I need to pull up the floor tile in my kitchen. i've tried using a hammer and chisel and the tile pops up easily, but it's too slow.
what power tool is the best and fastest to take up floor tile?
is there something with a spade that works well?
Tile – What power tool is the best and fastest to take up floor tile
floorremovaltile
Related Solutions
If it was easy to do, then the tile would become scratched up merely by walking on it. Your feet scuffing the floor with a little dirt there would cause scratches. Tile is used for a purpose - it has a tough, hard surface.
Next, you must consider if the tile color goes all the way through, or if it is simply a surface glaze. If the color goes all the way through, then you could erode some of the surface and still see the proper color. Often however, tile will be a different color underneath.
Best is to replace the tile. This is not as difficult as it seems, IF you have a replacement tile. Always keep spare tiles for just this purpose when a floor is done. (Also carpet fragments, etc.) Surprisingly, it is often possible to find matching tile in tile stores, even for older floors.
Replacing the tile requires chiseling out the grout (or using a grout removal tool) then a cold chisel will help to break up and remove the bad tile. (An air powered chisel is great here.) Clean off any adhesive still on the underlayment. Then carefully butter the new tile, put in place, and regrout with a grout that will match the color of your old grout.
Use a laser level to project a level line across the wall. Something like this is self leveling.
This won't work if you need to line them up to a non-level reference. In that case you can use a simple laser line (which is much cheaper than the self leveling models).
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Best Answer
A rotary hammer with sds plus attachments will likely serve you best. These tools usually have three functions: hammer (with a chisel bit for your purpose), rotating hammer (for drilling through concrete), and drill. The tool plus the chisel attachment will run you about $300. I've found mine very useful for the odd jobs of removing tiles and drilling for anchors. They can be found widely at home improvement stores and online.