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Topic: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor? (Read 1152 times) previous topic - next topic

Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

The ceramic tiles came off fairly quickly. The mortar removal has been tedious. Any suggestions?

Re: what’s the easiest way to remove the grout from the floor?

Reply #1 –
Have you tried heating it with a heat gun to see if it softens up any?  Then scrape it off with wide putty knife.

Re: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

Reply #4 –
We were doing the hammer/chisel method today and what I call "whack a mole" trying to break it up some. Very tedious! Ed did have a power tool that he tried, but it didn't work as slick as in the video. Maybe we'll rent a different power chisel. Thanks for the suggestions. Deb

Re: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

Reply #5 –
You might try a brick chisel as it is about 3.5 inch or so wide, wear gloves and use a regular hammer to tap it.  Also a putty knife works.  You just don't want to dig into the plywood floor if possible.  I have used a diamond blade on my angle grinder and it works, just messy!  Lot's of dust, but always have a construction vacuum working at the same time.  Last job was removing over 1500 sq feet of thinset off a plywood floor.  Just another reason why I install concrete board down before laying any tile.

Re: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

Reply #7 –
Quote from: juicesqueezer –
You might try a brick chisel as it is about 3.5 inch or so wide, wear gloves and use a regular hammer to tap it.  Also a putty knife works.  You just don't want to dig into the plywood floor if possible.  I have used a diamond blade on my angle grinder and it works, just messy!  Lot's of dust, but always have a construction vacuum working at the same time. 

Do please wear breathing protection when dry cutting/creating masonry dust

Google silicosis.

Re: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

Reply #9 –
Everyone is steering you wrong IMHO.  What you want is an angle grinder with a diamond cup blade.  Also a shroud that allows you to catch the dust in a shop vac.  I think you'd be done with the whole coach in 15 minutes.  I used a diamond bit on an oscillating tool but it took impossibly long for just a few tiles.  Someone suggested the angle grinder method after I was done and it sounds MUCH better.

Re: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

Reply #10 –
Not sure that it would help, but I would try tapping it with a hammer, preferably something like a mason's or  brick layer's hammer. As it is pretty thin, creating a series of fractures on the surface might allow you to scrape it off more easily. When you're going at it from the edge with a chisel, your are trying break the adhesion which is very strong and just fracturing it on the edge where it is struck. I used a brick layer's hammer to remove old mortar from concrete pavers pretty successfully. I would be worried about digging into the floor with the angle grinder and diamond cup method since it was laid directly on plywood, but with enough skill and a steady hand, it might be quickly done that way. Some well calibrated tapping straight down might be effective and worth a try with little to lose. The diamond cups are pretty expensive, and the dust collection attachments can be even more pricey... Still, I would be tempted to try it just so I could add it to my tool collection. :o Either way you go, you will probably have some divots to fill.
Don

Re: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

Reply #11 –
Agree, have tried flap disc grinding pads when trying to remove adhesive off wood.
Guess my hand eye coordination is not so good, and I gouged the wood and had to use filler to smooth out the wood. As usual turned I turned a 6 hour job into 2 days.

Re: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

Reply #12 –
Hmm..  Well that stinks.  All I know is I tried ALL of the less aggressive methods and it took absolutely positively forever for a very small job.

Re: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

Reply #13 –
Don - that's what my "whack a mole" method has been, pounding, breaking it up and scraping it off. It has worked well in some areas. Deb

Re: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

Reply #15 –
I have found that using a air scraper that is 42" long with a 4-5 blade on it will remove tile and mortar with little effort other than a air compressor that runs 90psi.  I removed 1200sq ft of tile and mortar out of my home with this with little to no damage to the subfloor.  They are just over a $100 at harbor freight.  use one edge to pop the tile loose and the other edge to bust the mortar loose. Really saves your back
 

Re: Any tricks for removing the mortar from the floor?

Reply #16 –
I just finished mine. Basically the best method I found was to use a angled pry bar that was about 16 in long maybe And a ball peen hammer. You hit the pry bar that's on the thinset several times and it will break it right off. I did find some really stubborn areas that just did not want to come off with that method, and for that I use a carbide blade on my Bosch oscillating tool. With the vacuum running the dust was minimum. I also tried a flapper wheel on my Bosch grinder and even with the vacuum running it created a ungodly mess. The floor is not perfectly clean but it doesn't need to be for what my plan is. I found the subfloor to be in fairly rough shape with water damage in several places. Going to put a penetrating epoxy down on the water damaged areas, and a self leveler floor patch on the damaged areas. Then luxury vinyl tile underlayment. Well I have no doubt that's some of the hammer chisel guns would be a good idea I didn't feel like spending any more money on a tool that I wouldn't use again. I always will use my hammer and the pry bar will come in handy too. And I already had both.