Removing marble tile off floor (how to)

[Richard]

We've got a foryer that is perhaps 8x16'. When we were finishing the house, we installed 12x12 marble flooring using what ever kind of adhesive they (Home Depot) recommended.

Update to now, we're going to finish the basement off and the wife wants to use tile in the main room and extend the tile into the same foyer. That means I gotta tear the marble up.

Any thoughts on how easy/hard (or stupid) that might be to do?

I can see it being a REAL pain in the hiney, then again, I could see where I'm wrong and it might not be so hard to rip it up & perhaps take a sander to the remaining glue to take it back down to the bare concrete...

Any thoughts?

 

[Jagmandave]

What did you use to put it down, thin set or mastic?

 

[slowrev]

If the tiles are on concrete, how about a hot air gun to heat the tiles/glue than a prybar to pop them up. This is of course assuming that you are not wanting to reuse the tiles.
Ben

 

[DrRod]

We found the tiles in our bathroom were glued directly to the plywood subfloor -- not cement board as required. So we got an air chisel and knocked them off -- broke most of them in the process.

 

[BubbaJr]

That sounds real easy to do. Tell the wife since it was her idea, she can do it!! That usually will make them re-think ideas that don't work very well. Well at least it works for me, your mileage may vary. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[OKnewguy]

If it is on concrete, and you have a fairly large compressor, use a air chissel. I bought a cheapo one for 20 or 30 dollars that came with 3 tips, and I popped up about 300 feet of ancient ceramic tile. Just make sure to have ear and eye protection because stuff flies everywhere and it is VERY loud. This did a great job for me.
Good luck, DAve

 

[Richard]

Thanks all on some good ideas.

As far as what did we use, I honestly don't recall. If I had to venture to guess, I'd say it was some kind of mastic that came out of a 5 gal bucket. It was NOT an epoxy that needs to be mixed (we did that upstairs & learned lesson)

I DO have compressor & chisel. I can see where that might work, trying to wedge under them.

I initially told the wife that it was her idea to put them down, it's her idea to get them up...therefore she can do it.

Well, let's just say THAT didn't go too far /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I might add that I fully expect to ruin the tile during this process so I'm not about to spend double the effort to try to save the tile & keep it in a reusable condition. If (by accident) that happens then great, but it won't be by any of my effort.
/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[kevincook]

I think that no matter what you put it down with that it is going to need to be chiseled off.

If it came in a 5 gallon pail then I think it was probably thin set mortar. This should chisel away pretty easily.

Regardless, do it when the wife is away and tell her it was VERY, VERY Difficult. It's like money in the bank for the next time you need something for the tractor.

BTW, will the tractor fit into the foyer? A new toothbar would pop those tiles right up, or maybe you need a backhoe to peel them off the floor /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Good Luck,
Kevin

 

[OKnewguy]

Oh by the way, I almost forgot to mention, get VERY comfortable when you do this. I initially used a shop roll around stole. Bad Idea, after running that chissel for an evening I could not move the next day. I had pinched a nerve in my lower back and was laid out for a week. When I got back to it, I just sat on the floor "with the mess" which kept me in a better position, although very dirty.
Dave

 

[Richard]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( BTW, will the tractor fit into the foyer? )</font>

Not sure it'll go through the door since my front bucket is eight feet wide /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I SHOULD "end up" with a real cannon however. (hopefully in a LONG time) that might fit? Perhaps I could blast the marble?

Dad bought this thing with about a 3" bore something like 40 years ago. Stuff it with a rag & blow the rag about 200' down the way /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Now that I look back, it was pretty stupid keeping a "Charlie Chips" can full of gunpowder in our garage... (about the size of a 5 gallon gas can)

FURTHERMORE it was even MORE stupid to take said gunpowder & fill up coke bottles (with VERY long fuses) and place said bottles in farmers muddy field. Seems the Ohio mud really sticks to you when you're trying to run away from a lit fuse on a 16 oz coke bottle full of gunpowder. Sudden revelations of glass shrapnel impaling you from behind really help your effort to run. Going back after the blast & seeing the 3 or 4' wide hole in the ground (although at the time it looked like 15' wide) made you realize just how stupid & lucky you (we) were. Twas the last time that kind of stupidity was ever attempted /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Ok, so I've admitted some of my youthful wayward ways. I guess another way to look at that is, I got rid of that gunpowder bit by bit, rather than allow it to risk blowing the house up ! Ya... that's the story, I'm a HERO for saving the house at risk of my life/limb /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif