Easy Ways To Remove Old Ceramic Floor Tiles

Ceramic tile floors have been in use for several decades due to their flexibility in style and design. You would prefer tile flooring due to diversity in colors, shapes, and sizes that may fit your floor plan.  The material is highly water resistance with 0.5% absorption rate. Moreover, tile floors are easy to clean. With time, your floor tile may start to wear out as other pieces get cracks. In most cases, installation of new flooring may offer the best result for such problems.

Before the renovation, you will have to remove the old floor tiles first and level the floor before installing a new flooring if you’re a do-it-yourself enthusiast. Doing some tasks yourself during flooring renovation can save you some bucks. Do you know how to remove your ceramic floor tiles? Well, you needn’t worry. Continue reading to get equipped with the knowledge of how to remove tile from the concrete floor.

Tools & Materials That You Will Need to Remove Floor Tiles

• Protective clothing
• Painter’s tape
• Plastic for covering surfaces
• Leather gloves
• Goggles for eye protection
• Mallet
• Knee pads
• Broom and a dustpan
• Floor scraper
• Thin-set mortar
• Shop Vacuum
• Floor scraper
• Flat trowel
• Carpenter’s level
• Cold chisel
• Dust mask
• Electric tile stripper

How To Remove Ceramic Tiles From The Concrete Floor

The process of removing tile floors takes time and hard work. Thus, you need to prepare yourself adequately and have the right tools and equipment before beginning the task.  Since the tiles do not have a sub-floor underlay or structures that may require you to remove within a short time, tile requires knocking to detach them from the adhesives. Below are the steps to guide you on how to remove ceramic floor tile from your old floor.

Preparation to Remove The Ceramic Floor Tile

Adequate preparation makes work more comfortable, efficient and accidents-free. Removal of tiles from concrete floors is a dusty business that requires you to be in proper protection gears. The protective kits will keep you safe from flying debris that may perhaps cause you a severe injury.

1. Put on protective gloves, long-sleeved shirt and a pant
2. Wear eye protection and mask to protect you from the dust
3. Clear the room of all the furniture to give an ample space with little or no obstruction
4. Protect other surfaces with plastic protectors to keep them safe from dust and stray debris

The process

1. Position the tip of the cold chisel at an angle lesser than 45 degrees between the tiles and the concrete hammer to remove the tiles. The work will be faster if you start with the broken tiles due to the loose grout that will offer a better point to start lifting the tile.
2. If there is no loose tile, try to loosen the tiles from one end.
3. In case you meet a hard-to-remove tile, strike on the face to break it into pieces that you can easily remove.
4. Use a masonry chisel that is about 2.5 cm wide for a better result
5. Continue hitting the chisel with a mallet to loosen and lift off the tiles. Alternatively, you can use a sledge hammer to hit the chisel instead of a mallet.  Never worry even if some tiles do not come out in a whole piece as you’re chipping away.
6. Strike the top of stubborn tiles with a chisel to break it into pieces to enable easy removal at another angle.
7. Side-move the broken pieces of the tile to allow more space for you to reach other tiles.
8. Sweep the broken pieces using a hard broom and a dustpan to help in proper disposal of the trash when through with the task of removing the tiles. Alternatively, you can vacuum up the dust and smaller pieces of debris.

How To Remove Floor Tile Adhesives

After
successfully removing the tiles, you’ll notice that there are tile adhesives
that remain rough and ugly on the concrete floor. Through the same way of tile
removal, you will still use the chisel and a mallet to remove the residues in
the following steps.

• Hit the chisel to scrape off the adhesives. It will be easier if you use a bigger chisel to hasten the work.
• Remove as much adhesives as possible and only leave a thin layer
• Smoothen the floor using a floor scraper. The scraper is readily available in any home improvement store or online
• Clear all the remaining dust particles using a vacuum.
• Level the floor by applying a thin-set mortar. Ensure you read the manufacturer’s instruction on the right way to mix and apply the mortar.
• Use a square-notched trowel to help make grooves that can enable you to lay new flooring.

Bottom line

Though the process may seem lengthy, if you follow every step, you will remove the tiles seamlessly. Moreover, the time taken to finish the work will depend on the size of the floor under renovation. You can contact an expert if the process to remove the tile floors is not your cup of tea.