Removing tile mortar from plywood subfloor

Amazing hack using simple tools to quickly and easily remove the mortar left behind from the tile.

[@justsayin2819]

In case anyone is wondering, the grinding wheel is called a cup grinder. It's got diamond edges so it's tough and aggressive for just this type of thing. Good video.

[@Raywehoopin]

Thank you

[@romeosantosiii]

Thank you!

[@Colins121]

That’s incredible. I’m glad you didn’t have the vacuum on at first. It shows how effective it is with the vac hooked up. I’m picking up that blade and dust cover. You rock. Thanks for sharing

[@ashleesue]

it is because of you that I went and bought the same things at Home D to do to my kitchen floor what you did. I borrowed a demo hammer and essentially jackhammered the tiles up and now I just have to get up the thinset and thankfully most of it was stuck to the tiles. I love your video, this is the awesomeness of KZbin...people helping other people to save $$ and aggravation.

[@physiques]

What KZbin is all about.... Sharing, Teaching, Helping and Learning! Thanks Brother!

[@romeosantosiii]

Yes sir!

[@kyledaters9129]

I went out and bought this stuff yesterday for my bathroom remodel. Worked so fast. Thank you for the video!

[@cassidy5099]

I am about to leave a comment about how much I love this video. A lot of people leave comments on videos to show how they benefitted from the information. Sometimes it's to leave constructive criticism. I'm leaving my Comment using my Samsung S5 cellular phone. It has an excellent warranty. I picked it up at my local phone store for a reasonable price. It allows me to efficiently leave comments on videos like this one. Anyways, here is the comment I would like to leave. Great video!

[@ericmuller3339]

I'm about to do my master bathroom, every video I have seen on yt that uses this cup grinder has been on a concrete floor. Finally a video that shows it being used on wood, now I know it wont damage the plywood. Thank you sir!!!!!

[@fatinawilliams2799]

Dude -- my husband and I have been struggling with this in our bathroom! you may have just saved my marriage

[@romeosantos2775]

Fatina Williams happy to help! I was an angry dude myself until I figured something out.

[@rechitsapivo]

I think you were joking, right? Otherwise what kind of marriage it is that it cannot withstand a bathroom remodel? Split now before you make any kids... NO, NO, NO, what am I saying... you were joking, I'm sure.

[@PBMS123]

@@rechitsapivo so you knew it was a joke, and made a stupid comment anyway.

[@couchpotato2128]

@@rechitsapivou were really weird 4 years ago

[@pheappor9607]

Thank you so much! You saved me time on my first time removing the tile morta. I've never feel so comfortable doing it on my own with your helpfull video tip

[@ItaloRican7]

Romeo, You're the man! Thanks for sharing and the amazing video. You went straight to the point and without all the BS... blah blah blah which most ppl make their videos. Most KZbinrs should see how a good video is made. We went thru hell removing a small foyer area. But with your technique we did a large kitchen and family room in 2 hours. Thanks man!!!

[@sassygaming2597]

thank you, thank you, thank you, I have been struggling with my kitchen counters, tile everywhere in my house ugh. Anyway, I've been looking for hours, until now. Now I can finally finish my kitchen. Thank you so much for sharing this ❤️ The amount of grout I have to remove, will save me so much time, and money in the long run.

[@payakadventures]

I know this is an old video but I've rented a drum sander with a 24 grit belt and used the grinder for perimeters for years. Saves the back and knees. Works fantastic. If it was a small bathroom I'd do just the grinder as you showed.

[@ssutube1357]

Thank you! You saved me so much time and frustration. I started with a scraper bar, chisel and hammer before coming to KZbin and watching this video.

[@earlk9282]

Hi Romeo, great video! Started a project removing old mortar and said to myself, this will take forever.........years! Googled and found your video online. Thanks for making my project "much" easier and manageable. When I started, I used many swear words. Only one in your video. LOL.

[@markawhite888]

6 years later you still helping DIYers Lovely

[@garybarton2632]

This was great! I was nervous about having to replace the subfloor if I removed the tile in my kitchen. Feel much more confident now, thanks man!!

[@romeosantosiii]

awesome!

[@clsprague2016]

Romeo, thank you for posting this video, I was redoing our laundry room and had thinset and residual tile to review. This approach worked great. Thanks a lot for sharing this.

[@michelesmith9768]

Thank you so much for this video!! This worked great! You have to clean the vacuum filter often. The suction of the vacuum actually helped hold the grinder to the floor.

[@tcliff1]

Unbelievable, I bought the products and used them today. Worked better than I would have imagined!! Thank you so much

[@AlanSextonVT]

Easily the best, most complete and useful advice about doing this unpleasant task on all of KZbin, thank you, Romeo!

[@willdoggett3857]

Will be trying this today! Same struggle, tile over subfloor. Thank you!

[@redgundogs]

Holy cow! Off to Home Depot right now for this set up. Doing a huge master suite bathroom that was all tiles. Floors and walls. This will be so much easier. Thanks!

[@AnneMathews-b9w]

Thank you for posting this video! I have been unsuccessfully trying to remove thin set from my bathroom floor for a week. Such a nightmare!!!

[@mrniceguy3006]

I’m glad you posted this video. Just bought a home and about to remove some tile from wood subfloor. This will be really helpful. Thank you for posting this video

[@lindaseymour6826]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This video made it so much easier and dust free for our kitchen floor remodel. A true lifesaver that dust shroud!

[@cb9369]

You had me laughing as you were explaining what you were doing. Thanks for the info. Exactly the info I needed to do a similar job. Dude, you are a natural!

[@tonyaction5284]

Compadre!!!! You’re the man!!!!!🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼 I take my hat off to you for working with with that “pole and scraper” you started off with (before alternating with the grinder). I’m I’m Miami. Lots of work here. Tile removal from subfloors is NO JOKE!!!!! Cuidate hermano y Dios te bendiga🙏🏼💪🏼🤙🏼 with health and plenty of work your way😃

[@progmetxlr8639]

Just ripped up tile in kitchen and dining room. Was about to start pulling up sub floor until I saw this clip. You a backbreaking lifesaver. Thanks.

[@albertogomez2847]

I am in the same place, but in my case I have a metallic mesh. I want not sure if this will wort

[@AV-dc6zc]

@@albertogomez2847 I also have a mesh and I think it needs to be taken out first

[@albertogomez2847]

@@AV-dc6zc yeap. I ended up buying a hammer drill to remove the mesh. It taking me too long and killing my back

[@pdkpropertyexperts]

Brilliant! Didn't even know these blades exist. This video was a lifesaver thanks so much!

[@johningrassia2381]

This is why I love KZbin! 5 minutes of research just saved me hour of aggravation! Thank bro

[@devindishner]

Romeo, I am about to rip up some tile and would love to use this method. Can you list the products you purchased?

[@Tomekkplk]

DUDE thank you! I'm doing a new floor in my bathroom and it looks like whoever put down the tiles I just ripped up, used outdoor cement. I was trying a hammer and chisel to at least flatten it and had to resharpen the chisel 3 times in a 2x24 area. This method worked so quick and easy. I have no idea why I haven't thought of this. Definitely dusty work but from my experience at this point nothing works as good. Thanks again!

[@kellystenson1646]

Literally saved me hours of work. Thank you!

[@romeosantosiii]

Glad that it has helped!

[@ronaldelia9956]

Thank you, thank you...I watched your video after starring at the mortar all over the floor and finally had hope. Ran to Home Depot and bought the dust cover and man that thing works great...as long as your vaccum filter isn't all clogged up with mortar dust. Luckily I had a couple different diamond grinders, I really liked my slightly rounded one vs. the flat one I had and a wired grinder had more power than my battery one but they were both better than scraping!

[@chandlersBolts]

Oh man I think you just saved me so much headache and pain!

[@jeremycolucci1930]

This worked perfectly! I was so stressed out after attempting to scrape the sh@$. I picked up everything you recommended and it worked beautifully. I wish I was able to post pictures to show everyone that reads your post.

[@reallybadaim118]

Badass. I'm considering replacing tile in a bathroom and this would be great. Appreciate the video.

[@MrWhitelightning73]

Thanks for posting. I’m in the same boat. Removing marble flooring to replace with hardwood 🤗

[@pauldingley2490]

Superb and really really helpful!! I am currently tackling our bathroom floor and now see light at the end of the tunnel, many thanksl!!😊👌

[@keithgibson6102]

This works fantastic!!! A few notes - might consider an AC grinder because this will run through batteries fast. I used Dewalt grinder and vacuum attachment. The craftsman shop vac sucked the grinding wheel down to the floor. An even smooth motion got off nearly all of the mortar with almost no dust! I also used my Bosch dust collection hose that fit the grinder dust shroud.

[@jasonpenstock3550]

Just about to take on this exact project, so thank you for saving me a ton of time and elbow grease in what I was about to try doing! Thanks so much, for posting!

[@romeosantosiii]

Yes sir, I hope it went well!

[@guernseyop27]

Your video saved me hours and even made it enjoyable. Thanks again

[@antoniobiancofiore2396]

Straight up talk - no bs ….beautiful….ty dude….wouldn’t mind seeing how you removed the tile beforehand …..I want to use a chipper as I did when I removed tile off concrete floor in basement bath but I’m concerned about chipper damaging wood staircase base as I remove the tile

[@Kleeschulte]

Great job my friend...this is exactly what I wanted to find out how to do, without dusting my whole area...FANTASTIC video !!!

[@ronburgundy3596]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Very well explained. It helped me out a lot!

[@jlstarman]

Wow, I looked on KZbin before I even started taking the grout off the subfloor. And very glad that I did. Great help. Thanks

[@janeeveritt6374]

Wow! Thanks for video. Builders here in South-East England and very work-shy, emotional types, so I will probably end up doing this myself. Genius method there. Fruity language, but my cursing will be worse if I give this job a go!

[@demetriouscampbell5238]

Thank for the info brother, I'm glad I found your video before I Dove into my bathroom reno.

[@firstpageforfree3601]

great job man. I was ready to tear out the plywood and replace it. Works great!

[@dwilliams146]

Dude this video is great I'm so happy I found this

[@JRB0078]

Thanks for this video. I went out and bought it . Removed that crap in minutes. Thanks man!

[@romeosantos2775]

Happy it helped!

[@mizzmoze1103]

The exact issue I'm having without removing/ replacing sub flloor!! THANK YOU!!!!

[@corypattenden8673]

Oh yeah boy. Nice. I've been wondering how I should go about tackling that problem. Thanks for posting this.

[@Xyrium]

Dude was pissed, all of that crazy manual labor. ;) Good tips man. It looks like you prepped the subfloor at the same time! There's a standup machine that does this as well which you can rent. Thanks for posting!

[@dannyh.7490]

I'm about ready to remove tile from a plywood sub floor as well, but the tile is laid over the wire mesh so I think it will be a little easier and less dusty but appreciate the removal tools ideas just in case I need them. Thanks for sharing !

[@bernieheveron1929]

Thanks for making this video. You will save a lot of money and wasted time for a lot of people.

[@nonyabuisnass9268]

You my friend just saved me alot of time...THANK YOU

[@stevestoecker2371]

Brilliant! Love It. Works good, no dust! Already have the grinder tool. Thanks!

[@AZ-um1oz]

I'm glad I found your video, thank you sir!

[@samattos1]

Extremely helpful! My girl and I are getting ready to lay down laminate and our kitchen is full of shitty DIY tile that I'm sure looks horrible underneath. this is going to be a big help.

[@richmickiewicz8234]

Awesome Dude and PERFECT timing. The subfloor on my screened in porch rotted out and I need to reuse the tiles but they have thinset and plywood on then. I will use this method to clean the back of each tile so that they can be re-used. Three "experts" said there was no way my tiles could be re-used.

[@Deeznuts84356]

Now its 4.

[@TheVocalCoach]

Hey Man! that was MOST helpful!! Thank you!!!

[@folkfanrich]

Thanks so much for this video. I'm in the middle of replacing 600 sf of ugly orange quarry tile with 7x20 ceramic woodgrain plank. Easy and no dust. Need to clean the shopvac filter every 25 sf. Also had to get a new angle grinder since my Ryobi predated the standards. The grinder and 18# pinch bar make quick work of the job.

[@abj0531]

Holla back! Great Video! will save me some time and money. THANK YOU!

[@jenalovejoy9701]

Thanks man were about to get into a tile removal project and I was worried that would be one of the problems we run into.

[@UnitedRedDevil13]

What'd you guys end up using to remove the tile and mortar? im about to start this coming weekend!

[@thelionofzion2987]

Romeo thanks so much, this method has saved me so much time & produced perfect results!

[@glamourchickcity]

We pulled up tile that was laid on top of hardwood floors.. (how it was layered: hardwood, mortar, underlayment. Mortar, tile) now there is mortar on the hardwood floors. Do you think this method will work for the hardwood floors without damaging it?

[@monasty187]

I realize this video is 2 years old but just wanted to say thanks because this video is gonna save my ass. I’m in the exact situation you were in thinking WTF there is no way I can get this floor right with a hammer and chisel 🤦‍♂️

[@romeosantosiii]

So happy it is still helping others 2 years don the road! Good luck!

[@anthonygarzone]

My man... about to do this job myself removing fireplace heart. Got the grinder already, just gotta pick up the wheel! Awesome video, love your real talk lol

[@jasonswanson6770]

Brilliant bro, thanks so much. I already have the grinder. Been worried about this forever.

[@BravoSix_Going_Dark]

Thx u just saved my DAY'S!!!

[@luislemus2408]

You are a lifesaver bro Thank you 👍

[@jesseeslin9922]

Thanks so much for saving me so much time.

[@johnbaker2087]

Great job on the video. We did a similar job to get rid of the glue when we removed our parquet flooring.

[@g00se99]

this might save my life. i gotta remove just a little bit but its right beside heated floors that lead into our bedroom. just need to remove enough to get a tighter edge to put in our edge between bedroom and bathroom. had carpet before in bedroom. thanks for tip.

[@srdavis37]

YES! Finally - a no BS, just "git 'er done" video that tells me everything I need to know. Next stop, Lowe's/Home Depot. That lack of dust was AMAZING! Is it weird to say, "I'm actually looking forward to it?"

[@cdb989]

Wow excellent could not have come at a better time. I’m sure you have saved me a migraine cheers 🥂

[@dustinmoore1825]

Best how to for tile removal, excellent work!!

[@tysonmurphy9758]

Dude, I'm seriously fighting the exact same felt covered shit right now! Thank you so damn much!

[@mattb9664]

This is great and will give this a shot for the thinset removal. Former owners had some "free" marble tiles you'd find in a hotel lobby they chose to use. On top of not looking good and being very slippery when wet, they have a degree of waxing/sealing maintenance, and they are thick...so some of the doors weren't corrected. And there is Ditra underneath. I've been concerned about how to deal with the thinset removal but this looks like it'll work well.

[@triggerhappyreviews]

Now this is a helpful video. Hell yes.

[@PARIS8500]

@Romeo Santos Thank you VERY MUCH for uploading this video. I feel confident that I can do this myself.

[@johnq6123]

Great Vid; best option I've seen on YT so far... I may have to redo tile job that just got done and let's just say I'm not impressed by. Hoping this will get me down to the screws on Hardie-Backer without ripping it all up, so can just unscrew it and pull it up.

[@angelorivera4187]

Thanks bro you gave me the inspiration to start my kitchen 👍🏽

[@KCRefacing724]

Thank you!! Very helpful!! My floor is coming up.

[@KELLIPATTERSON91]

Thank you so much for this. We have a master bath that we will definitely use what you just showed!!

[@pauldivincentis2723]

Thanks for the info and the afternoon chuckles! 😂

[@albertogomez2847]

Do you think that this will work with a metallic mesh?

[@tribulationprepper787]

I've been watching other videos like this where a "Rotary Hammer Chisel" was used. Much faster and hardly any dust.

[@johnhoyle6390]

Very helpful video on how to clean Tile Mortar from plywood floor.

[@PaulC1980]

Fantastic video, well explained

[@davidlewien8632]

Great tip! Will save me lots of time. Thank you.

[@aitken1965]

Thank you! This is the information that I needed!

[@thegourmetgolfer5544]

You're a lifesaver brother

[@vance7274]

Yes, Sir. You do, in fact, rock. I am at this juncture with my master bath re-model and this will be my approach.

[@rickwest2818]

Very nice. Putting that one in my pocket for a future renovation.

[@dabhob333]

That’s incredible! How many grinder pads did you go through?

[@AnonymousUser91]

Heading to Home Depot right now…thanks for the video!

[@BB-bq1xd]

Bro this has been so freaking helpful 🎉🎉🎉 thank you very much 💥🔥☄️☀️🥇💪🏻

[@vincentdupuis8134]

Thanks man! Works really well!