few days - should slip right off then.

Of course - I'm joking!

But what I did discover so far in the never ending process of rebuilding my house is that SHEET ROCK is cool stuff. I'll never be afraid of it again. The stuff is the best thing since liquid soap! Anyone can put it in and float it with the right tools and a few hours of Internet education. And if you screw it up - it's repairable. So if your rock is old, you might want to just do what the poster above suggested and just wail away at it. Then replace the sheetrock. It really depends on your situation though - if you got good rock - might want to find a less invasive method!

[Rich Rice]

Most of the time it's quicker, less messy, and easier to remove the sheetrock with the tile stuck to it, then rerock the wall. It's much easier to work with the new stuff, anyway, and you'll wind up with a prettier job.

[PraiseCaster]

First, I'd go with either an air impact, or electric impact hammer (air will require a compressor).

Second, I'd go with a 5 or 10 pound hammer and 3 or 4 inch cold chisel, with a really good pair of gloves.

Third, I'd higher a couple of guys that hang out at the Home Depot, tell em "Here's 100 bucks for the both of you, you have 3 hours", set back and drink some ice tea while I watch the tile fly!

Fourth, I'd round up my kids, there friends and a few bowling balls, and draw targets on the walls!

Fifth, I'd try tellin the little woman, "Babe, those tile walls are the best! they'll survive a hurricane, train wreck and a nuclear blast all at the same time! Heck, it'll even handle the fumes from your cooking!"

Sixth, I'll get some ice for the swelling on my head, caused by the iron skillet.



I'd go with either 1 or 2 above

[GlennLewis]

I was doing the exact same thing in my kitchen.

I used a 4" width (drywall knife/putty knife/scraper - whatever they call them in your neck of the woods) with a metal end cap on the handle. If you're buying one, get one by Glodblatt or Embee, they're worth it.

Anyway, stick the edge of the knife under the tile, smack that metal end cap with a hammer just enough to get it under the tile, then flex the blade away from the wall. With mine, they just popped right off once you got an edge started. I was working against nasty old mastic type adhesive on 4" square ceramic tiles. Hope you have as good luck as I did.

[transmaniacon]

Thanks for your responses they have been informative and funny. The good news is i spoke to the tiler who is tiling the kitchen floor and bathroom and i showed him the mess i'd made on the wall and told him how i had been using a hammer and chisel to which his response was, "Yeah it's hard work getting glued tiles off" he mentionned that some of the residuel bits would need to come up as well and i told him we're gonna put up a splash back. so i left him and his apprentice and went out to buy a laundry tub and when i got back all the tiles were off, i said how'd you do that? he said the apprentice didnt have much to do and they had a small electric jack hammer so he went to town on the wall tiles, i was simultaneously happy, relieved and still wondering if my neighbours to be are ever gonna forgive me for the hell i've put them thru this last week (and the days to come)...........

Any how THANK YOU TDPRIers, for taking the time to answer my plea...... Now about wall-paper removal............

Regards,
steve

[Sarge]

Wallpaper removal...steam.

[Telemaniac]

SDS drillwith chisel bit for tiles.

Washing up liquid on wallpaper after using one of those rollers with spikes.

I found out about both of these AFTER I'd got the blisters, headache,etc.etc.