# Forum Home Renovation Tiling  Removing kitchen wall tiles / splashback

## bunnyz

Hi All,  
I'm trying to remove old tiles from off the kitchen wall, so far i've taken to it with a chisel and a hammer, but they're coming off in thousands of tiny shards.  
This job is one of the last pieces of demolition I have left before I can start the kitchen from scratch, and It's starting to keep me up at night!  
Is there another (better) way to remove kitchen wall tiles? E.g , what about removing the grout between the tiles and then take them off, or perhaps use a different tool or approach?  
Cheers, any info or advice much appreciated, tim.

----------


## Godzilla73

G'day, 
What are you trying to get them off, plaster, brick? If it's plaster, just cut through the plaster top and bottom and re sheet that section. With brick get your hands on a small demolition hammer with a stop/chisel function you can buy a cheapy SDS rotatory hammer drill with this feature for about $100 that comes with a chisel blade from most hardware stores. It's a bugger of a job, prob my least fave part of the kitchen biz...

----------


## analyst

Hi
sound like you are trying to get them off a rendered wall i have had this problem with tiles that were put in over 40 years ago and the only way to get them off is with a rotary hammer and a chisel bit trust me its the easiest way if u don't have one go hire one for the day cost you about 65 dollars and it will save you a lot of pain and time also get a little spray bottle and wet the area a bit that will reduce the dust.

----------


## jiggy

You can pick up a rotary hammer / chisel for about $79 , it should come with a few bits and always handy for drilling into masonry or concrete, chances are you will take off more cement render than just the tile. So you will need to patch render afterwards. If you don't want to spend the money on a power tool the other option is to get a scutch chisel, but unless its a very small area i would go with the rotary hammer.

----------


## bunnyz

Ok thanks for these suggestions,   
the rotary hammer / chisel ... Is there a specific model that anyone can vouch for?  
If I went ahead with this would there be any point in taking out the grout between the tiles? I mean would this make it easier or would I be wasting my time?

----------


## Godzilla73

Don't bother removing the grout, it'll be dust as soon as you hit it with the chisel. If you only need to do this one job, buy a cheap one. Saw a $129 job at the green shed last night with a few bits. It'd last doing a few rooms, i've ripped up 6m2 with one in a bit over an hour. Do a section then clean up a bit, it'll give it a chance to cool. Use it at a shallow angle so it doesn't dig into the wall to much.

----------


## chalkyt

I agree with the el-cheapo approach. I got mine (Ozito, I think for about $69, but Mitre 10 and others also have something similar)from the Big Green Shed, and also bought an SDS chisel that was wider than the one that came with the rotary hammer drill. It did take the tiles off quickly (but made a mess of the wall which didn't matter too much since I was tiling over it.)

----------


## orbitor

Is this the Ozito? I need to take up some bathroom tiles (carefully!!) and i've been using a grout rake for the last 2 hours and am VERY over it :P  Multi Function Tool MFR-250 | Power Tools | Ozito Australia New Zealand 
Or is it this one?  Rotary Hammer Drill RHR-850 | Power Tools | Ozito Australia New Zealand

----------


## Godzilla73

G'day, 
Prob need this one... Rotary Hammer Drill RHR-850 | Power Tools | Ozito Australia New Zealand Well this is what we're talking about anyway, if you just want remove grout then use the multi tool, if you're ripping up the tiles as well then go the hammer drill.

----------


## kungy

I don't mean to hijack but it sounds like bunnyz has the exact same dilemma as me? 
So the layer of tiles for me is fine to get off with a hammer and cold chisel, but for the 1.5-2cm layer of cement that was used to adhere the tiles to the render the best bet is to go a rotary hammer? As per the below screenshot, sorry about the 90 degrees to the left photo. Not sure why it's done it.   
Is that and re-rendering the best solution to prep the surface for retiling?   
Thanks

----------


## Wizard_of_Tiles

Sorry to jump in, But there are tile adhesives that can be used to direct stick over exisiting tiles. Well if there are stuck well that means they are sound enough to tile over the top.. just make sure you remove any drummy tiles and patch the void.  
Glue i would recommend would be Uni-Nova 15kg Made by Novatex Products.. Its one of the most effective glues for this purpose that doesnt require tile scoring or roughening.

----------


## Oldsaltoz

> Glue i would recommend would be Uni-Nova 15kg Made by Novatex Products.. Its one of the most effective glues for this purpose that doesn't require tile scoring or roughening.

  This is interesting, no grinding. How does ot overcome contamination on the surface of the tile?
I normally clean the old tiles with Acetone then use a cup grinder to score the surface. 
Good luck.  :Smilie:

----------


## bunnyz

Hi Folks,  
Just to let you know, I went out and got the ozito rotary hammer from bunnings for around 70 odd bucks, and it did our small kitchen a treat. I got the tiles off with a mate in about two hours, including a few smoko breaks. Cheers!

----------


## Godzilla73

G'day, 
Glad to hear it worked.  :2thumbsup:

----------

