How to remove tiles the easiest way?

[fremag]

Is there anyone who can advise on the easiest way to remove tiles that are tiled on a plastered basement wall (concrete hollow blocks)?? Can you chisel it away or is it hammer and chisel?

 

[sandhall]

Is there anyone who can suggest the easiest way to tear down tiles that are tiled on a plastered basement wall (concrete block)?? Can it be chipped away or is it hammer and chisel?

I chipped with a rotary hammer (rotation turned off) when I renovated the bathroom. It went smoothly and quickly. The damage to the substrate is naturally greater than with hammer and chisel, but I still prefer that method if the tiles are firmly attached. It doesn't take long to fix up with house fix.

However, if the tiles are very loose, hammer and chisel might be preferable to minimize after-work.

If it's old tiles, the adhesive might contain asbestos. It might be good to look into that.

 

[MathiasS]

A regular crowbar works for everything.

 

[fremag]

Thanks for the tips!

I might start a bit with the crowbar and then move on to a demolition hammer if needed. I still expect that the wall must be smoothed out before new tiles can be considered.

Oh, so it could be asbestos? Better to have proper respiratory protection then...

 

[kakelmaster]

If there is asbestos, a respirator is not enough; you absolutely must not remove asbestos yourself (prohibited) as it must be remediated according to all regulations, because if you get asbestos in your lungs, you will always have asbestos fibers in your body.

Thanks for the tips! 😊

I might start a little with the crowbar and then switch to a chipping hammer if needed. I still figure the wall needs to be smoothed out before new tiles can be discussed.

Oh, is it possible there's asbestos? Better have a proper respirator then...

 

[snuttjulle]

Surely it's not forbidden to handle asbestos on your own as long as you're not paying yourself for doing it. As far as I remember, these prohibitions apply to those who do this work for payment. Also, I don't think you would get asbestosis (or however it's spelled) from a single instance of this kind of work in your life, even if you stir it around the house for quite some time. Nevertheless, you can make the best of the situation by sealing off the room more than for usual jobs and perhaps using a disposable coverall, etc.
The next question is how to know if it's asbestos in the fix.

 

[kakelmaster]

It may be enough with a demolition in your life and if you have children in the house or if someone is an asthmatic, they are extra sensitive. Regular dust particles are blunt which the body handles, whereas asbestos fibers are sharp and never leave the body, so why take the chance

It's not really forbidden to demolish asbestos yourself as long as you're not paying yourself to do it. As I recall, these prohibitions apply to those who do this for payment. Besides, I don't think one gets asbestosis (or however it's spelled) from one demolition in their life, even if it's spread around the house for quite a while. Despite this, one can make the best of the situation and seal the room more than usual jobs and perhaps use a disposable overall, etc.
The next question is how to know if there is asbestos in the fix.

 

[snuttjulle]

I seem to recall reading about this before, and everyone who has had problems with this were heavy smokers and had been working with it for a long time, but certainly one should be cautious. What I reacted to the most was that you wrote that it was prohibited, and I don't think it is. And still the question remains. How do I know which fix contains asbestos?

 

[fremag]

No one knows how common it was to have asbestos in the adhesive in the 60s-70s (I think that's when my bathroom was tiled)??

 

[MathiasS]

If there is asbestos, a respirator is not sufficient, you must not demolish asbestos yourself (forbidden), instead, it must be decontaminated according to all rules of art because if you get asbestos in your lungs, you will always have asbestos fibers in your body.

It is not forbidden to demolish it yourself.

A proper respirator, i.e., a half mask with the correct filter rating, is sufficient. The difficult part is handling the airborne particles after you have removed the mask.

 

[Tudor]

Creepy with asbestos, does anyone know when it stopped being used? So how old should it be for the risk to be present?

 

[kakelmaster]

The use of asbestos was completely banned in Sweden in 1982, but Sweden imported raw asbestos as late as 1997. Asbestos is not dangerous as long as you don't disturb it. The greatest risk of finding asbestos is in houses built in the 60s up to the mid-70s.

Creepy with asbestos, does anyone know when it stopped being used? So how old should it be for the risk to be present?

 

[krillek]

If you are going to use a demolition hammer, I strongly recommend using an angled tile chisel (40-50 mm wide). Clearly easier, more effective, and with less damage to the substrate than with a regular chisel.

 

[fremag]

Thank you for all the tips. I rented a Hilti 706 at Cramo because I was also going to break up the floor. The machine was a bit large for removing the tiles, but it worked. I didn't find that the spade worked better than the chisel, but maybe you meant a special one for removing tiles? I understood from the rental company that there are special machines specifically for removing tiles.

 

[Hansochhennes]

jumping back to the first question...

I know that Clas Ohlson sells a small machine for this purpose for around 250 bucks.. electric powered. if I remember correctly they also have those kinds of protective masks..

good luck!