Removing Tile with heated floor

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Britinva

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Jun 2, 2022
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So going to be doing a bathroom remodel which will entail removing existing tile over a heated floor.

Ideally want to remove the tile without damaging the heated floor.

Existing is 6x24 Glazed Porcelain Floor Tile and believe the thinset was VersaBond.

Are there tips (other than going slow and carefully) that can be offered......... once tile removed is there a way to soften the thin set to aid removal?

Thanks,
Mark
 
Is the heating system one that goes on top of the subfloor? Like a mat system for under tile?

If it is.....Good luck with that man. I can't see getting that out without damaging the wires. I could be wrong but I doubt I am. One little knick of the wire and your done.

Best thing to do is get a resistance test on the wire before you start demo. Write that number down. Go about your business with the demo as careful as possible. If you somehow managed to get the tile out without pulling a bunch of wires with it & it looks in good shape then take another resistance test. If the numbers are any different then you're beat. It's no good anymore

It doesn't take much to ruin one of those systems. Even a knick from the trowel will cause it to fail.

If it's the ditra heat system you might have a slim chance of saving the wire only. That's because it has a metal jacket that protects the wire. Even then it would probably be more trouble than it's worth to save it.

Good luck my friend.
 
One other thought would be to beat the tile with a hammer. Hopefully the previous installer was a hack and the tile isn't bonded well. Get down to thinset and pour a thin layer of self leveler over it and then your tile.

Again though, resistance test before, during & after. Just like installing a fresh system.
 
It's electric wire, that was hot glued to the backer board and then tile over it...... tiles were back buttered so expecting good adhesion.

I'm pretty much expecting to be not worth trying to save, be easier to remove everything..... backer board was screwed only so hopefully that can just be ripped up taking tile/thinset and heating wire with it.
 
It's electric wire, that was hot glued to the backer board and then tile over it...... tiles were back buttered so expecting good adhesion.

I'm pretty much expecting to be not worth trying to save, be easier to remove everything..... backer board was screwed only so hopefully that can just be ripped up taking tile/thinset and heating wire with it.
Sounds like it will still be a pain to take up but at least you don't have clean up underneath like you would if the backer board was mudded down.
 
......wear good safety glasses!!!
Glass eyes and glass IN eyes go hand in hand.
......well, they can go into the eyes so you'll need glass....
.....ok, your reading ahead now. 😁
Be careful.
 

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