Ceramic tiles are without exaggeration the most common option of finishing the bathroom. It is strong, not subject to destruction under the influence of water. Since ceramics have practically no thermal expansion, it easily withstands any temperature changes. Also, it is not exposed to various chemicals - such as detergents for cleaning surfaces or cosmetics. No matter how good it is, after some time it is necessary to dismantle the tiles.
The reasons can be different: from a simple desire to change the interior to the need to replace the entire tile due to the damage of several. Dismantling the tiles in the bathroom is a time-consuming process. You will have to be patient.
Is it possible to dismantle the old tile for future use?
Very often it happens that most of the tiles or almost all, very well preserved. It's a pity to throw it away, especially when you have already found a worthy use for it. If you have enough patience and a small set of tools, you can keep the bulk of the tile intact and use it again. Save all the tiles, alas, will not work. Many tiles can crack or crack when dismantling.
One of the most important moments of tile dismantling - remember that under the finish can be communications: piping or electrical wiring. Inattentive or aggressive dismantling can easily cause the neighbors to flood from below or end up in an accident.
Another unpleasant nuance may be dust and shards of tile glue, grout or the tile itself. Heavy cement dust is not recommended for breathing. You will need a mask or respirator, goggles, reliable clothing, gloves and shoes. It is also recommended to dismantle the tiles before the main repair, since dust can easily damage the finish of the walls and floor in other rooms.
Selection of the method of work
The method of dismantling the old tile depends on two things: the composition to which it is pasted and the desire for its secondary use. If the tile has been glued to the cement and the grouting of the interlacing seams has been made with cement, the chances of saving the tile are very small.
Dismantling of wall and floor tiles in case of trying to leave the tile whole for further use begins the same way - remove the grout from the intertitic seams. Grout soaked in water and removed with a knife or spatula. Sometimes it is necessary to remove the grout in several stages, abundantly moistening the interlace sutures between the stages. This method works if the grout is soft.
If you use a grout based on cement, wetting does not help. You'll have to arm yourself with a small Bulgarian and a dial for working with a stone. You will have to completely clean all the intertile seams and try not to touch the tiles. Depth of cut in this case it is desirable to do a little more than the height of the tile. This moment will reduce the possibility of chipping the corners. A little chance to keep the tile will also be in case the tile was laid on cement mortar.
For accurate dismantling we will need an iron trowel, or a thin chisel and a small hammer. It is necessary to substitute the chisel or spatula under the lower edge of the tile and start tapping on it with a hammer. You should be careful after the start of the tile shift, if it did not move all at once. It is necessary to rearrange the spatula or chisel under the other edge of the tile and continue tapping. And in this way we gradually descend. Row after row.
The tile is removed from the floor in a similar way. In this case, there is not much difference from which side to begin.
For demolition of floor tiles, it is possible to make a simple device that will greatly simplify and speed up the process: you need to find a piece of steel wire and at its ends bend the hooks. We grab the tiles with these hooks and start pulling.
Depending on the glue or tiles, such a simple device can significantly reduce the dismantling time, and the percentage of the whole tile can be larger. Although when gluing tiles not on glue, but on cement mortar - this method is unlikely to work.
After dismantling, the whole tile needs to be treated - remove any glue or cement residues. Here, the choice of tool again depends on what the tile was glued to. If not very hard glue, then you can handle the usual metal spatula. If you get a solid adhesive mixture or cement, you have to remove the composition of emery stone.
Be careful, because the chance to split the tile when removing glue residues will be much higher than when removing from the surface.
In cases where the old tile does not represent values or the chances of its dismantling in a general form are practically equal to zero, we apply less sparing methods. The simplest is to break the tile with a hammer, and the remaining pieces should be chipped. The use of a perforator will greatly speed up the work. In the case of working with a gun it is necessary to put on protective goggles, because, flying off in different directions pieces of tiles and glue, can damage your eyes.
New tile on top of the old
cladding Consider the option when we just do not want to remove the old tile, but try to put a new one directly on it. Such variants exist, but this method has many nuances.
Floor finishing. To begin with, it is necessary to carefully inspect the tiles for cracks in the tile or interlacing seam itself, and also to remove all blisters and voids. Clear the tile is necessary not only from dust, but also from traces of grease or any other dirt. After cleaning, apply a primer layer. Without this, not to do, because we need to get not only good adhesion, but even absorption that the smooth surface of the tile will not be able to provide us.
The primer should be selected from those that are suitable for weakly absorbent substrates.
The next step is to align the surface. To do this, you can use a self-leveling compound, but you need to choose it on a cement basis. Proceed to the next steps only after the layer has completely dried.
It's time to waterproof. This stage may seem completely superfluous, because we already have enough layers that can hold moisture, and even a layer of old tiles. However, the old tile is unlikely to become a guarantor of good hydroprotection, because during its operation tiles or seams could crack, and not visible to the eye cracks will allow moisture to pass through. In addition, waterproofing is perhaps the smallest in cost phase, which, in turn, will prevent the appearance of mold.
It is also advisable to use rubberized tape. It is laid out along the perimeter of the room so that half is on the wall and the other half on the floor. Next - the standard laying of tiles.
Wall decoration. But sticking the tiles over the old on the walls, few recommend, and there are reasons for this. Modern adhesive compounds are able to create a very good grip, but the same can not be said about the composition on which the old tile was pasted. In any case, the first thing to do is to dismantle the tile, which we can suspect of a fragile attachment. For this, a rubber hammer is suitable. Tapping the tile, we can hear or see those tiles that will need to be removed.
After dismantling all that can fall off under the weight of the old tiles, you need to prepare the surface for the cladding. There are several options: from simple degreasing to complete removal of the glossy surface. Which one to choose is up to you. We recommend that you do not skip the degreasing moment.
Some masters remove the layer from the tile completely, some leave the Bulgarian with notches crosswise. You can use compositions like "Concrete contact".There is no exact universal algorithm for surface preparation - everything is decided individually based on the characteristics of the old coating and your desire.
