How to Remove tile mastic or thinset the easy way - Be Your Own Handyman @ Home 

Thanks for your comment Barry. I agree it is quite loud but not bad with hearing protection.

sheltered Thanks so much for the compliments...glad to know the videos are helpful!

you are welcome

CaptainKaneko I think you're on to something and it might just work! It would be great if you would post back here to give the results of how it worked out if you try it! :)

Hi, it worked alright, but just not fast enough for the area we had to do. We have since tried a concrete scarifier which also worked well but also not fast enough. The search continues!

CaptainKaneko Thanks for the update...hopefully you'll find something more suitable for the wax buildup. Good luck with the search!

+Kym Smith Awesome! Have fun and watch out for the dust! ;-)

+Be Your Own Handyman @ Home you're not joking!!! It's been over a week and I'm still dusting. Haha!

Yeah I can understand!

Yep I can believe that I would never use this method.

Did you know any method is dusty? But prevention is key...just tape a sheet or plastic sheet to cover the doorway of the the room you're working in to keep the dust contained.

No, I did not. Thank you, I'm glad they were helpful.

+P Kegley Awesome!

Hi Ann, in my experience, the electric scraper has not gouged the floor. But there is always a possibility that it could happen. If you want a guarantee, then doing it by hand would be the safest. There are other tools, but then again, there's no guarantee.

Not sure. but by using the scraper you will get everything off the floor which will give you a very clean surface.

The floor that I am working on as you probably know, is a solid slab foundation. The machine I am using in the video, if used on plywood it might gouge it to some degree. I have never used it on plywood but you can always try it. I'd suggest not pushing hard on the scraper which you don't need to do anyway. If you are installing new tile, then the plywood should be fine because any gouges in it would be filled with the new thinset when you lay the new tile.

Probably an electric sander would be a good choice. There might be other choices as well.

Thanks.

+pwreconomist1 I'm sorry I cannot really advise you on this one. I don't have experience with a house that old nor fir flooring. Not sure what the outcome would be. You could try it manually with a hand chisel and see how it works out. Then if it does, can try the electric scraper at an angle like I wrote for Colby Manscill. But there's always a chance of damaging the wood subfloor. Good luck with your project.

+lromeroyt The wire net doesn't come up when removing the mastic or thinset with the scraper? It's hard to answer without seeing your flooring but if the new thinset covers the wire then it should be okay. Also you don't need to level the floor after scraping...the new thinset will level it out if it's not too lumpy. But try to remove almost all the thinset/mastic before proceeding.

Wow, the electric heat mat could pose a problem. I wouldn't recommend re-tiling over the old mastic because it would not come out with an even surface. If you can smooth down an area of the old thinset without removing or damaging the heat mat, then you can give that a try. After that, I would suggest trying just a few tiles to see how it comes out. It will be a lot of work though to smooth the thinset (without damaging the electric heat mat) if it's a large area. Good luck and it would be great if you would reply here with a comment of the results of that project. :-)

Pop the tiles off carefully and pour self levelling cement over the existing heat mat. It will bring the height of your tile up a bit so you'll have to adjust your transitions and toilet height accordingly.

Andrew DeMos Thanks for your input Andrew. Have you previously done what you suggested? I'm assuming you have, it would help to have clarity so I know your tip is accurate and you've experienced it. :)

I haven't tried either method yet. Thank you for the advise Andrew and "Be Your Own Handyman"

Betty Monson You're welcome :)

Colby Manscill It could, but if you use the scraper at a flat angle it shouldn't. You can also do it by hand by scraping it manually with a tile scraper. A handheld chisel edge scraper.

Thanks you so much. I will start working on it.

Dennis, yes you can if the floor is not bumpy...needs to be fairly smooth. It won't affect leveling if it's not chunky bumpy because you're going to add more thinset when adding the tiles.

That shouldn't be an option, don't do it.

Yes you rent the blade too.

+Mark Price I used a hammer and chisel, it was easy. The hammer drill would not be very effective for thinset. I strongly recommend the electric scraper and just rent it if you have a home job to do.

+Diane Jackson Home Depot

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Ellen Bishop thank you for your feedback Ellen and I'm very happy to hear it was a great experience for you and your husband! 😊

The floor that I am working on in the video is cement on a solid slab foundation house, not OSB.

Yes, you might damage the terrazzo. Sorry this is late, just catching up after a big move.

Hello I am checking around but at the moment I don't know where in the Uk to find it. I'll get back to you as soon as I find out.

Hey, if it's not too late, I got the answer from a subscriber: Hss tool hire is the main UK option.

beboboy mann Hey, thanks! This particular machine was rented at Home Depot and the blade is included with the rental.

+Jerrylyn Fuerte Hi, sorry for the late response...somehow your message slipped past me. No, you shouldn't have to prep it but I would suggest setting some tiles on it to check if grossly uneven. But you can keep it "even, flat surface" with the mastic when installing the tile. Can use a leveler too.

Sorry this is so late...was in the middle of a big move, and now catching up! But I think yes, you could use the scraper.

+War Daddy Great! It is basically an electric scraper and can rent it from hardware stores like Home Depot

War Daddy demo hammer sds max with a scraper attachment

+zachoman74 Sure! Glad you checked out my video.

Allison Wendell Hi Allison, go to the rental dept of Home Depot and ask for an electric floor scraper. They may not have the exact type that I use in the video. The one I use in the video is heavy.

Allison Wendell Look for something similar this. Hmmm it won't let me post a link here, nor a photo.

garrell Lewis He either didn't use the correct adhesive or if it was a mix he didn't mix it correctly. Also, the floor (concrete) needs to be somewhat clean. Then there is the time factor that it needs to dry before being walked on. A good amount of adhesive is used to cover the whole tile so it can "sit" into it.

Be Your Own Handyman @ Home thxs I would like to send pictures of the floor but don't know how on here but like I said most of it was easy to come up

garrell Lewis Hey pictures would be good but RU-vid doesn't allow them on these messages.

Hi, no you do not have to make the concrete completely smooth because you will be applying thinset for the new tiles. Just take off the bulk with the electric scraper and try to smooth it in the process, but it doesn't need to be completely smooth.

+Carter Bailey No, not sure exactly what you're dealing with...sorry. Some people layer on top of layer on floor surfaces which isn't a good idea.

You say you don't have thinset then say you do so I'm not clear. Depending on your subfloor you can take out the durock then use thinset and tile.

TheCmoney84 Thanks so much! I appreciate your feedback.

+Paula G Yes it's ready. Remove tile then remove mastic/thinset then you're ready to rock.

If you are talking about the electric scraper, then the answer would be yes. you may want to cover things up.

Thanks.

Thanks!!!

+Michelle Ruybal Not if it's concrete.

That was so long ago I don't remember! It's probably listed in the comments though.

fairbornCCF Are you referring to the electric scraper?

Be Your Own Handyman @ Home The electric chipper is better than the hand chisel used in your video about removing ceramic floor tile.

fairbornCCF With a thinner chisel.

fairbornCCF I meant to say I prefer the hand chisel to remove the actual tiles as it does a better job removing large pieces rather than many, many small ones.

fairbornCCF Maybe for you, but not for me. But no big deal, everyone has their own preferences.

+Zazie Farmer Yes but keep in mind there won't be a cement flooring underneath it but instead either drywall or another material that usually needs to be repaired after removing the tile.

No, typically there isn't a problem with the concrete.

+Edward Vasquez Thank you!

I would not recommend it.

+Ty Budd No problem...hardware stores like Home Depot.

+Melanie B Absolutely not. I assume you are referring to removing tile, then laying linoleum on top of the remaining thinset on the floor?

Be Your Own Handyman @ Home yes, the floating kind

u need epoxy remover, then use scraper

Thomas Brockman no don't do that. You'll just smear the adhesive and seal the concrete, preventing bonding of any tile you'll install later. The cutback adhesive is best removed with water and wire brush attachment on a drill or rotary sander. The water is so you don't get asbestos dust.