Removing Bathroom Floor Tile Mortar

Hit the tile in the center with a hammer.

Removing bathroom floor tile mortar.

One tile removal project is unlikely to cause dangerous exposure but to be on the safe side ventilate the bathroom to the outside and wash skin and. Even modern tiles often use lead glaze which creates lead dust during removal. After you have chipped away at the tile and mortar cut the old subfloor into small sections with a circular saw equipped with a carbide blade. Pay special attention to areas that may have excess mortar such as grout lines on a tile floor and grout joints on a tiled backer board.

Pry up the sections with a pry bar. Chisel through tile surfacing and the mortar bed in a small section using a cold chisel and hammer. The edges of broken tile can be very sharp so work carefully and cover surfaces with a drop sheet for protection. Spray the area with the vinegar and wipe down with the sponge.

Break up the first tile with a hammer. Test old tiles and mortar for asbestos and if asbestos is found hire a professional to remove the tiles safely. Gently use a scraper or razor blade to work unusually thick areas. If the old tile was laid on underlayment cut through the underlayment and mortar but not the subfloor.

Demoing tile mortar metal mesh in the bathroom walls when we say we re tackling a room it s usually a figure of speech but in this case it s pretty close to being a literal description of our big bathroom demolition weekend check out this post for more info on why we re doing it and this post for our plan for the space.