Are you looking for a change in your flooring? If you have ceramic tile it may seem like an impossible task to remove it. It’s dusty and laborious work, you may find it a rewarding process! Taking your time to do the prep work will help tile removal easier and more effective:
• move the furniture out of the room.
• seal all the HVAC vents with plastic and tape to prevent the dust you’re about to create from circulating throughout your home.
• remove the baseboards and number them if you’re planning to put them back.
• wear a dust mask, protective eyewear, work gloves and protection for your ears because it’s going to get loud!

Steps for Ceramic Tile Removal

1. Pick a starting point where the underlying floor is exposed. This may be where a toilet or vanity once sat. If you don’t have an exposed spot, you’ll need to create one. Start in a corner or a spot where the tile meets other flooring. Take the hammer and chisel and break a tile. Then you will be able to place the pry bar into the opening you’ve created. If you’re lucky to have a helper, create two starting points or start at the same spot and move in two different directions. Try not to damage the subflooring by working as parallel to the floor as you can. You’ll want the subfloor in good condition for the new flooring.
2. Use the hammer and pry bar and/or chisel and keep removing the tiles. Use 5-gallon pails to collect the pieces of tile. Then you can take them to a larger waste receptacle. You can even have a dumpster delivered to your home for larger jobs.
3. After you’ve removed a few square feet, you can use a pole scraper to make the job easier as you’ll be able to stand rather than be on your hands and knees. Just be careful so you don’t use enough force to jam or sprain your wrist. Broken pieces of tile are very sharp. The less you handle them, the better. Use a stiff broom with a large dust pan or a snow shovel to place the tile into the pails.
4. Once you’ve removed all the tile, you’ll have to check the subfloor for damage. Look for gouges, nails that are protruding and any other issues. These will need to be repaired before the new floor is installed.
5. Use a shop vac to remove any remaining dust and debris.

Ceramic Tile Demolition & Subfloor Prep 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

There are a few options when it comes to disposing of your old tile flooring. You can contact your waste removal company to find out how they want it contained. You can also contact a local recycling center to see if they are willing to take it. Some will take it to be reused, re-purposed or recycled. Save yourself the time and effort of removing your old tile floors and contact Mike’s Custom Flooring to do it for you. Give us a call today!