Cement porch tile removal

Cucamonga

Cucamonga

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Help me out with suggestions for this project, my front porch is a mess and I have left it as shown in the pictures for a little over a year now.
The slab that I removed tiles from gets wet when it rains, freezes/thaws and doesn't get much sunshine. The builder had troweled a thick layer of
mortar in areas in what I assume was an attempt to unsuccessfully level the tiles. Most of the tiles on this slab were popped, the others were easily removed with a pry bar. The single step and porch tiles all appear to be firmly attached so I think this is the most difficult part of the project.

My thinking is to remove the remaining tiles, grid off the mortar and have a nice concrete porch, this would match the walkway to the porch.

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You can rent battery power Jack hammers. That’s what I’d use, with a chisel bit
 
Cucamonga said:
The slab that I removed tiles from gets wet when it rains, freezes/thaws and doesn't get much sunshine.
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What happens after it stops raining? Is it pitched properly to drain away from the house?
 
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Burt Gummer said:
You can rent battery power Jack hammers. That’s what I’d use, with a chisel bit
Click to expand...
I thought of using a Demolition or Rotary hammer with a wide blade but wondered if it would damage the concrete, guess I would have to make sure I kept the chisel bit and a good angle and it would be ok.

Has anyone tackled a job like this? With the above-mentioned tools is this a few hours job or several days? After I remove the tiles, I think I then could use a surface grinder to remove remaining mortar and the cement would look good.

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Catfish said:
What happens after it stops raining? Is it pitched properly to drain away from the house?
Click to expand...
Water drains as good as expected considering there is quite a bit of mortar remaining. The main problem with water was that the tiles are a slate with very irregular surface and give the water areas to pool.
 
Hammer drill or demo hammer. Also wide blade. The slab surface is not good anyway so why worry about the impressions it makes chiseling?
 
BlackGun said:
Hammer drill or demo hammer. Also wide blade. The slab surface is not good anyway so why worry about the impressions it makes chiseling?
Click to expand...

IMHO the slab that has the tiles removed is in very good condition, the uneven surface you see is mortar from the tile that I have not attempted to remove. I suspect the slabs with tiles attach to be in good condition since the tiles were applied at new construction. I hope is the mortar can be grinded/sanded flush with the slab making it look like a normal slab.

Did you see something else that suggest the slab is in poor condition?
 
Cucamonga said:
IMHO the slab that has the tiles removed is in very good condition, the uneven surface you see is mortar from the tile that I have not attempted to remove. I suspect the slabs with tiles attach to be in good condition since the tiles were applied at new construction. I hope is the mortar can be grinded/sanded flush with the slab making it look like a normal slab.

Did you see something else that suggest the slab is in poor condition?
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I did not see anything about poor condition. My point is it still needs grinding and if the hammer drill is not a scar it will not hurt to pound it out. No matter the technique you have a difficult task. I’ve only done tile removal on cement slab. Then put tile back.
 
I did a tile removal job about 6 months ago. Have done several in the past as well. Rent a rotary hammer drill for sure if you don't have one. Can be done with a hammer and chisel. But it sucks badly.

Most have been like the video above. Though I haven't seen that style chisel personally. With the correct angle. The mortar, grout and tile basically pop/separate away from the concrete slab leaving minimal to no gouges. Depending on the prep for the tile it could go as nice and quick as that video or take a day usually.

This last one I did sucked. Previously a patio then a remodel enclosed and tiled as a foyer. My bulldog (Bosch hammer drill) didn't want any part of it. Brought in the big Makita hammer drill and it still took two days as it only came out in little sections. I think the old concrete and thinset they applied to level it is what made it a pain.

But still, with correct angle and patience, it was done with minimal damage and only because the thinset is softer than the slab.
 
Trevillian said:
I did a tile removal job about 6 months ago. Have done several in the past as well. Rent a rotary hammer drill for sure if you don't have one. Can be done with a hammer and chisel. But it sucks badly.

Most have been like the video above. Though I haven't seen that style chisel personally. With the correct angle. The mortar, grout and tile basically pop/separate away from the concrete slab leaving minimal to no gouges. Depending on the prep for the tile it could go as nice and quick as that video or take a day usually.

This last one I did sucked. Previously a patio then a remodel enclosed and tiled as a foyer. My bulldog (Bosch hammer drill) didn't want any part of it. Brought in the big Makita hammer drill and it still took two days as it only came out in little sections. I think the old concrete and thinset they applied to level it is what made it a pain.

But still, with correct angle and patience, it was done with minimal damage and only because the thinset is softer than the slab.
Click to expand...
I think the chisel used in the video is a mortar chisel. What brand/model rotary hammer drill did you use? I can buy a Harbor Fright Bauer model for $100 or get a name brand at the rental yard for about $50 per day.
 
I typically use my Bosch bulldog(rated for 1” bit) for that one brought out the Makita avt (up to 2” I think).

bulldog typically runs $200 at lowes. I’ve abused mine for about 5 years now. For one time use I would think the herc would be enough.

Id bet your porch would be handled with that size no problem since tiles are coming up. It’s not bad to run all day either. If it’s not budging a thing, return it and rent the bigger boy.
 
Wider the chiesel the more room of error you have. More surface area = less pressure.
Use the chisel to get the tile and motar off. Keep the hammer at a shallow angle and you will be fine.
 
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