Pro: Less time-consuming than using a hammer and chisel.Ĭon: Only suitable for small surfaces and minimal adhesive residue. Choose from a range of sanders, like a random orbital sander with special sandpaper, a cordless disc sander polisher or a multifunction tool. Sanders: Ideal for minor unevenness and small surfaces.

Pro: Faster than using a hammer and chisel.Ĭon: Difficult over large areas and can damage the wall. If the wall is too soft, you’ll tear off huge chunks of plaster and your drill will leave large marks in the surface. Take care when using a power tool on soft or damaged walls, as a rotary hammer can sometimes do more harm than good. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the tool beforehand. Pro: No need to buy or borrow power tools.Ĭon: This method requires more effort and time.Įlectric drills with chisel bit attachments (e.g., rotary hammer): Suitable for larger areas with either cement-based or resin-based adhesives. With little force, the tile adhesive should (hopefully) come off easily. Place the chisel at as acute an angle as possible to the base surface and gently tap it with the hammer.

On solid masonry, you can use both tools to carefully knock off the remains of cement-based tile adhesive or mortar. Hammer and chisel: This toolset is only suitable for small wall surfaces. The tool you use will depend on the type of tile adhesive you’re working with, how strong the base surface is and how big the area is. If you want to learn how to remove this tile adhesive, you’ll need a concrete grinder. It sticks very strongly to difficult surfaces like metal and glass.

Reaction resin adhesive: A cement-free mix of synthetic resin and curing agents, this adhesive is often used in the commercial sector.

Soak the tile adhesive in bile soap and water, before rubbing it with a sponge until it comes off. Bile soap is better, especially on drywall and gypsum boards. Instead, use paint strippers or bile soap, but the latter is preferred as paint strippers emit harmful gases and irritate the skin. The tools outlined in our instructions below will not do much to remove this type of tile adhesive. It’s best suited for laying tiles on smooth surfaces, such as over existing tiles or plasterboard, but is used infrequently.

Dispersion adhesive: Very strong and contains a lot of plastic, this has a similar composition to wall paints.

Often used in areas that need quick-drying materials, like stairs.

Flexible adhesive: Like cement-based adhesives but with added plastics, this type is sometimes called fast-setting adhesive.

Cement-based adhesive: This adhesive – dry mortar and cement mixed with water – is the traditional type used in most homes.

If in doubt, take a few samples of your tiles and the adhesive residue to a tile specialist or DIY store to get a professional assessment.īelow, you’ll find a rough overview of the different types of adhesives: The most common adhesive in the home is mortar, which is essentially cement mixed with water, but there are other types of adhesives that aren’t easily recognisable. Before you remove the tile adhesive from your tiles, find out what you’re dealing with.

Bosch hammer drill tile removal