Is it possible to dismantle tiles with my bare hands

Very often, even a small cosmetic repair requires the dismantling of the old finishing material. If you can easily cope with old wallpaper or linoleum, then ceramic tiles can become a serious opponent, which can be difficult to manage without a good punch. Below we will consider the option of dismantling old ceramic tiles, in which only simple hand tools are used.

How to remove the old coating with bare hands

It should be noted that manually dismantle the tile much more often than you might think. The fact is that a prudent landlord always uses carefully removed tiles repeatedly, especially in a private house. Old tiles can be laid in the garage, in the barn, in some utility room, etc. Given modern prices, it makes sense to try a little and dismantle the material carefully.

Before starting the dismantling, you need to prepare the room and protect the plumbing - the toilet, sink, faucets with the help of several layers of strong polyethylene. The film must also be laid on the floor.

For work you will need:

1. Hammer.
2. Chisel.
3. Nail clipper.
4. Sandpaper.
5. Sponge or cloth made of thick fabric.
6. Protective equipment: glasses, gloves.

The dismantling process is as follows:

• First you need to remove the most extreme tile in the upper right corner (for lefties - in the left). The tile is gently tapped with a hammer in search of voids - if there is one, the sound from the impact will be more sonorous. As soon as a void under the tile is found, it is gently poked with a hammer and chisel.

A little advice: it is not necessary to dismantle the tile in a row, you can examine the entire surface for voids - if any, then first remove the tile with voids.

• If there is no void, then the tile will probably have to be “sacrificed” - removing it as a whole may not work. After removing the first element, you need to wet all the seams thoroughly with a wet rag or sponge. If the grout is waterproof, it is removed with the edge of an emery sheet bent in half. The better the grout is removed, the easier it will be to remove the tile.
• A chisel or mount is inserted between the upper and lower rows of tiles so that it can easily pry off the upper part. It is important to maintain the correct angle of the chisel - approximately 45. As soon as the tile was able to pry off the edge of the chisel, it is separated from the surface.
  This operation is far from always simple and smooth - more often you have to use a hammer. It is not necessary to hit the chisel hard - they try to separate the tile from the base with light frequent tapping.

Tip: If you stick paper masking tape in 2-3 layers on the tile, it will protect the corners and edges of the tile from chips, which will allow you to lay it again.

• Once the entire tile has been dismantled, the remnants of the adhesive can be removed manually or using an electric tool. If the glue adheres very tightly and does not stick well, there are special impregnations on sale that loosen the cement-based adhesives - as a result, it will be much easier to knock down the residues.

It is not difficult to dismantle the old tile with your bare hands, you just need to spend more effort and time. However, there are times when the whole tile cannot be removed. For example, if it was laid on drywall, then the tile is dismantled along with the sheet.