How To Lift Floor Tiles
10/04/2025Lifting Floor Tiles vs Removing Floor Tiles
‘How to lift floor tiles’ can mean either the removal of floor tiles from your floor or lifting floor tiles effectively without damaging them for your flooring project. In this article, we cover best practices for both.
How To Remove Floor Tiles
Removing floor tiles or removing wall tiles can seem daunting, but with the right tools and techniques, you can accomplish it efficiently and safely. This guide will walk you through the process, highlighting essential tools like tile lifters and tile suckers and tile lifting systems to make the job easier.
Ideal For Setting Flooring & Tiles
White, Non-Marking Rubber Head
Non-Slip Rubber Grip Handle
Weight: 16oz
Vitrex Professional Rubber Mallet RMAL001
£9.59 INC VAT
Ideal Tool For Removing Paint, Stubborn Adhesive And Debris From Most Surfaces
Comfortable Rubber Handle
Stainless Steel Blade
Non-slip Thumb Rest
Can Be Used With Extension Poles
Vitrex Chisel Scraper PROCHS100
£8.39 INC VAT
Tools You'll Need
Before starting, gather the following tools:
Grout Removal Tool: Facilitates the removal of grout surrounding the tiles.
Hammer and Chisel: Useful hand tools for loosening stubborn tiles. The Vitrex Chisel Scraper and Vitrex Professional Rubber Mallet make a good combination.
Protective Gear: Whether you need work gloves, dust control equipment, ear defenders, safety goggles or glasses, or even knee pads and kneeling pads, we stock an extensive range of personal protective equipment (PPE) designed to provide you with the protection needed at work.
Sanding Block: You may need to smooth the subflooring with something like the Silverline Floor Rubbing Block.
Step-by-Step Guide to Removing Floor Tiles
Prepare the Area: Clear the room of furniture and other items. Ensure you have adequate lighting and ventilation.
Start Removing the Tiles: Starting at a corner or edge, tap a chisel under the tile at a shallow angle. This helps loosen the tile from the tile adhesive beneath. Keep repeating this for each tile, working systematically across the floor. Take care to avoid damaging the subfloor, remember a dust mask and safety glasses to protect your eyes from the tile shards.
Clean the Subfloor: After all tiles are removed, scrape off any remaining tile adhesive to see if the existing subfloor is in good enough condition to re-use. If not, remove and replace the old subflooring or smooth the subflooring with a sanding block.
Read more: How To Remove Floor Tile Adhesive
How to Lift Floor Tiles
Tools You'll Need
Before starting, gather either a tile lifter or a tile lifting system:
Tile Lifter/Tile Sucker (Suction Cup): A specialised tool designed to lift and remove tiles without causing damage. Utilises suction to adhere to the tile surface, allowing for easy lifting. Our diverse range of tile suction lifters includes a variety of industry-leading brands known for their exceptional performance, such as a Grabo tile lifter like the Grabo Ottovac, Rubi suction cup, Bihui suction cup, Raimondi RV175, and many more to provide perfect grip, even on textured tiles.
Tile Lifting System: An essential piece of kit for the flawless installation of large format tiles. We offer a range of high-quality tile lifting systems designed to simplify your tiling tasks, improve productivity, reduce operator fatigue, and avoid unnecessary tile breakages. Our collection features lifting systems from reputable manufacturers known for their industry-leading tiling tools, such as the Montolit Superstick, Rubi Slim/Slab Trans, Battipav AGILE, Raimondi Easy-Move, Bihui Lifting Systems, and Sigma KERA-LIFT.
Guide to Lifting Floor Tiles
Choose the tile lifter:
For larger tiles, consider using a tile lifting system to handle the increased weight and size of the tiles, with multiple suckers and rails to help lifting.
Individual tile lifters or tile suction cups would be ideal for more standard tile sizes and weight.
Read more: Six Essential Tiling Tools for Installing Large Format Tiles
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions: Once you’ve selected the right tile lifter or tile lifting system for your project, you need to follow the manufacturer's instructions for said choice. You’ll want to explore Vacuum Suction Cups, Electric Tile Lifters, and Suction Clamps, as well as tile lifting systems. If you’re ever in doubt of which products would be right for you, don’t hesitate to contact our team for guidance.
From single-handed tile suction cups and tile lifters for small tiles to heavy-duty tile lifter systems for large-format tiles, we've got the right tile lifting system for you. Here are some examples of the varying types of tile lifters and lifting systems available at Pro Tiler Tools:
Product Name | Type of Tile Lifter or Lifting System | Product Image | Useful Information |
 | The maximum load you could lift is 110kg - this is a great choice for the manipulation of large-format tiles or ceramic sheets, both smooth and rough. | ||
 | Affordable and ideal for lifting, positioning, and setting large format tiles. It has a holding power of 110kg when used on clean, smooth, non-porous surfaces. | ||
 | Maximum load capacity of 30kg, with tile on horizontal position on smooth and clean surfaces. | ||
 | Suitable for a wide variety of materials thanks to its interchangeable bases. The machine can be used for up to 3 hours continuously and has a max lifting capacity of 170kg. | ||
 | 170kg of grabbing force that can secure to almost any surface, even on rough paving slabs. This monitors the vacuum, and if pressure is lost, the pump is automatically powered up. | ||
 | Specifically designed for large format tiles; a quick system for a complete set-up according to the slab dimension. With 2 Telescopic Bars With 4 Handles, Kit Crossbars, and 6 Suction Cups. | ||
 | This features self-priming electronic suction cups and a folding frame for easy transporting, with a max load of 50kg. | ||
Raimondi Easy-Move X-Light 8 Sucker Large Format Tile Lifting System |  | All suction cups can be easily slid into any position along the profiles with a maximum slab length of 320cm. | |
Sigma KERA-LIFT 3400mm x 1600mm Large Format Tile Lifting System |  | Equipped with suction cups for lifting, handling, and laying large tiles, and is able to hold a max weight of 150kg. |
Tile Suckers FAQS
How Do You Get Suction Cups To Stick To Tile?
To get suction cups to stick to tile, ensure the surface is clean, dry, and smooth, and slightly dampen the suction cup before pressing it firmly onto the tile, ensuring no air bubbles are trapped.
Do Suction Cups Work On Tile?
Suction cups adhere best to smooth, non-porous surfaces such as tile, glass, fiberglass, or metal.
What Is The Best Suction Cup For Porcelain Tile?
If you’re looking for a suction cup for porcelain tiles, here are some popular options:
Why Does My Suction Cup Keep Falling Off?
Any residue or debris on the suction cup could make it slip, so make sure you keep the surface of the tile suction cup and the tile clean.
How To Make Suction Cups Stick
✅ Clean the Tile Surface Thoroughly: Use warm soapy water to remove dust, dirt, or grease. Dry completely with a lint-free cloth. Dirt or oil is often the main culprit for suction failure.
Read more: Tile Cleaner: What Is The Best Thing To Clean Tiles With?
✅ Choose the Right Tile Surface: Works best on glossy, non-porous surfaces like: Polished ceramic, Glassy tiles, and porcelain. Avoid textured, matte, or porous tiles—suction won’t last.
✅ Avoid putting too much weight on them: check the weight rating and go below that limit.
For any technical advice and support or product information about tile suction cups & tile lifters, or tile lifting systems, contact our experienced sales team at 01604 859800 or via email at [email protected].