Remove tile adhesive the right way: Tools & techniques

It’s a good sign if the wall behind remains intact when you remove the tiles, but you still need to check how stable it is. Does the wall crumble as soon as you tap it with a hammer? If you find a lot of weak spots, consult an expert or tile specialist before you damage your wall unnecessarily.

Before you remove the tile adhesive from your tiles, find out what you’re dealing with. The most common adhesive in the home is mortar, which is essentially cement mixed with water, but there are other types of adhesives that aren’t easily recognisable. If in doubt, take a few samples of your tiles and the adhesive residue to a tile specialist or DIY store to get a professional assessment.

Below, you’ll find a rough overview of the different types of adhesives:

• Cement-based adhesive: This adhesive – dry mortar and cement mixed with water – is the traditional type used in most homes.
• Flexible adhesive: Like cement-based adhesives but with added plastics, this type is sometimes called fast-setting adhesive. Often used in areas that need quick-drying materials, like stairs.
• Dispersion adhesive: Very strong and contains a lot of plastic, this has a similar composition to wall paints. It’s best suited for laying tiles on smooth surfaces, such as over existing tiles or plasterboard, but is used infrequently. The tools outlined in our instructions below will not do much to remove this type of tile adhesive. Instead, use paint strippers or bile soap, but the latter is preferred as paint strippers emit harmful gases and irritate the skin. Bile soap is better, especially on drywall and gypsum boards. Soak the tile adhesive in bile soap and water, before rubbing it with a sponge until it comes off.
• Reaction resin adhesive: A cement-free mix of synthetic resin and curing agents, this adhesive is often used in the commercial sector. It sticks very strongly to difficult surfaces like metal and glass. If you want to learn how to remove this tile adhesive, you’ll need a concrete grinder.

The tool you use will depend on the type of tile adhesive you’re working with, how strong the base surface is and how big the area is.

Hammer and chisel: This toolset is only suitable for small wall surfaces. On solid masonry, you can use both tools to carefully knock off the remains of cement-based tile adhesive or mortar. Place the chisel at as acute an angle as possible to the base surface and gently tap it with the hammer. With little force, the tile adhesive should (hopefully) come off easily.

Pro: No need to buy or borrow power tools.

Con: This method requires more effort and time.

Electric drills with chisel bit attachments (e.g., rotary hammer): Suitable for larger areas with either cement-based or resin-based adhesives. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the tool beforehand. Take care when using a power tool on soft or damaged walls, as a rotary hammer can sometimes do more harm than good. If the wall is too soft, you’ll tear off huge chunks of plaster and your drill will leave large marks in the surface.

Pro: Faster than using a hammer and chisel.

Con: Difficult over large areas and can damage the wall.

Sanders: Ideal for minor unevenness and small surfaces. Choose from a range of sanders, like a random orbital sander with special sandpaper, a cordless disc sander polisher or a multifunction tool.

Pro: Less time-consuming than using a hammer and chisel.

Con: Only suitable for small surfaces and minimal adhesive residue. That said, sanders are also used when finishing the wall to create a completely even and clean surface.

Concrete grinder/plaster grinder/floor grinder: These are best suited to floors and large areas with particularly stubborn reaction resin adhesives. A concrete grinder with a diamond sanding disc or wheel is best, and you can rent these as required. Ask a professional for help if you’ve never worked with one of these machines before.

Pro: Takes less time than other methods and requires less physical effort. You also achieve a better result if you operate it with precision and care. Since less pressure is required, these machines don’t slip off the wall as easily and cause less damage on the surface.

Con: These machines are expensive. If you rent one to remove old tile adhesive, you will need to be taught how to use it. That said, you’ll still have saved time by the end of your project.

• Remove tile adhesive from floors: Floors are usually very solid, which means you don’t have to worry about damaging them as much. You can start the process immediately with powerful machines and tools. If there’s not much adhesive residue, you can save yourself some grinding work by sanding the floor instead.
• Remove tile adhesive from joints: If adhesive gets into joints when you’re laying new tiles and it dries, you have no choice but to remove it manually. Try scraping it out with a flathead screwdriver, grout scraper or chisel, before washing it out with a sponge and water.
• Remove tile adhesive from porcelain tiles: If you want to reuse individual tiles, carefully scrape the adhesive residue off the back of each one with a hammer and chisel or use an angle grinder with a wire brush attachment. Make sure your tile is secure when doing so. If there’s adhesive residue on the front of the tiles, try using warm water and a steel wool scrubber or scouring pad. If necessary, scrape off large residue deposits with a blunt screwdriver before wiping. Special mortar remover is also available in any good DIY store. Professionals sometimes use highly diluted hydrochloric acid as a last resort, but we advise against this due to its dangerous and harmful properties.
• Remove tile adhesive from granite: Granite usually has a rough surface, which tile adhesive sticks to incredibly well. If you want to preserve the surface texture of your granite, you can use a chisel and, if necessary, an angle grinder with a knotted brush attachment for small areas. You could use a sandblaster on larger areas to make the process easier, but always consult an expert before doing so.
• Remove tile adhesive from autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks: This is best done manually, since AAC blocks are somewhat delicate. Instead of a chisel, use a firm spatula with a wide contact surface.
• Remove tile adhesive from glass: Your method for removing adhesive from glass will depend on how strong the bond is between the two materials. First, try spraying the adhesive with warm water and scraping it off. If the bond is firmer, it’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to remove the adhesive without damaging the glass.
• Remove tile adhesive from wood: Cement-based tile adhesives on wooden surfaces like floorboards can only be removed with a lot of patience. If you don’t want to damage the wood, it’s best to soak the adhesive first and then carefully remove it with a hand scraper or spatula.
• Remove tile adhesive from plasterboard: It’s almost impossible to remove tile adhesive from plasterboard without damaging the surface. Again, start off manually. Be prepared to repair the plasterboard later and reseal the surface with a waterproof filler.