Removing edge tiles with UFH

[Timo]

Looked at a job where I'd need to remove some broken tiles at the edge of an existing floor. The tiles are 300mm x 300mm limestone and 10mm thick. On 3-5mm of adhesive with loose wire UFH in the adhesive. On concrete.

So what's the best / safest way to remove the partial / edge tiles without breaking the UFH wire?

 

[Chalker]

Slowly with hammer and chisel

 

[andyb1]

Just have to go careful keep checking the wires as you go.

 

[Timo]

Just have to go careful keep checking the wires as you go.

that was fast!

so do i remove the grout with a stanley knife / chisel as best as I can first? Then just break up a hammer and chisel out? or what about using a cutter with depth set at 9mm to score the tiles?

 

[White Room]

I'd probably go 8mm, just to vear on caution....

 

[Chalker]

Cutter set at 8mm is probably a good idea. But don't cut the grout with a Stanley knife. As you may cut through the wires .

Try breaking bits out first, then hopefully you will come across the wires.

 

[Diggy]

Multimaster grout remover , hammer and bolster gently , use multimaster carbide plate to sand down adhesive. Worked well for me a couple of times.

Diggy

 

[J Sid]

Before you start, i would remove the wires from the stat and take an ohms reading and keep a check as you work. I take it the floor is working correctly before you start. Once you have a tile up you may see where the wires are running.
If you are lucky who ever fitted the ufh would have left wire away from the walls by 100mm.
Take it slow and you should be ok.

 

[Chalker]

Before you start, i would remove the wires from the stat and take an ohms reading and keep a check as you work. I take it the floor is working correctly before you start. Once you have a tile up you may see where the wires are running.
If you are lucky who ever fitted the ufh would have left wire away from the walls by 100mm.
Take it slow and you should be ok.

Good point. Make sure it works before you start . I may not work and you might be blamed for it.

 

[White Room]

Good idea about checking the wires....

 

[J Sid]

Would be interested to know why the tiles have broken round outside.
If badly fit should come up easily.
I would be very concerned about doing a job like this. What happens if ufh failed 6 months down the road. Finger gets pointed in your direction Timo.

 

[Timo]

Before you start, i would remove the wires from the stat and take an ohms reading and keep a check as you work. I take it the floor is working correctly before you start. Once you have a tile up you may see where the wires are running.
If you are lucky who ever fitted the ufh would have left wire away from the walls by 100mm.
Take it slow and you should be ok.

Yeah, I did put a multimeter onto the UFH and the existing cable seems fine (100 ohms between Active and Neutral).

 

[Timo]

Would be interested to know why the tiles have broken round outside.
If badly fit should come up easily.
I would be very concerned about doing a job like this. What happens if ufh failed 6 months down the road. Finger gets pointed in your direction Timo.

They've just had a kitchen extension done so there is a new slab now alongside the existing tiled floor. So these partial tiles were the ones that used to be along the old wall so fingers crossed the UFH is at least 200mm from the wall and therefore not even under these tiles!

 

[Mr Tiler]

Would be interested to know why the tiles have broken round outside.
If badly fit should come up easily.
I would be very concerned about doing a job like this. What happens if ufh failed 6 months down the road. Finger gets pointed in your direction Timo.

I agree its like you are trying to correct someone else work.... when you don't know how good/bad a jobs been done already lol good luck tho mate hope it went well

 

[beanz]

They've just had a kitchen extension done so there is a new slab now alongside the existing tiled floor. So these partial tiles were the ones that used to be along the old wall so fingers crossed the UFH is at least 200mm from the wall and therefore not even under these tiles!

So you're tiling the extension? Are you joining onto the existing tiles?

 

[Timo]

So you're tiling the extension? Are you joining onto the existing tiles?

Yes, that is the job I'm looking at. About 10m2 of extension joining into the existing tiles (with the same tiles - which they already have).

The screed (for the extension) was only poured 2 weeks ago so the job wouldn't start till December. And in the meantime I've asked to do some trial tile cutting to see if the approach with scoring the tiles and then chipping them out is feasible ... will report back on that asap.

 

[beanz]

How are you planning on dealing with the movement, between the two slabs?

 

[Timo]

How are you planning on dealing with the movement, between the two slabs?

i was planning on just using flexible ashesive. No? What other solution would you suggest?

 

[beanz]

You really need an expansion gap along the join. I can't think of another way you can do it, without the tiles cracking.. 😉

 

[J Sid]

Expansion joint is a must or you will be back to lift the tiles over the two different areas sooner than you think. Not always the most attractive things, but a must in this situation.

 

[Timo]

Expansion joint is a must or you will be back to lift the tiles over the two different areas sooner than you think. Not always the most attractive things, but a must in this situation.

the join between the slabs was right where the grout /join between the tiles is going to be. So wouldnt flexible grout and adhesive be enough?

 

[Ian]

the join between the slabs was right where the grout /join between the tiles is going to be. So wouldnt flexible grout and adhesive be enough?

If the join falls directly over a grout joint, use a coloured Silicon in that joint, that matches the grout, it will be almost invisible.

 

[J Sid]

Yes, if joint falls 'under' grout line use colour match silicon to full depth of tile and adhesive ( down to screed) will be fine. Masking tape either side of joint will give a good finish.

 

[Timo]

If the join falls directly over a grout joint, use a coloured Silicon in that joint, that matches the grout, it will be almost invisible.

great idea!

 

[Timo]

Yes, if joint falls 'under' grout line use colour match silicon to full depth of tile and adhesive ( down to screed) will be fine. Masking tape either side of joint will give a good finish.

I didnt measure it precisely along the full length of the existing versus new slab but it was going to be +/- 10mm of the new full tile edges (lucky!). So I will use silicon as suggested and then just not use adhesive for the 10mm of each tile that may cross over the junction.

Am going back tomorrow to test cut out one of the tiles ... will post an update.

 

[Timo]

Ok, so I went today to lift a tile using the "cut and chisel" technique and it was so easy I ended up lifting the 6 tiles that were needed. First I just cut a 1" grid with the circular saw set to a depth of about 8mm (the tiles are 10mm thick). Half the squares just popped away from the adhesive themselves and the rest came out easily with a sideways tap with a hammer. No chisel required.

Checked the UFH along the way and it was fine.

So now the challenge is to get the adhesive up!

Apparently a sparky is going there soon to fit some lights so the owner will get them to connect the existing UFH up and use their multimeter to (hopefully) detect where the UFH wires run. He has some proximity sensor to detect live wires apparently. No idea? Fingers crossed it can detect the 240V AC through the adhesive. And then he'll just mark along the adhesive where the wires are and I'd chisel around them.

Any other ideas?

 

[Mr Tiler]

if that can actually be done with prescision I think that's the best bet lol

 

[J Sid]

No need to take up adhesive, grind the back of the tile away a couple of mm if only 6 tiles. Then put thin bed of old adh when relaying, remember clean and back butter the ground tile ( will be dusty ) when laying them.

 

[Timo]

No need to take up adhesive, grind the back of the tile away a couple of mm if only 6 tiles. Then put thin bed of old adh when relaying, remember clean and back butter the ground tile ( will be dusty ) when laying them.

Good idea! Will still see what the sparky finds though ...

 

[Mr Tiler]

why did these tiles actually have to come up anyway mate?

 

[Ian]

why did these tiles actually have to come up anyway mate?

Read the thread from the beginning.