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!

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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

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