Ripping out tile with a rented demo hammer vs. a $20 chisel and a Saturday
I used to think pulling up old tile in my Nob Hill bathroom meant renting a demo hammer from the shop on Central for about $70 a day. That is what I did on the first bathroom two winters back, and it was loud, dusty, and I chipped the subfloor in three spots. Now I just score the grout with a $20 carbide chisel and a 4 lb hammer, working small sections at a time. It takes me longer but the floor underneath comes up clean and I am not paying rental fees or hauling a heavy tool back and forth. Has anyone found a middle ground that saves the floor without the noise?
Score the grout first and let a heat gun soften the thinset for ten minutes before you chisel, cold adhesive fights you the whole way. Sounds like a lot of extra time but your subfloor stays clean and you skip the rental.