replacing tile question

[chimchim]

i've got tile in a kitchen that i (meaning the wife) want to replace. tile is set directly on the slab. i've replaced some in a bathroom before in this same situation and it was easy to get the tile up with an electric chisel. getting the thin set up was a major pia even with a scraper blade on the chisel. i'm wondering if it's possible to knock the tile out but then just knock the peaks of of any remaining thinset and either skim coat with new thinset or pour self leveler to get the floor flat?

[surfgrinder]

Most tile companies that bust out the tile and then re tile do not get the floor all smooth again. They just use a bigger notched trial and keep going to save time. To get the thin set up you can hit it with a hammer and then use a wide razor blade scaper to get the rest up. Sometimes you can put a little water on it and that will help- especially with the dust. It is hard work but you can get it down to the slab.

[chimchim]

thanks for the advice surfgrinder. the other tile i knocked out was the same kind as i'm looking at replacing in the kitchen and i don't remember it having too thick notches in the thinset so i bet your idea of using a trowel with larger notches would work.

[Team S.A. Blue]

I used a weed burner and the thin set just popped up.
I used a hammer drill to get most of the thin set up but was having alot of problem getting real clean. I talked to several tile guys and they told me about the burner.
I did stay away from the walls so not to burn my house down. The rest of the thin set that i could not remove I just put water on it to keep the dust down and used the chipping hammer. It was lots of work but i did get it very clean.

If you leave any that are high just becareful because it will crack your new tile. I know It happened to me.

[greg77]

I use a pneumatic tool to remove tile and thinset. It's basically a pole with a chisel at the end that you power with an air compressor. I think i got it from harbor freight. It's been in the family for several years and my brother and I have gotten our money's worth out of it.

[chimchim]

i've got another smaller area that i need to tear out by the front door that i can try some of these ideas out on before i mess with the kitchen. if the wife sees me P.O.ed enough doing that work maybe she'll forget about the kitchen :)

[Red3Fish]

but for the really difficult spots, a body grinder might work?

Later
R3F

[11andy11]

remember to wear a respirator if your gonna be grinding thinset. A wire