Tile – Detaching large ceramic tile without breaking it
ceramic-tiledemolitionremovalthinsettile
Do I have any chance of lifting the tiles you see in the pictures without breaking them?
You can tell from the picture what I tried and how it went!
Best Answer
I have had (some) success using the following technique:
using a utility knife or grout saw, remove as much grout as you can
using a narrow margin trowel (see pic) with a hammer, carefully tap the trowel under the tile in as many places as you can. This breaks up the mortar somewhat. Do not use any leveraging type action until you have tapped the trowel under the tile around as much of the perimeter as possible
carefully start using leverage with a wide margin trowel in various spots around the tile until it (hopefully) pops free in one piece
For cutting porcelain or ceramic tile, standard practice is to use:
A wet saw with a diamond blade
A manual tile cutter (a carbide wheel slides along a rail to score the tile, then you snap on the line.
Tile nippers for complex shapes
You can use a diamond blade with a hacksaw to cut holes, but it won't be very efficient.
If you have mostly straight lines, you can get away with a decent manual cutter and perhaps a pair of nippers. A wet saw makes the job go faster, but is not necessary.
This looks more like a cracked tile than a scratch (but it is difficult to say from the picture). Was there work done after the tiling that may have put stress on the wall? I must admit that it is unusal to see this on a wall tile. Replacing it is not rocket science and the preferred method (there is really no other way to fix this).
Best Answer
I have had (some) success using the following technique: