Best Way to Remove Tiles Easily – Which Tool to Use?
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We are tempted to say “sledgehammer,” when asked to name the best tool to remove tile easily. It doesn’t get much easier or more satisfying than to let off a little steam wielding the mere mortals equivalent of Thor’s Hammer. The sledgehammer fills the “easily” requirement nicely. But what if you want the surface behind the tile to remain intact? Well, that spoils the fun.
These reviews will look at the best tools for turning tile removal into an easy job. The secret to tile removal is to find or create an edge. It becomes the chink in the tile’s armor. Once you have that, you can remove tile with the best of them. Most tools for this job are simple hand tools.
This last point may disappoint those readers seeking an excuse to buy a cool tool they’ve had their eye on for a while. So, to keep that segment of our readers happy, we’ll include a review or two in the “Overkill” section. Let’s get this show on the road.
Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023
| Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
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Best Overall
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Crescent Tools DB18X |
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CHECK PRICE |
The Runner-up
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Crescent Tools DKB44X |
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CHECK PRICE |
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AMES Jackson 8-Pound Fiberglass Sledgehammer |
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CHECK PRICE |
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Bosch 11255VSR Bulldog Xtreme |
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CHECK PRICE | |
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XtremepowerUS Heavy Duty |
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CHECK PRICE |
The 6 Best Tools for Removing Tile
Tile is a simple adversary. It is held in place with a mastic (fancy word for glue) and has a fine-grained cement (grout) filling the gaps between the tiles. In combination, this creates a solid and long-lasting surface, be it on the wall or floor. People often ask if what the tile is stuck to makes a difference in the removal effort. For example, is the best way to remove tile from a concrete floor the same for tile mounted on sheetrock.
You can be rough and use a lot of pressure when removing tile from concrete. You need a little more finesse if you are working with drywall and want to limit the damage to it. The difference with drywall is you need to use more driving force parallel to the wall and less prying force.
Normal Tile Removal Tools
1. Pry Bar and Hammer – Best Overall
Mr. Tile sits there smugly confident in its resistance to being moved. Until you show up with the two things, a tile installation fears the most, a hammer and a sturdy pry bar. The hammer doesn’t matter that much. It just needs to be full size, like a 16-ounce claw hammer or a 3-pound hand sledgehammer. It has a straightforward job, either break out the first tile or drive the pry bar under an edge tile. After that, it just needs to pound the pry bar under the next tile.
The pry bar has more specific requirements. At least one end must be flat, so it can be driven under the tiles and wide enough to exert plenty of pressure on the tile being removed when you use lever action to break it free. Our recommendation is the Crescent Tools DB18X Crescent DB18 x 18″ Indexing Flat Pry Bar.
- Head indexes over 180 Degrees and locks in 16 positions
- Head has raised striking surface allows for striking to loosen and penetrate
- Angled head with nail slot for prying and pulling nails and boards
- Rugged, solidly made tool
- Wide chiseled edge that can be driven under tile
- Adjustable handle for hard to reach tile
- Great for many residential-scale projects
- It is more expensive than some other alternatives
2. Wrecking Bar and Sledgehammer – The Runner-up
If you are removing floor tile, bending over and using the pry bar/hammer combination of our number 1 finisher can be hard on the back. The #1 combo works great for getting things started on your floor tile removal. After that, being able to stand up and work is a pleasure. No need to make the task any harder than necessary.
To accomplish this more ergonomically comfortable floor tile attack, you will need tools like those in the first-place position with longer handles. The technique is to create an opening with the shorter tools, then continue with the long-handled ones. For this, we recommend the following dynamic duo, the Crescent Tools DKB44X Home Hand Tools Pry Bar paired with the AMES Jackson Fiberglass Handle Sledge 8-Pound Hammer.
Crescent Tools DKB44X Home Hand Tools Pry Bar:
- For every home renovation project, DIYers and tradesmen alike can count on the new dual claw wrecking bar
- Double fork design provides balanced Lift on both sides of the nail. Boards are removed faster, cleaner and with less effort
- Rugged indexing joint allows for maximum flexibility and increased leverage
- Quality tool
- Adjustable angle
- Double fork design for increased leverage
- Small striking surface
AMES Jackson Fiberglass Handle Sledge 8-Pound Hammer:
- 10-Pound hammer head
- Double face forged steel for maximum strength
- 36-Inch fiberglass handle
- Price
- Durability
- Fiberglass handle
- No handle protection under the head
Hint: To compensate for the small striking surface, take a piece of scrap 2 x 4 lumber, place it on the floor behind the Crescent tool and use that as a larger striking surface.
Overkill
We promised some reviews that qualify as overkill for most residential projects, and we deliver in this section.
1. Rotary Impact Hammer
The rotary hammer is the first cousin to the electric drill. In some kits, both tools are combined. That’s a nice feature. The rotary hammer converts rotational force into striking force. It is an excellent solution for removing frozen lug nuts on your car or blasting tile off a floor. It is definitely a specialty tool. But, like all specialty tools, when you need its capabilities, it’s worth its weight in gold. This specialized application is a prime reason why the rotary hammer is filed in the Overkill section.
For this tool, we recommend the Bosch 11255VSR Bulldog Xtreme Rotary Hammer.
- 3 MODES: multi-function selector offers 3 modes of operation; Rotation-only, rotary hammer, and hammer only mode; Variable speed...
- EASE OF USE: vibration control for comfort in all day applications
- ERGONOMIC: D-handle design provides comfort and optimal control, especially for overhead or downward drilling applications
- Bosch quality
- 3-in-1 functionality, rotary only, rotary hammer, hammer only
- Great power
- Accessories are extra
To equip your rotary hammer for the tile removing job, we recommend you buy the SPKLINE 3-Inch-Wide Tile & Thinset Scaling Chisel SDS-Plus.
- Made of high quality hardened steel alloy with heat treatment process this scaling chisel is very hard and durable to support you with...
- 3"(75mm) wide and 6.5"(165mm) long, compact and flexible for operation. Drop forged body with a sand-blasted finish
- Optimal geometry design offers comfortable use with less vibration, machine sharpened edge guarantees high efficiency in tile and...
- Bosch quality
- Good price
- SDS-compatible
- Dulls quickly
2. Jackhammer
What tool lover hasn’t fantasized about taking over the throttle of a jackhammer and laying waste to some bit of structure? We thought so. Most of the time, jackhammers are associated with large air compressors. That isn’t a viable option for the tile removal projects most will encounter. Unless you have a contract to remove the tile from the local shopping mall.
Happily, some smaller models run on electricity. They are best applied to remove floor tile unless you have Hulk-like strength and can hold it up to work on the wall tile. These powerful implements of tile removal can cost a small fortune unless you hunt around and look for affordable options. For this tool, we recommend the XtremepowerUS Heavy Duty Electric Demolition Jack Hammer, Concrete Breaker w/Scraping Chisel.
- It is perfect for demolition, trenching, chipping, breaking holes in concrete, block, brick, tile stucco, housing foundation removal,...
- Adjustable 360 degree foregrip provides extra control that makes it easy to conveniently adjust based on the positioning you need for...
- Available for Home and Commercial with the voltage of 110v/60 HZ, it's suitable for you to use it at home and business
- Plenty of power for DIY and small contractor projects
- Comes with a case and accessories
- This version has the required scraping chisel
- Your neighbors and tool friends will try to borrow it
Buyer’s Guide – Picking the Best Tile Removal Tool
As you can see, there are tons of tile removal tools available. How do you know which ones you should pick up or use?
Tool Purpose
Consider what you need the tools to do before purchasing. Some of our picks for the best tile removal tools are designed to crush or pulverize tile rather than scrape it away from the glue underneath. Others are the opposite. Just be sure you choose the right tool for the job and look at any tools you might currently have already.
For instance, if you need something to break up tile and loosen it for use with your scraper, choose a hammer, sledgehammer, or similar tool to get the job done.
Materials Used
No matter what type of tile removal tool you need, be sure to pick one made with top-tier materials. For hammers and striking tools, make sure the heads are made with heavy-duty steel that can withstand lots of use without breaking or bending.
Similarly, try to find tools that have comfortable handles or shock-absorbing qualities. These will make using them much easier on your arms and hands and may allow you to remove any more tiles before having to take a break.
Budget
Don’t forget to consider the budget! Some tile removal tools are much more affordable than others. If possible, go with something that strikes a balance between affordability and durability so you don’t have to pick up a replacement tool too quickly after buying a new one.
Scale
Lastly, think about the scale for which the tool is meant to be used. Some tile removal tools are best used for small-scale jobs, like getting rid of tile in a small residential bathroom. Others are better for large-scale contractor jobs, like the above jackhammer or even a sledgehammer.
It’s usually not worth your time and money to pick up something that’s overkill if you just need to get rid of a few tiles in your home. Similarly, be willing to spend the extra cash on a high-power, wide-scale tile removal tool for contractor jobs unless you want to run far behind schedule and tire yourself out.
Do You Need Multiple Tools?
Most likely. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to totally remove a large number of tiles from your floor with just a single tool. At the bare minimum, you’ll need both a striking or demolishing tool, like a hammer, and a scraping or removal tool, like a pry bar (which is why we paired those two tools together).
Tile removal is an intense job with multiple steps. But it’s a lot easier if you have all the tools you need to get the job done.
Conclusion
Our reviews focused on the hand tools you need to remove tile successfully. We also tossed in some power tools for the “more power” aficionados in our reader ranks. Your tile removal kit should contain these two tools at a minimum:
- Crescent Tools DB18X Crescent DB18 x 18″ Indexing Flat Pry Bar and a sturdy hammer.
If you face a floor tile job larger than 100 square feet or so, consider investing in this combination:
For the power tool folks, we feel the Bosch 11255VSR Bulldog Xtreme Rotary Hammer is the best tile removal tool with plenty of overkill.
Happy smashing!
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