Posted: 5/1/2015 10:44:20 AM EDT
| Best way to remove tile and mortar from a concrete slab. Best demo hammer and bits. I've hired a guy to take tile out but had to throw him out. He broke most of the base moldings and door jam moulding. Never showed up on time. Gave me the big song and dance he do the best job. Ended up he was a momo big BS artist . |
| Luckily, i have only had to do it a few times. I dont think there is a best way. It is miserable if they are down good. Theres a tool you can rent that hooks up to an air hose, kind of like a long pole with a flat bit on the end. That way you can stand up when using it. Otherwise, the bosch tools with some chisel bits. Eye protection also. |
| Rotary hammer and a tile removal bit (link and kneepads and earplugs. |
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Read the reviews.
The dust produced must be prodigious. It will turn all the residue into dust and the grinder will blow it into the air. You will need to seal off the area for interior uses. The reviewers said the blades don't last long (a few square feet per set) and are super-expensive. |
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Quoted:
Saw cut out grout joints with diamond blade grinder then use jack hammer trust me on this 
GOOD LUCK You want to get as shallow an angle as you can to pop the material off. Cement type products are weakest in tension. I have used an air chisel for 1/2 baths. Start at a doorway that has an exposed edge stack. |
| I ended up renting a demo hammer from Home Depot to take up the rest of the tiles was easy enough. Hard part was the mortar I used a floor scraping bit also rented from Home Depot I took up most of the 530 sq feet of mortar in 9 hours plus the tile which was only a small room and closet laundry area. The problem now is the guy that started the job gouged the concrete slab. So I see now that I left a few high mortar spots. Tool rental was 92$ for 24 hours. I wish I would have just started the job myself from the beginning. Now sure if I should rent something Else to polish the slab and than fill in the gouges. |
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Quoted:
I ended up renting a demo hammer from Home Depot to take up the rest of the tiles was easy enough. Hard part was the mortar I used a floor scraping bit also rented from Home Depot I took up most of the 530 sq feet of mortar in 9 hours plus the tile which was only a small room and closet laundry area. The problem now is the guy that started the job gouged the concrete slab. So I see now that I left a few high mortar spots. Tool rental was 92$ for 24 hours. I wish I would have just started the job myself from the beginning. Now sure if I should rent something Else to polish the slab and than fill in the gouges. If you are going to lay more tile just feather out the gouges with thin set as you go. If the whole floor is just a mess of high and low you can lay down a thin mortar bed. |
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i work in the tile business. we've been involved in a lot of old factory refurbishments turning them in to high end apartments or office buildings. Lots of crap on those floors to get off, level, and smooth out prior to thin-set.
get a 7" segmented turbo cup wheel and an appropriate dust collection system. Dustless (Loveless ash company) has some stuff but i'm not 100% sure if they get to 7" diameter. Flatten out all the high spots and smooth it down as much as you can. You run the grinder like you're waxing your car. Small circles and keep the cup moving. Then self leveling concrete and on to thinset. if you decide the segmented turbo cup is too much, then go with a Double Row cup wheel. DO NOT use a single row cup. Yes, they are much cheaper and will do the job, but if you're not careful they will bite down in to the concrete and give you another gouge you need to fill. Seg turbo cups will do the job the quickest and give you a nice swirl pattern that holds well to additional layers of concrete / thinnest. Double rows will work almost as well but not as fast or as nice of a finish. |
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Quoted:
i work in the tile business. we've been involved in a lot of old factory refurbishments turning them in to high end apartments or office buildings. Lots of crap on those floors to get off, level, and smooth out prior to thin-set. get a 7" segmented turbo cup wheel and an appropriate dust collection system. Dustless (Loveless ash company) has some stuff but i'm not 100% sure if they get to 7" diameter. Flatten out all the high spots and smooth it down as much as you can. You run the grinder like you're waxing your car. Small circles and keep the cup moving. Then self leveling concrete and on to thinset. if you decide the segmented turbo cup is too much, then go with a Double Row cup wheel. DO NOT use a single row cup. Yes, they are much cheaper and will do the job, but if you're not careful they will bite down in to the concrete and give you another gouge you need to fill. Seg turbo cups will do the job the quickest and give you a nice swirl pattern that holds well to additional layers of concrete / thinnest. Double rows will work almost as well but not as fast or as nice of a finish. |