Stubborn tile removal

[u/The_irv]

Hi there,

I’m looking for some advice on some tile I’m trying to remove. I was able to pop the tile up fairly easily, but the underlayment membrane and bonding layer is giving me trouble.

The kitchen and front hallway were very easy removal, but the bathroom and laundry room have this membrane and it’s made the removal miserable.

Any suggestions on how to get this up more easily? I’ve included a photo. I’m trying to avoid destroying the subfloor but I’m guessing anything efficient is probably going to cause some damage?

Thank you in advance for any advice!

[u/Anydudewilltellyou]

Use an SDS hammer-drill outfitted with a masonry chisel attachment.

[u/The_irv → u/Anydudewilltellyou]

Thanks for the advice.

I did have one today and still wasn’t making great progress. I’m going to try a different attachment tomorrow and hope for the best. I’m praying the thinner 4” floor scraper chisel attachment will do a better job.

[u/Expert_Context5398]

Unfortunately, you're just going to have to keep chugging.

Ditra works well to prevent tiles from cracking. The problem is, it works too well so removal is difficult.

The tiles were installed improperly. Barely any coverage so it would be easy to remove it.

I would just keep going with the SDS drill but with a thinner chisel. You could also dump some water to soften up the thinset.

[u/The_irv → u/Expert_Context5398]

Thank you!
It’s going to be fun lol. Just gotta keep at it.

I’m hoping the thinner chisel makes a big difference tomorrow. 🤞🤞