I know this should be listed in DE-construction techniques, but, what is the best way to remove bathroom floor tile set in a 1-1/2″ thick wire-reinforced mortar bed? (the mortar is 1-1/2″ thick, not the wire!) Wire is about chicken wire thickness.
Assuming there is a better way than a BFH and prybars, sweat, and safety glasses.
Thanks in advance.
Pete Duffy, Handyman
Replies
It's a pain, that's for sure, last one I did, I just used the crowbar, hammer, etc.
Next one I do, I'm looking forward to using my Milwaukee SDS in chipping mode - should make the job a bit easier.
Good Luck!
Julian
Chipping it off with a demo hammer is probably the fastest.
But, we had to do this a few months ago, and the stuff we encountered chipped right off with a small SDS equipped with a chisel ( the 7/8" Bosch). I wouldn't want to use this particular tool for that purpose on a regular basis -- since it heated up.
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if the mortar bed is reinforced with mesh it ain't going to be pretty ... that said anytime you expose the subfloor/concrete interface use a pry bar to loosen up as large a piece as possible, the mesh is probably nailed into the floor and this will help to break that bond, make sure you have some scrap 2 Xs to leaver against to keep the prybar from breaking through the subfloor ..
I've do window replacements with a pneumatic chisel. I can break out about 3" of stucco around a patio door in under an hour. When I use the air chisel to break out countertops, I chisel it into manageable sections and use a wrecking bar to pry them up.
Wear gloves (good ones) when you start breaking up tile. The shards are razor sharp. Use ear plugs, too. It gets pretty noisy inside a small room.
I've had success by exposing an edge and getting a lever underneath it. It takes a little time but it will work loose.