Multitool

[Ralfyfix]

I have some kitchen wall tiles to remove. They measure 8 inches x4 inches and quite thin. Wondered if a multitool would help in removal?

 

[AJB Temple]

Cold chisel + hammer.

 

[Cabinetman]

Sds drill with chisel attachment, they are about 2 1/2 inches across and will make very short work of wall tiles floor tiles and anything else that gets in the way. Ian

 

[Ralfyfix]

Sds drill with chisel attachment, they are about 2 1/2 inches across and will make very short work of wall tiles floor tiles and anything else that gets in the way. Ian

Have this but a bit overkill for fairly thin wall tiles. Thought the multitool might just get behind them without damaging the wall too much.

 

[Ralfyfix]

Yes. D

Cold chisel + hammer.

Yes. Done that. Thought multitool might be kinder to the wall and wondered if anyone had tried this method.

 

[Rorschach]

Won't work well for tiles, there isn't enough kinetic energy in there.

 

[Spectric]

Depending how well fitted often an old wall paper scrapper and a hammer, can cause less damage to the wall behind as it slices through the old adhesive.

 

[novocaine]

yes it will work, yes it will take you bloody ages. scrapper and a hammer as spectric suggests. tap tap.

 

[D_W]

You need a hammer drill or rotary hammer. It'll shatter things off rather than splitting them off in big chunks. It's like you making a million tiny tinks with a cold chisel.

 

[Spectric]

I think DW might be overlooking the building standards in the Uk, use to much force and you end up having to reboard the wall or sometimes you discover the wall itself is extremely shoddy. A freind some years back having a bath when kids playing with a ball indoors kicked it hard against the bathroom wall and next they were having a bath along with quiet a few tiles, that wall had more in common with Rolfs wobble board than a wall.

 

[Jameshow]

I'd try a beaten up wide wood working chisel.

Less damaging than a cold chisel tbh.

Cheers James

 

[Lazurus]

I used a multi tool to remove a couple of damaged tiles - worked a treat, I cut away the grout and the broken bits almost fell out on their own

 

[AJB Temple]

This is very transparent. OP wants a new tool. He wants to justify this based on forum advice that a multitool is the best way to do this job.

I definitely think you should use a multitool.

 

[gog64]

Plumbers and the like sometimes use a multi tool to remove a few tiles when doing repairs/ alterations. The reason being that it’s difficult to get a good colour match when buying replacement tiles. So it’s worth the faff if they can be reused. Otherwise, chipping them off is much quicker.

Go on, buy it, you know you want to!

 

[Dazed]

Can I suggest not to get too hung up on not damaging the wall? You'll have to make good anyway and it's often quicker, particularly if it's a stud wall to just re-lay new plasterboard. Before SDS hammer and rotation stop I sometimes used a long handled scraper, 24in or so long and a mallet on the end.
Steve

 

[GarF]

I had the exact same question earlier in the year. In the end I used a combination of a) multitool with a flat blade from Saxton blades, b)SDS drill with a big flat chisel and c)a Japanese reform bar.

Delivery of the blades from Saxton was exceptionally quick which allowed me to get to work the weekend I'd set aside. The multitool shifted the easy tiles with no bother, but not so hot for the ones which seemed to be concreted in place.It was fairly noisy, and quite dusty. Progress relatively slow, but quite kind to the underlying wall.

The SDS drill was significantly faster, also noisy, and fairly effective for shifting any plaster even slightly poorly bonded underneath.

The reform bar was the cheapest and quietest except for an occasional tap with the knocking stick. Not as slow as you might think. Significantly less flying debris and dust to deal with but I wouldn't recommend proceeding without eye and respiratory protection either way. The main benefit is you can listen to the wireless while you work.

 

[pe2dave]

Clear yes, unless they've (tiles) been put on with cement. Thin, not sharp blade gently gets behing them (or the fixative) and releases from the plaster (plasterboard). No need for a brute force hammer / chisel unless you intend to replaster the room.

 

[Fergie 307]

A wide flat strip type prybar works well. They have a good enough angle to get the business end flat against the wall, then just tap in under the tile.

 

[Skydivermel]

Wall paper steamer/stripper softens the adhesive and they will just fall off.

 

[Dazed]

Wall paper steamer/stripper softens the adhesive and they will just fall off.

Does that actually work? I can't envisage how the steam gets behind the tile. It's not like wallpaper that you can score before steaming.
I'm curious as a retirement job is renovating the bathroom at home. May well be waterproof adhesive.
Steve