A Step By Step Guide To Floor Tile Removal

Floor tiles are easy to remove and require the implementation of only basic renovation processes which can be done by almost anyone. The whole process involves the removal or lifting up of the tiles present currently and scrapping off any glue present on the subflooring.

Materials and tools required

The things that are generally required for this DIY or do-it-yourself process are:

• A chisel with hand guard and flat spades,
• Small sledgehammer and hand held scraper,
• Power scraper and electric chipping hammer,
• Putty knife,
• Wraparound safety glasses,
• Leather rigger gloves,
• Disposable dust masks,
• Protective ear muffs and knee pads,
• Assorted cleaning materials like bucket, dustpan, brush, etc.,
• White rags and plastic backed canvas.

Step by step guide

Removal of tiles made of stone, ceramic or even porcelain can involve a lot of noise and back breaking work and is also quite messy. Hence it is important to be properly clad in the protective wear mentioned above and also have the required cleaning materials at hand. There are two methods involved in this process. They are:

• Removing tiles from concrete slabs:This can require quite a bit of effort and involves:

• Wearing the safety gear first,
• Breaking up the tile using

• Hand tools like the sledgehammer or
• Power tools like the power scraper and electric chipping hammer,
• Loosening up the tile with the help of a long poled hand scraper,
• Sweeping up the small shards of the tile with the help of a broom and a dustpan.
• Removing the tiles from cement boards: This is a lot easier and further replacement of the cement board also does not cost a lot of money. The actual process includes:

• Selecting a place to begin: This should preferably be at an edge either

• From where two different types of flooring merge or
• From the point of a tile floor merging with the walls.

• Removing a small area: An area which is as wide as the shovel being used and atleast a few inches deep should be initially removes by:

• Chipping out the grout with the help of a sledgehammer and a putty knife,
• Prying off the tile by wedging the putty knife under it and exerting pressure with the hammer.

• Striking the cement board: The cement board present underneath needs to be continuously struck with a hammer to:

• Pulverise the board and
• Expose the wooden subfloor beneath.

• Prying up the cement board with the tile attached: This is done with a flat spade or a pry bar by:

• Easily removing a cement board secured using roofing nails or
• Breaking the cement board into pieces if it is installed using screws and removing the screws later on.

Some extra precautions

Some extra precautions that need to be taken include:

• Covering any surfaces that need to be protected using drop sheets,
• The glue needs to be taken off the floor after the tile has been removed,
• Sweeping and cleaning constantly to ensure no disaster results from broken pieces of shards lying in the vicinity.

The whole process is quite simple, if a bit tedious. It also saves a lot of money and gives homeowners a satisfaction which would otherwise have been lacking if the job was done by a professional.