Removing tile leveling clips takes a few minutes per room, but doing it too early or in the wrong direction can undo hours of careful setting. A clip removed while the mortar is soft lets tile settle; a clip struck across the joint can chip an edge or leave plastic where grout should go. This guide explains how to remove tile leveling clips and when, the best way to do it on floors and walls, how to deal with stuck or broken clips, and what to do with the wedges.
When can you remove tile leveling clips?
Remove tile leveling clips once the mortar has cured enough to hold the tile without the clips, which is usually when it is firm enough to walk on according to the mortar bag. Removing them while the mortar is still soft can let tiles shift and reintroduce lippage.
A quick check: press a fingernail into mortar squeeze-out in a joint. If it dents, wait. If it is hard and the tile does not move when you step near the edge, the clips can come out. The clip’s job ends when the mortar takes over holding the tile.
How long to wait before removing tile leveling clips?
Wait for the cure time printed on your mortar for light foot traffic. That time depends on the product, temperature and humidity: rapid-setting mortars cure much faster than standard thin-set, and cool, damp rooms such as showers slow curing down. When in doubt, wait longer.
There is no single number that fits every mortar, so the bag is the authority. Large format tile and thick mortar beds take longer to cure than small tile on a thin bed. In a shower, give the mortar extra time before you remove clips from the walls.
What is the best way to remove tile leveling clips?
The best way to remove tile leveling clips is to strike the top of each clip in line with the grout joint, with a rubber mallet or a firm kick, so it snaps at its break point below the tile surface. Never hit across the joint, because that pushes the clip against the tile edge.
- Leave the wedge in place. Striking the clip top with the wedge still in it snaps the clip and frees the wedge in one move.
- Stand so you can strike along the joint’s direction.
- Tap or kick the clip top sharply in that direction. It should snap cleanly at the break point.
- Check the joint. The clip base stays under the tile; nothing should stick up into the grout space.
Next Level break-off leveling clips with a clean break point are engineered to snap at the grout line with no protrusions left behind, and can be removed with a rubber mallet or a kick, per the product page.
How do you remove tile leveling clips from a wall?
On a wall, remove clips by tapping each clip top with a rubber mallet along the line of the joint, horizontal clips sideways and vertical clips up or down. Support the mallet swing so it does not hit the tile face, and work from the top down.
Wall mortar in a bathroom can take longer to cure, so do not rush. Shower walls lit from the side show lippage clearly, which is one reason to leave clips until the mortar is fully hard. For wall setting tips, see using a tile leveling system on walls and showers.
How do you remove stuck or broken clips?
For a stuck clip, remove the wedge first, then strike again along the joint. If a clip breaks high and leaves plastic in the joint, cut it flush below the tile surface with a utility knife or an oscillating tool, taking care not to touch the tile edge.
Clips usually stick because the mortar is very hard around them or the wedge is still under tension. Avoid prying against the tile face. Any piece left in the joint must sit below the grout line, or it will show through the grout. Clean mortar squeeze-out from the joints at the same time so the grout can fill the full depth.
What do you do with the wedges after removal?
Collect the wedges as you go, soak them in a bucket of water to soften mortar residue, scrub them clean, let them dry and store them for the next job. Clean wedges grip and slide better. The clip bases stay under the tile; the broken tops go in the trash.
Next Level wedges are reusable job after job; see the wedges page. Throw away any wedge with stripped teeth or a cracked body. Then grout. Keep your tools organized as described in tile leveling tools, and for the setting steps that come before removal, read how to use a tile leveling system.
What should you check before grouting?
Before grouting, make sure every clip top is gone, no plastic sticks up above the bottom of the joint, mortar squeeze-out is cleaned from the joints, and tiles are still flush. Run a hand or straightedge across a few joints; fixing a problem now is easier than after grout.
Vacuum the joints to remove dust and broken plastic, because debris in the joint weakens the grout and can show as dark spots. If a tile moved during clip removal, it is better to know before grout locks it in. This short check is also a good moment to collect any wedges that rolled into corners.
Frequently asked questions
Can I grout before removing the clips?
No. Remove clips first so grout fills the full joint.
Do the clip bases under the tile cause problems?
No. They are thin and sit in the mortar under the tile, which is how leveling systems are designed.
Is removing floor clips different from wall clips?
Only in how you strike: on floors you can kick along the joint; on walls you tap with a mallet.
Key terms
- Stuck clip: a leveling clip that will not snap off with a normal strike, often because the wedge is still tight.
- Broken clip: a clip that snapped above its break point and left plastic in the joint.
- Removal direction: striking a clip along the line of the grout joint, never across it.
- Clip base: the flat part of the clip that stays under the tile after the top is removed.
- Wedge cleaning: soaking and scrubbing reusable wedges to remove mortar before storing them.
- Mortar squeeze-out: mortar pushed up into the joints when tile is set, cleaned out before grouting.
Need clips that break clean? The Next Level tile leveling system ships nationwide, sold by quote. Request a quote for Next Level clips and wedges.