Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding tile

[bob123]

Hi All,

Got a problem. Have a bathroom that was tiled with beige colour travertine tiles. Somehow a crack developed on 2 of the tiles next to the bath. Plumber said he will change the 2 cracked tiles, i.e. remove them and replace with 2 new tiles. In removing the 2 cracked tiles there is damage to the edges of the surrounding tiles. Now to fix the surrounding tiles I called someone else who was confident he can remove the damaged tiles without affecting adjacent tiles. He tried one of the damaged tiles but again has chipped the edges of it's surrounding tiles.

Trying to fix the issue I am worried my whole bathroom would have to be re-tiled....It's a real shame as the travertine tiles look really nice otherwise. Now with some 5 tiles with chipped edges going to ruin the whole look of the bathroom :-(. The 2nd guy who tried to remedy the situation was trying to remove some 5 tiles so that we can then easily insert and cement new tiles in their place. He used a hammer to smash the tile in the middle and then used an sds drill with a 40mm chisel tip. He was ok removing tile fragments from the middle until he got to the outer edges adjacent to other tiles and because the tiles are so easily breakable chipped the edge of the adjacent tile. The grout space between each of my travertine tiles is approx 2mm - so hardly anything. I don’t think the original tilers who did the job a year back used spacers. It looks like the adhesive/tile cement is very strong and is almost bonding the tiles to each other :-(


Each travertine tile is approx 610 x 400 mm.

Help please.....

* Is there any tool that would help with what we are trying to achieve?
* Person doing the work today said he could try using an angel grinder with a thin diamond blade to cut right into the 2mm grout gap between the tiles. He cant guarantee this wont chip edges of a tile though.
* Would an angle grinder be our best bit or can anyone recommend any other tools?
* Should we try to use some grout removing tool to cut deep into the grout?

Any ideas appreciated on how to achieve this task...

Many Thanks,
Bob

 

[nybor62]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

ive all ways used a grinder to remove grout ,need a steady hand and dont rush ,or you could try a fein

 

[peteablard]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

A fein or other multi tool with a grout removal bit on it would probably be best. It will take longer but will also create less dust. As rob suggests above I'd normally grind it out if possible but with such narrow joints I think more tiles will get damaged that way. Good luck!

 

[bob123]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

A fein or other multi tool with a grout removal bit on it would probably be best. It will take longer but will also create less dust. As rob suggests above I'd normally grind it out if possible but with such narrow joints I think more tiles will get damaged that way. Good luck!

As i I dont think am going to be able to do this myslef (Don't think i even have such steady hands, although now tempted to try) can you give me any advice on "A fein or other multi tool with a grout removal bit". Which one should I buy. Trying to avoid spending too much but dont want a disaster with the floor tiles either. There's a carpenter across the road who will help me out but will prob as it sounds need to get some tools to do this job. If anyone can advise a where to buy this "fein" or other multi tool i.e. any particular brand i should go for? e.g. anyone that sells it a bit cheaper, any other brands I would much appreciate.


I had a look around from a google search. Would any of the below be appropriate:

Draper 31328 230-Volt 250-Watt Oscillating Multitool Kit: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Bosch PMF 180 E Multifunctional All Rounder (Multi Set with 13 Accessories): Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Bosch PMF 180 E Multifunctional Allrounder: Cuts, Saws, Sands: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

The fein itself is very expensive at some £175 from Amazon.

What if we hire this from hss:

HSS Hire - Tile Grout Remover Hire and Rent - although it does not look as fine as the multi tools on above links.

Any advice much appreciated. I can add some photos of the existing tiles and the damage if that helps. Many thanks.

 

[Rookery]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

Any of those oscilating multi tools will do the job but you need a decent blade in it. I use a Fein with a diamond blade and would not expect to chip any tile edges with a 2mm grout joint. The cut should go right down to the substrate to isolate the tile(s) you want to remove from the surrounding good ones.

 

[peteablard]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

As you won't need it for long hiring would probably be best. Might be worth ringing the hire shop and see how wide the blade is that they supply

 

[bob123]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

what is your opinion if we tried to cover the existing damage on some of the tile i.e. where we tried to remove tiles and chipped the surrounding ones. is there some natural stone filler/grout that could almost look like the existing travertine stone tile face? Would this even work to cover existing damage on tile edges? or would it look horrible?

 

[bugs183]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

It would depend how the edge of the tiles are finished. If they are rounded you could sand out the chipped edge with different grades of parer, but if the tiles are sawn or square edge then you are going to find it nearly impossible to mask the damage done.

 

[Ajax123]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

Could it be that 2mm grout joints are what has caused the problem in the first place.

That said with a steady hand it is not difficult to cut out the grout with a 1.4mm or 1.6mm grinding disc on an angle grinder. If you have a variable speed one this would help steady the cutting. Take your time and don't rush. Then as before break the tile in the centre and take it out bit by bit.

 

[Ajax123]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

New angle grinder from cheapo tools shop only cost 14 quid and ten 1.6mm stone cutting discs are about 10quid . At those prices you could chuck em away afterwards although I would stick them on eBay for thirty quid......

 

[bugs183]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

Can you tell us Bob what the tiles were fixed too in the first place??
Is the floor wood or concrete screed. If the floor was wood did the tiler tile direct to this, is there a joint where the original tiles cracked. If he has tiled directly you can guarantee that if you replace the original cracked tiles then these will crack again

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

cut grout lines out, then cut a margin all around the inside of tile ,then remove centre piece then remove edges, simples

 

[andyb1]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

Grinder down the joints, work from the middle of the tile outwards, job done.

 

[bob123]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

Hi There - the tiles are fixed to concrete screed. The tiles are not rounded i..e have a square edge so looks like it will be imposible to mask the damage done, my plumber that we could just put some grout around the chipped edges but I think that's gonna look horrible. I like the idea of the angle grinder and will start looking online for prices and variable speed sounds good maybe even I can give it a go. I guess it will be much more dusty than a grout remover/oscillating tool but might save me a few quid in price. I'm new to this forum - is it ok to put a few photos of the tiles I have and where the damage is? ​

 

[bob123]

Re: Need to remove nat stone floor tiles without damaging surrounding

I can hire this from HSS HSS Hire - Tile Grout Remover Hire and Rent
Will this be aby good you think? looking into the angle grinder as well might try toolstation or screwfix.