Individual Time Removal

I think I would look at an oscillating saw/multitool. I bought this one..

... all probably more than you wanted to pay, but may get the job done without damaging adjacent tiles.

Dave

Dave

1. grout removal. there are tow lines of possible attack here - physical assault with e,g an angle grinder with a diamond edged disk, or chemical warfare using something that will attack the grout - like acid of some sort., Hydrochloric is probably best but keep it away from chrome...
2. Tile removal. As I discovered to my dismay when re fitting some 20 year old tiling, some waterproof tile cements are not cements at all, but a loaded acrylic glue. And the only thing that got them do weaken was paint stripper. Now this wont be easy to use on tiles still firmly affixed in place. Mine were all falling off due to a failure of what they were laid on, so it wasn't too much of an issue for me. It is possible that more (careful) work with a diamond cutting disk would break the tile up enough to be chipped out, or al least ground out with a Dremel type tool with an appropriate bit..

Overall I think slow and careful is the watchword. I'd probably go for grinding with a mask on

It depends on the tools you have available. Simplest (on a solid, modern'ish, wall) would be to use a hammer and punch near the centre of the tile to start to break it and then work outwards. Alternatively, drill some holes into the tile and then carefully break bits away, working towards the edges. Slightly better (but messier) is to cut it with an angle grinder. A multitool (with a suitable blade) can be useful to remove the grout but it's easy to damage the edge of adjacent tiles, possibly better to use a grout removal hand tool.

Similar to what others have said, I would first remove the grout using a multi-tool with a grout removing part-circular blade. If you haven't got one, a manual alternative is something like this:

I usually take out the grout with a carbide or diamond grit segment saw in a multitool:

(you could do it with a smooth rim diamond blade in an angle grinder - but cut just inside the grout line to save damaging adjacent tiles).

Dremel with small pointed tungsten carbide burr. Slowly remove grout, keeping burr to the unwanted tile side so if it slips it will only damage that tile.

This sort of thing:

Many thanks for all the replies :-)

I got a hand grout remover with diamond coated blades (about the size of Stanley knife blades) but this stuff is hard!

I have had a look at the oscillating tools that people recommended. Very basic question - do they oscillate in and out like a pneumatic drill or up and down? If the former I don't think one would make much progress, up and down would be impossible to hold though?

That leaves me with something like an angle grinder with a very thin disk that fits between tiles.

Any further thoughts?

Think of the multi-tool as an angle grinder that does not rotate a full circle, at a very high speed. I think this is speeded up..

Stop worrying.

Dave

They oscillate by making very small rotations about their axis in their own plane. So, when placed in the groove between two tiles, they oscillate from side to side so that they cut into and sink into the grout. Once you've made a start, you slowly move it along the groove, removing the grout as you go.

They are the same as the gizzmos that are used to cut through plaster casts - they oscillate a few degrees and (usually) will not cut skin.

Many thanks :-)

I haven't seen one of those but now I have I can see its uses, I want to put a double sided bolt on a wooden gate and need to cut a slot for the handle to slid in so it will do that as well.

For some unknown reason I am suffering a confidence drop at the moment, if I can get these couple of jobs done OK it will help!

On order to arrive tomorrow the Workpro tool plus a set of grout blades :-)

Many thanks, very neat tool :-)

Yes, the idea is that they only cut which stay still - like plaster. Flesh will oscillate with them and not get cut - supposedly!

You need a wood cutting - or general purpose - blade for that. But take it slowly - otherwise you'll get smoke and burn marks on the wood.

They're not the tool you'll use the most, but are handy in certain cases ... they're not precision instruments though ...

Neither :-)

The oscillation is angular - they rotate a degree or so in one direction then back again in the other. So with a disc style blade attached this creates a sawing motion of the carbide disc, but without actually rotating it continuously.

A diamond disc might do it - but way more dust as it is continuously rotating and throwing stuff at speed, also less controllable as it is fighting to "pull" the tool away from you.

There is also a "knack" for plunge cuts in wood. If you try to just plunge straight in, then there is no easy way to clear the sawdust, and that makes burning worse. IME using a blade narrower that the final width of cut helps, since you can slide it back an fourth to clear the sawdust, and then you can plunge deeper at slight angles so that you have a corner of the blade engaged. That way it is ejecting new cut material out into the already cut slot.

Yup, they are often the answer to the question that starts "How the heck am I going to be able to cut that?"

precision is relative though - they will quite often have more finesse than some of the tool alternatives that might be considered, like the ubiquitous angle grinder.

Fein are credited with the invention of the medical saw in 1967, it was that which then inspired the tradesman's tool we now recognise.