Tile Demo

HomeSolutions

I started demo on a customers bath today, part of the job was to demo an existing tile floor. The bath also has a sunken tile shower 24" deep. I demo'd the floor with a chipping hammer no real surprises just two layers of ceramic. About an inch thick total but came up fairly easy. I started going at the sunken shower with the chipping hammer with no luck. For some reason the tile is not coming off, even with the chipping hammer. The tile adhesive looks like mastic from the few tile i was able to take off. But I find it hard to beleive someone used mastic in a shower. And the other issue is why it is so hard to get the tile off. I thought the hammer would make it pretty easy. Any idea's what the adhesive might be, and a good method of removing it. House was built in the 50's not sure when the second layer of tile went on.

genecarp

big sledge, remove tile and slab, in one section, (pieces), dont remove tile from mud

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Mike Finley

Careful with a big sledge unless this is in a basement.

Confusius say, "Man with big sledge should be prepared to repair cracks and missing drywall from ceiling below. "

HomeSolutions

So I contemplated removing the whole slab. But.... I got under the house thru the 2' high crawl space and made my way back to this bath area. I find a concrete block skirt around the perimeter of the bath and Drain lines running thru the block to the fixtures. Not visible what path the drain lines take. I don't know if the slab is 24" of concrete or a 4" slab with other material beneath. I've done other work in this house and nothing would surprise me. I hate to open a can of worms with this one. But started the job and too late to turn back now.

genecarp

sounds like the house that jack built, test hole, 4'' go for slab removal, 24'' started chipin tile

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olzo55

if something is THAT hard to take off, you gotta ask yourself if you can go over it. you can grind off the glazing and then skim the surface with high quality thinset(or my new friend ultraset). the drain becomes the issue though. can it be moved up somehow? maybe you can carefully slice up the tile around the drain with a grinder and chip it out. could that mastic looking stuff be a urethane?

HomeSolutions

I actually started taking up the slab. I think the tile adhesive is urethane. It has that look of liquid nails. Man is that stuff good. I use it on subfloors and various other things but have never used it on a shower tile. Homeowner a little worked up about the extra work but goes with the territory when you open up the unknowns at demo. She said can't you just go over it, I said there were two tile layers existing and would prefer to do it right this time. Drain would have been an issue as well.