How to Safely Remove Your Floor Tiles

Sometimes, the simplest home projects start with your floors. Though one of the largest installments that occupy an area of your property, it is still possible to have them repaired and/or revamped through do-it-yourself methods. In order to perfectly execute this task, however, you need to know how to safely remove your flooring – especially when it comes to floor tiles.

Out of all the available flooring materials used in an average home, tiles are known to be one of the trickiest ones to remove. Because of its material – be it ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, and the like – a simple misstep, or mistake, may send a stray shard flying across the room, or encourage mold buildup; rendering all your hard work meaningless.

Avoid wasting your precious time and resources, and a shoddy floor job, by following this simple step-by-step process, and you will be able to install your home tiles like pros in no time.

Things You’ll Need

Before you get started, you will need a few materials to make the job easier. After all, you can’t start a project without having the proper tools.

• Hammer
• Chisel
• Shingle Scraper
• Tile Scrapper
• Putty Knife
• Pliers
• Broom and Dustpan
• Goggles
• Gloves
• Safety Mask
• Cloth
• Blanket

Step-by-Step Process :

Prepping the Area

Before the installation proper, you need to prepare your surroundings, first and foremost. For one thing, it is a good way to keep your valuable items clean and free from dust. Your furniture should be covered with a large cloth or blanket at all times, and move all of your electronic devices and appliances to another room. It is also wise to sweep up the place, so that you will not have to deal with a lot of things to clean up after the process.

Safety First

You do not want to injure yourself while doing this. A stray tile shard or inhaling too much dust will affect your health – if not immediately, then in the near future. So put on your safety gloves and mask, and wear protective goggles to avoid giving yourself unnecessary wounds and illnesses.

Hit the Tile at the Center

Cover the tile with a cloth before hitting its center with one swift blow of your hammer. Be careful when you are doing this step, because the edges of the tiles are sharp. Besides, you do not want to experience a loose projectile flying towards your face.

Chip out the Tile

Using your chisel, remove the grout by hammering its top to chip out the tile. Repeat this step and the previous one until you have removed several tiles. If the tile is stubborn, use the shingle scraper by sliding it under the tile with a jabbing motion, so that you can lift up the tile from the floor’s surface.

Scraping out the Remains

If more tile pieces remain on your floors, use the scraper and remove them. You will notice that the adhesive of the floor is pliable; therefore, you should have no difficulty removing them.

Remove all the Adhesives

Use the putty knife to chip off the setting material of the wall until your floor’s surface is almost even. You do not have to be precise with this step, because you are just simply making enough space for the new tile.

Remove Lugs

Spacer lugs are metal objects that are left behind during the removal process. They can easily be removed with a pinch-and-pull motion of your pliers.