Removing Ceramic Floor Tiles – You Don’t Need a Professional
If you are tackling this job don’t give up easily and remember that each experience in renovation is a learning one. Removing ceramic floor tile is a good place to begin. Safety is always important so remember eye protection and gloves before you begin any project, especially removing ceramic floor tile. In order to be successful in removing ceramic floor tile one of the first major steps is removing any and every object that is located on the chosen floor. Although removing ceramic floor tile is a job you can do on your own you may need a few heavy lifting friends in order to clear the work area. Remember to shut off the water when separating any pipes that may be connected if working in the kitchen or bathroom. Flooded floors will not make tile removal easier. There is nothing delicate or neat to the next step of the process so grab a sledgehammer and whack away.
Depending on the size of the room and the floor that you are removing from, you may need a removable waste container or other means of disposing the garbage that will accumulate from this job. Just as removing ceramic floor tile is not an easy job, it is also not a tidy one. Prepare the rest of the house as you would for any other dusty project. Cover furniture and carpeted areas unless you would like to replace them as well. Remember to keep ventilation in the work area, but keep in mind that dust will travel to any other space left open in the home. After the work required for removing ceramic floor tile and replacing it, no one wants to have to clean the residue from the rest of the house.
As with replacement of any home furnishing, removing a single tile is simple and much easier than removing an entire floor of them. With the wear and tear of everyday life, this is a skill that any home owner should learn to master on their own. It is as simple as grabbing your hammer and your chisel and breaking the grout around the tile until you can pry up the tile itself. Pry gently if you are only removing one, as you do not want to damage the other tiles surrounding it. If you damage surrounding tiles you will find yourself doing more than just removing them. A strong putty knife slides under the tile easily and will facilitate the process of removing ceramic floor tile. If you are removing ceramic floor tile in the entire room than just continue this process until all of the tiles are loose and remove them from the work area.
All ceramic tiles can be removed the same way regardless of the ground that it was installed on. Although your tile may be on backer board, concrete, plywood, or even old linoleum the tile is removed in relatively the same way. Perhaps with more or less effort depending on the subflooring the tile can still removed in relatively the same fashion. After the process of removing the ceramic floor tile you will have to inspect your subflooring to see what work has to be done to prepare for tile installation. But until you are ready for the next portion of this do-it-yourself project be proud that you have tackled removing ceramic floor tile.