If your ceramic tile is old, dingy or cracked, it may be time to think about replacing it. When you have decided to remove tile flooring, it isn’t an easy task; nor is a neat and tidy project. You should be fully prepared for the mess that is about to ensue. It can be a big job and shouldn’t be done if you don’t understand what you are getting yourself into. Mike’s Custom Flooring is here to talk about the steps necessary to remove ceramic tile flooring.
Demolition Hammer, Chisel & Other Tile Removal Tools
You are going to need some specific tools to help you in an effort to remove your ceramic tile flooring. Here is a list of the supplies that you need to get started:
– Floor scraper
– Handheld chisel
– Painter scraper
– Safety glasses
– High quality gloves
– Dust mask
– Drop cloth
Mortar VS. Mastic Tile Adhesive
When your tile floor is installed on mastic rather than mortar, you have hit the jackpot. It is much easier to remove this way, and you can probably get away with removing it simply using a hand scraper. Tile flooring that is installed on mortar, takes much more manual labor to remove and can be extremely difficult.
How to Remove Mortar from Tile Flooring
1. Using a hammer, you need to break up the first tile. If there is already a cracked tile, start there. Remember that the edges of broken tile can be very sharp and should always be handled using the upmost care.
2. Once you have broken up the first piece of tile, you will use the chisel to remove it and work at doing this with several tiles. These first two steps will need to be repeated until there are several tiles that are out of the way.
3. Depending on the adhesive used to install the tile flooring, it may be easier to remove once you have some tiles out of the way. If the adhesive is pliable, you can start to scrape away several tiles at the same time and the job is a cake walk. If the adhesive is a cement-like substance, you have your work cut out for you.
4. If the adhesive is too difficult to remove with a scraper, you can try heating it up and then slowly working away at it. Your hammer will come in handy as you work to get rid of this adhesive. If the task seems impossible, you can consider installing a new underlayment all together.
Ceramic Tile Demolition Services & More in Charles Town & Eastern Panhandle of Berkeley & Jefferson Counties in WV | Winchester & Frederick County | Round Hill & Loudoun County | Berryville & Clarke County | Herndon & Fairfax County VA
Removing tile flooring is no joke. The process can require brute strength depending on how the flooring was installed in the first place. If you are struggling with this project or hesitating to even start, it may be time to call in the flooring specialists at Mike’s Custom Flooring for help. We have the training and the right equipment needed to successfully remove your old tile flooring. We will handle the entire removal process and prep the subfloor for your new flooring choice. Call us today!
