Best Tools For Quickly Removing Floor Tiles in 2023

If you're planning a flooring renovation project that involves removing old tile, having the right demolition tools can make the chore faster, easier, and safer. With so many options available, it can be tricky to know where to start.

Read on for our recommendations on everything from heavy-duty power tools to manual pry bars and scrapers.

Stay Safe with Protective Gear & Precautions

Before grabbing any tool, it's crucial to gear up with protective equipment. Tile removal can generate large amounts of debris and silica dust, which are dangerous to inhale.

Be sure to wear safety goggles and a protective dust mask or respirator rated N95 or higher. Thick work gloves will guard your hands from sharp tile edges and eye protection shields against flying shards.

If working in an overhead hazard area, a hard hat adds an extra layer of protection from falling debris. A tight-fitting long-sleeve shirt and pants are also smart to wear.

In terms of precautions, keep a wet/dry vacuum running right at the point of demolition to contain dust and debris as you work. When you're done, properly dispose of the tile fragments instead of leaving them around the job site where they can get kicked up into the air.

With the right safety gear and cleanup habits, you'll be able to remove tile efficiently while keeping yourself and others protected.

Hand Tools Provide Precision Control

For small-scale tile removal jobs, manual hand tools allow for more controlled demolition. While slower than power tools, they reduce the risk of accidentally damaging the underlying surface.

Chisels Precisely Chip Away Tile & Thinset

A masonry chisel paired with a hammer or mallet lets you methodically break apart tile and adhesive. Place the chisel tip under the edge of a tile and strike it to fracture the tile. Repeated blows will chip away the tile and thinset bit by bit.

Chisels come in different sizes like 1-inch, 2-inch, or 3-inch widths. A wider chisel blade covers more area for faster removal. The shape of the tip also varies - pointed, flat, or bullnose tips all have specific uses.

Pry Bars Protect Delicate Surfaces

For surfaces like plaster walls where you can't strike a hammer directly, pry bars are great. Slip the pry bar tip under the tile's edge and lever it up and down to detach the tile gently with minimal surface damage.

Pry bars go by names like floor scrapers, tile shovels, or wonder bars. A long, flattened pry end provides the most control.

Scrapers Make Quick Work of Leftover Debris

After demolishing the tiles, a manual scraper speeds up cleanup. Use a floor scraper to remove any remaining thinset, adhesive, or grout left on the floor. Push/pull models allow you to apply pressure in both directions.

Scraping clears off the last bits of debris so the subsurface is prepped and smooth for your new flooring installation.

Power Tools Tackle Bigger Tile Removal Jobs

When faced with removing tile across larger surface areas, power tools can rip up flooring much quicker than doing it by hand. Here are a few of our top recommendations.

Electric Breaker Tools Make Quick Work

For small-to-medium tile removal jobs, an electric breaker tool like those made by Bosch or Makita saves tons of time and elbow grease. These tools have a pneumatic hammer that pounds up to 3,000 blows per minute!

You can swap in a wide chisel, flat chisel, or shovel-shaped scraper attachment to match the breaking action to the flooring material.

Walk-Behind Floor Strippers Handle Heavy Duty Removal

When revamping flooring across a whole room, walk-behind floor strippers are a pro-grade solution. These motorized units have a large scraping blade that rotates to rip up tile and thinset from the floor.

They ride on wheels and handles so you can control the heavy-duty scraper. Diesel models offer the most power for large commercial jobs.

Wet Saws Cut Precise Lines in Tile

For removing only certain tiles, a wet saw is ideal. The diamond-encrusted blade cuts precise lines through the tile when water is poured over the surface. This makes custom cuts easier without damaging surrounding tiles.

Wet saws work well on complicated tile layouts or for creating openings in the floor for fixtures or appliances.

Smooth Away Excess Debris with Grinders

Even after prying up the tiles themselves, there's still likely thinset adhesive and grout left on the floor. Grinding tools can remove these remnants and leave you with a smooth subsurface.

Diamond Grinding Pads Erase Leftover Gunk

Attaching a diamond grinding pad to an angle grinder quickly eliminates leftover thinset, old mastic, or mortar. These abrasive pads grind down the high points without damaging the underlying floor.

For ultimate control, opt for a variable speed angle grinder. Handheld diamond grinders are another option for smaller jobs.

Cleanup Tools Keep the Space Safe & Clean

Demolishing tile can create mounds of debris and dust in a hurry. Be prepared with the right cleanup tools to maintain a safe worksite.

Demolition Bags Contain Debris

As you chip, pry, and break up tile pieces, they tend to scatter. Heavy-duty demolition bags give you a place to toss tile fragments to keep them contained.

The thick material won't rip from sharp edges. Once full, tie off the bags and haul them away for disposal.

Wet/Dry Vacs Pick Up Debris & Slurry

A wet/dry shop vacuum is great for keeping silica dust under control. Attach a vacuum hose to your breaker tool to contain debris right at the source.

Its wet/dry function also comes in handy for sucking up tile shard slurry after using a wet saw or grinder.

Removing tile flooring or walls is doable as a DIY project if you have the proper equipment. For small bathrooms, manual pry bars, hammers, and chisels get the job done with precision.

Larger rooms and surface areas are better tackled with the brute force of electric breaker tools or walk-behind floor strippers. And be sure to finish up with diamond grinding tools for a smooth subsurface.

Donning protective gear, containing dust, and disposing of debris properly also minimize safety hazards. With this collection of go-to tile removal tools, you'll be ripping up outdated flooring in no time!