If your ceramic tile is old and dated, it may be time to upgrade your flooring. Whether you are thinking about installing hardwood flooring, you will need to get rid of the old to put in the new. Taking out ceramic flooring can be quite the task. Mike’s Custom Flooring is here to walk you through the steps it takes to get rid of ceramic flooring.

Step 1: Take Cover

Before you start anything, you need to prepare the space by covering any and everything that you care about. Think massive amounts of dust. When you start to tear out that ceramic flooring, there will be fine dust everywhere and over everything that isn’t appropriately covered. You will be removing dust for weeks if you don’t have the surroundings covered.

Step 2: Get Out Your Sledge Hammer

This may be like therapy for some people. Start to use a sledge hammer to break up all the tile. As you swing the sledge hammer, you should do so with the hammer head at an angle for best results. The tile fragments that will be breaking and flying as you throw down the hammer will be sharp. You need to be wearing the appropriate clothing for this. Your legs should be covered and you should have protective eyewear on so you don’t injure yourself in this process.

Step 3: Remove Tile from the Edges

You most likely won’t want to swing that hammer too close to the edges for fear of damaging the walls or cupboards in your kitchen. To remove the tile around the edge of the room you can use a chisel or a hammer drill to get rid of it. This can be a tedious process so prepare yourself to be on your knees for a long period of time. You should invest in some quality kneepads to protect them.

Step 4: Get Rid of the Broken Tile

To go any further in the process, it is time to clean up all the broken tile. There will be a lot of it and you won’t be able to see the floor to get rid of the thin set. Beware when you are using your hands to pick up the tile; it can be sharp and will cut you if you don’t have gloves on.

Step 5: Scrape Off the Thin Set

This is where you need to get out your elbow grease. There will be a layer of thing set over the entire floor that was adhering the tile to the floor. This needs to be removed with a hammer drill or a chisel. It is important to wear a mask to protect your lungs from the dust.

Step 6: Smooth the Floor

Using a floor scraper, you can now smooth out the floor and get rid of any last little bits of thin set that may be lingering behind. The floor needs to be smooth to replace it with new flooring.

Ceramic Floor Demolition, Removal & 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

The process of removing ceramic tile can be a big job. Most often it is best left to the flooring professionals at Mike’s Custom Flooring. We have the equipment and experience needed to get rid of your outdated ceramic tile flooring quick to save you from the back breaking labor it entails. Call us today!