Ceramic Tile Removal

Ceramic tiles are available in a wide range of colors and patterns. So ceramic tile flooring and ceramic wall tiles are quite popular all over the world. They are especially used in bathroom flooring. However, when it comes to ceramic tile removal, it is acknowledged as a difficult job! Ceramic tiles are basically baked clay and therefore, they are brittle items to handle. Let us have a look at ways and means to remove these fragile ceramic tiles in intact form. All you need is patience and a lot of hard work.

If ceramic tile removal in your case, means removing the tiles off a wall board, then your chances of successfully removing intact tiles is more! However, do not get your hopes up if they are fixed with cement or mortar in the wall. The mortar or cement does its job quite well and therefore removing ceramic tiles in this case, becomes more of a breakage job! So, if you have cemented ceramic tiles, then abandoning all subtlety, you may have no choice to simply break them off and remove them.

Let us look at the stepwise procedure for ceramic tile removal in case they are attached to wall boards. That is, we will discuss ceramic wall tile removal. First, let us have a look at the tools required.

Tools for Ceramic Tile Removal

The tools required for the job are:

• Utility Knives
• Razor Blade Scrapers
• Putty Knife
• Heat Gun

Ceramic Tile Removal Procedure

Step 1: Grout Removal
The first step in ceramic tile removal involves carefully scraping out the grout from the edges of the tiles. Grout is thin mortar used to fill gaps in the flooring tiles. This can be effectively done by using utility knives or razor blade. Carefully place the tip of the blade in the border and peel off the grout as you cover all the borders. Be careful not to hurt your fingers while using the razor blade. Wall grout is generally quite soft and easy to peel off. You should not have a lot of problem with removing it.

Step 2: Caulking Removal
Caulking is a sealing agent used to make the tile borders waterproof. You need to peel off this layer of caulking too, in order to remove the ceramic tiles. Sometimes, this caulking is hardened and you need to soften it before removal. The softening can be effectively done be using a heat gun. Heat guns are generally used for soldering metals. Keep the heat gun at a low temperature and pass it carefully over the tile border. This should soften the caulking so that it can be easily scraped off by your sharp tools.

Step 3: Spot the Loose Tile and Remove it
Once the task of grout and caulking removal is done, your tiles should ease out a bit from their 'stuck' position. So tap all tiles lightly and see which one is loose enough. If none of them are lose, scrape off the grout more thoroughly. Once you find a loose one, bring your putty knife in to action. Carefully insert it into the border of the loose tile and slowly try to pry it off the wall board. Once you get one of them off, taking out the rest is easier. Pry and loosen one by one and remove all the ceramic tiles, that you wanted to remove. The tile adhesive left on the blank wall can be removed by a chemical called methylene chloride. Be careful while applying methylene chloride, as its inflammable and toxic. It is a good idea to cover your mouth and nose and open windows for ventilation when you are using methylene chloride.

So that's it folks! Hope the technique I have suggested for ceramic tile removal works for you!