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Break up a concrete floor

Updated: 2026-10-23

A domestic floor that will not move is usually a thickness problem and a services problem before it is a tool problem. You need to know whether you are on a thin screed or a solid slab, and whether a cable or a pipe runs under the line you want to open. This page is only that job: break up a concrete floor in a house, once, with a corded tool from the [demolition hammer comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/demolition-hammer) or with a hire breaker. Prices are the amazon.co.uk capture of 19 October 2026. Products Compared did not measure your slab. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A domestic floor that will not move is usually a thickness problem and a services problem before it is a tool problem.

Our top picks

JCB JCB 21-DH1300 15 J SDS-Max demolition hammer

Best overall

JCB JCB 21-DH1300 15 J SDS-Max demolition hammer
7.7/10about £128.90
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Einhell Einhell TC-DH 43 SDS-hex demolition hammer

Alternative

Einhell Einhell TC-DH 43 SDS-hex demolition hammer
8.7/10about £164.98
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Draper Draper Expert 81077 SDS-Max breaker

Rank 3

Draper Draper Expert 81077 SDS-Max breaker
9.2/10about £119.94
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On this page
  1. 1.What is under the floor
  2. 2.Screed, slab or steel
  3. 3.How to break the floor
  4. 4.When to hire

What is under the floor

HSE treats utility plans as indicative, not as a guarantee of where the pipe sits. Gas, water, electricity and communications can all cross a domestic floor. Do not use a power tool within 0.5 m of a suspected route. If the mark is uncertain, the floor stops being a DIY break. A consumer unit, a radiator pipe into the screed, or a manhole outside are reasons to scan again. A hand test hole, away from the likely route, tells you the thickness. A breaker is a poor way to discover a pipe. These tools have no extraction, and breaking concrete makes silica dust.

Screed, slab or steel

BuildWiz's rule of thumb, not a test of these ASINs, puts tiles around 2–5 J, a 50–75 mm screed around 8–15 J, and a 100–150 mm slab around 20–30 J. Reinforced concrete is 30 J or a contractor. If the test hole shows mesh or bar, stop. SDS-Plus tools here are about 3.5–6 J. They suit a thin screed and they are the wrong class for a solid floor. The HYCHIKA does not state joules. The Draper Expert 81077 is 25 J, SDS-Max and 7 kg at £119.94. One UK review still called that class of tool feeble, so a thick, sound slab can be too much for 7 kg. The JCB 21-DH1300 at 15 J fits screed and a thin layer over floorboards, and weight is not listed. The Einhell TC-DH 43 is 43 J, SDS-hex and 14.6 kg. The TE-DH 32 is 32 J and 16.3 kg. If the steel is there, the decision is a contractor.
JCB JCB 21-DH1300 15 J SDS-Max demolition hammer

Testsieger

JCB JCB 21-DH1300 15 J SDS-Max demolition hammer
7.7/10about £128.90
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How to break the floor

Start at the furthest edge, stand on unbroken concrete, keep the cord behind you, and do not lever. Work back towards the door so you are not trapping yourself on rubble. Clear each bay into a barrow before the next one. A fireplace job with the TC-DH 43 filled about 16 wheelbarrows in one review. That shows volume, not a quota for your room.

When to hire

Hire fleets are often 110 V. A 230 V Amazon breaker does not replace the transformer. TradePoint listed a 110 V Hilti weekend bundle with a 3 kVA transformer at £99 including VAT. J.S. Winder listed a 230 V Hilti TE 700-AVR at £24 a day. Both figures are local and they move. For one slab, hire is often the better buy. Repeated small breaks are the case for the Draper, if 25 J and 7 kg match the floor you measured. Stop for reinforcement, a structural bay, or a service mark inside 0.5 m. Then it is a 3.5–6 J drill for a thin screed, a breaker in the 20 J-plus class for a solid slab, or a hire desk.

Common questions

Can I use my SDS-Plus drill on the floor?
Use it for tiles and a thin screed, as a rule of thumb around 3.5–6 J, and not for a solid slab. If the chisel is polishing the surface, you are on the wrong machine. A longer session does not add joules, and it does add vibration time.
How do I know if there is a cable or pipe underneath?
Start with plans, then a locator, and treat the drawings as indicative. HSE says not to use a power tool within 0.5 m of a suspected route. A hand test hole, away from that route, is how you learn the thickness. A breaker is a poor way to discover a pipe.
What joules for screed versus solid concrete?
BuildWiz's rule of thumb is about 8–15 J for a 50–75 mm screed and about 20–30 J for a 100–150 mm solid slab. In this set that points to the 15 J JCB for lighter work and to the 25 J Draper or the heavier Einhell breakers for a solid slab. Reinforced concrete is a contractor.
Do I need a transformer?
You need one if the breaker is 110 V, which is common on hire. You do not plug a 230 V Amazon tool into a 110 V site lead. The Draper title is the only listing here that states a BS plug. Confirm the voltage on the machine you actually collect.
When is the floor a contractor job?
When you find reinforcement, when the slab is structural or load-bearing, or when a service is inside 0.5 m and you cannot prove a clear route. A 110 V site without a transformer is a hire problem. A floor that building control will ask about is a contractor problem, not a longer day with a heavier chisel.
Is a 7 kg 25 J tool enough?
It can be, for a solid slab in the rough 100–150 mm band, which is why the Draper is the light breaker in this set. It is not a promise. A UK review of that class of tool found it too feeble for the concrete on the day, and 7 kg will not replace a 14 kg breaker or a contractor once you hit thick, sound or reinforced concrete.

Related pages

How to use a demolition hammer

Best demolition hammer

Demolition hammer

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SDS Max vs rotary hammer: when the chisel is enough

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. HSE vibration regulations (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE vibration risk table (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE construction vibration (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. HSE CIS36, silica dust (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. HSE CIS65, buried services (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. BuildWiz SDS breaker guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. TradePoint 110 V demolition breaker weekend hire (retrieved 19 October 2026)