We recently installed a Pergo Outlastย laminate floor into a bungalow home. To do so we had to remove the tile which was coveringย theย entireย living and dining rooms. Clearly, that would involve a considerable amount of demo. For the 400 square feet we were looking at,ย it was unthinkable that we would go at the job manually. We need a power tool assist. That assist would come in the form of an accessory I spotted earlier thisย year at the 2016 World of Concrete. The Makita SDS-Max Floor Scraper was a brand new accessory designed specifically for removing tile, linoleum, and similar materials from floors.
It promised to simply what would have otherwise been a very labor-intensive job. In fact, we wanted to see if the tool would save us more than itโs worth in time and money. More on that later.
To begin the job weย enlisted several VERY goodย friends,ย and the Makita AVT rotary hammer which would be used with the floor scraper accessory. You cannotย remove tile without generating a lot of dust.ย To keep the mess from getting throughout the entire home weย used theย ZipWall ZipDoor kit. This is a dust control systemย we reviewedย several years ago, but it remains a valid solution.ย Itโs certainlyย one of the easiest to use ways toย containย dust. ZipWall also has a line ofย commercial products that are suitable for hallways or quickly walling off entire areas.
Usingย the Makita SDS-Max Floor Scraper
After clearing the furniture and installing the ZipWalls, we inserted the Makita SDS-Max floor scraper into the rotary hammer.ย We used aย 27-lb Makitaย SDS-Max HM1214C demo hammerย (visit theirย websiteย for more info) which gave us more than enough power. This demo hammer usesย Makita AVT technologyย toย significantly reduce vibration to the user. It works.
The 6โณ SDS-Maxย floor scraper slides easily into the tool. It usesย aย flexible blade thatโs replaceable, and the accessory is meant for tile and linoleum removal. It will also make quick work of any remaining thinsetโwhich really helped after weย poppedย the tile.
The Makita SDS-Max floor scraper quiteย literally explodedย the tile off the floor. It required some effort, and we had to experiment with using the correct approach angle, but it was quick. Four of us passed around the tool, and everyone commented onย how quickly it could get the basic tile off the wood floor below.ย In limited runs, the toolย actually became fun to use. If youโre doing this all dayโฆwell, I doubt youโll describe it as fun after the first 30 minutes.ย A good testimony came fromย a friend of mine, who is anย Army vet. Heโsย actually fired .50 caliber machine guns and stillย enjoyedย demoing flooring with this tool!
Makita SDS-Max Floor Scraper Features
- Shank: SDS-Max
- Blade width: 6 in. (T-02602 replaceable)
- Tapered head design
- Protective coating toย prevent rust and corrosion
- For use withย tile removal, adhesive removal and other demo applications
- Composition: High strength steel w/Grade 8 high strength bolts
- Bushings help isolate vibration
Check out all Makita products at Acme Tools!
Finishing Up
This tile overlaid a heart-pine wood floor, not a plywood sub-floor. As such, we couldnโt go at it without caring for the flooring beneath.ย Still,ย the Makita floor scraper made quick work of itโand without gougingย the wood. We not onlyย removed all of theย tile in two rooms, weย also were able toย remove a majorityย of the thinset. Afterย we finished, the newly cleaned floor had aย smooth enough surface to begin laying the Pergo Outlast laminated floor.
Thereโs no doubt that the Makita SDS-Max floor scraper will save you time. It takes some getting used to, but itโs quick. Youโll want to experiment with angles in order to achieve the fastest rate of removal as well. We found that a more horizontal angle produced the quickest results, but itโs also the least ergonomic for your back. After the tile was off, a more aggressive downward angle produced the best results for thinset removal. Itโs hard to stress just how much time this accessory saves. Iย would no longerย do a job like this without it. The floor scraper accessory runs just underย $160 and replacement blades are $55 (which includes replacement bolts and bushings).
The only negative is how quickly the nuts will loosen over time as you use it. I would highly recommend grabbing some locking washers and Locktite for the bolts. It will save you some hassle in the long run. Hopefully, Makita will improve the design to allow for aggressive use without having to findย aftermarket solutions to hold it all together.
