Flooring Tile - Covered A Heating Vent With Tile...

So yeah...I've screwed up, yet again.

My Kitchen has two heating vents....I thought it only had one. I made the cuts for the one vent; it was a big pain in the butt - but the tiles fit perfectly around it.

The other one is covered with hardi backerboard and at least half covered with a tile that has been motared into place.

What are my options at this point....can I cut the tile that is already put down, as it is covering half the vent....can I just leave it covered (it's not cold near it or anything).

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Come on Dude, don't be silly. Maybe it's not cold there....but does it ever get hot? Maybe you'd like that vent for air conditioning? :thinker:

You need this http://www.makita.com/menu.php?pg=product_det&tag=9564PC

With a proper blade http://207.38.6.232/menu.php?pg=accessory_list&tag=acc_grinder_diamond&cat_tag=134

And a shop vac.

Jaz

Gosh, Rob, that's a shame!

I think Jaz has a good solution for you, and I'm sure Mr. Cline will be along with another.

Can you post a picture for us?

If you don't have the money for the grinder, you could probably rent one.

The tile may be set, but it hasn't had time to reach full strength, yet- maybe you can just use a hammer and chisel.

Connie

Thanks for the posts all; again, I really appreciate it.

This is blurry - but it's the best I could do.
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/7207/p00081kc2.jpg

As you can see, it's just the corner of one tile that I need to cut. I was hoping to do it without spending a lot of money - is there a handtool that I could use to cut it?

Rob

No hand tool. You'll need an angle grinder for this. Why not remove the tile. 1 tile gotta be cheaper than an grinder. You have a lot of options for cutting out the backer board. Even a carbide blade on a jig saw will do that.:)

Seems the the hammer was used to cut out the backerboard already so might as well continue in that fashion.:)

I don't see why you can't pop up that tile and start over with it. If you break the tile your out $1.49.:)

You might first try to use a glass cutter to score/scribe the tile along the cut line then use that trusty hammer to break the tile HOPEFULLY breaking it in a clean line but then you would have to spend money on a glass cutter. It would be cheaper to waste the tile. Don't expect to save the little giblet if you try the glass cutter thing.

You have probably already prematurely pounded on the floor enough to compromise the bond of the newly set tiles anyway, so the tile should come out without much resistance.:)

So, it's probably best to just knock out that one tile- (that's what I meant about the hammer and chisel...just slip the chisel- cold chisel or mason's chisel works best- under the edge and hammer it back until tile pops up.)

Also, when you reach a stopping point, take the flat side of the trowel and scrape up the excess mortar. If you leave what you've already spread and ridged without a tile, when you come back to the job, you'll have a problem with that mortar that you left behind.

Are you trying to get all the tiles laid except for the ones you'll need to cut with a wet saw?

Connie

For sure get that tile out of there. You need the cfm from that register for the AC more than for heat.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I was hoping to cut the tile rather than remove it because I was out of full-sized, uncut, tiles and I knew I'd have a heck of a time getting it up without breaking it. Sure enough, I broke it; but a quick trip to the store and problem solved.