Is It Easy to Take Ceramic Tile Off Wood Floor

Best way to remove ceramic floor tile - preserve hardwood floor underneath.

• Thread starter NetWareHead
• Start date Oct 12, 2015

Aug 10, 2002

5,854

154

106

• #1

Pretty much what the thread title says. Bought a fixer-upper with some horrid looking floor tiles. Nearly 1 inch thick grout between the tiles that is stained and almost black. Its not worth it to clean such grout and besides, the tile is ugly so it needs to go.

I've seen machines that can be rented at home depot etc... that are floor scrapers. Basically a big electric motor that vibrates a metal blade on a wheeled cart. The blade makes contact when pushed under a tile and breaks the mortar and tile into pieces allowing it to be removed.

I suspect there is hardwood floor underneath the tile. Found it when I removed the carpets and it looks like the hardwood continues into the tiled area. I'd like to preserve this floor if possible. Of course I know it would need to be refinished (sanded and polyed). I also understand that the tile removal process may introduce some damage into the hardwood underneath.

So the question is, what is the least damaging method of tile removal I can use that will allow me to preserve the hardwood floor underneath? Any damage that can be repaired with a typical hardwood floor refinishing is acceptable. I guess I would like to avoid deep gouging or breaking floorboards, major damage like that.

• #2

how much tile are we talking about?
My expirence with tile. If it was poorly applied. You can probably pop them off with demo bars and a hammer and they will come up easily. If they did it the right way when applied, it will most likely destroy whatever is underneath it.
If it were me i would try to pull up the tile in areas where i would think there could be serious hardwood damage underneath first. Sinks, drains, windows. If the hardwood is in bad shape there, i would probably not be as careful when pulling up the rest.

Aug 10, 2002

5,854

154

106

• #3

how much tile are we talking about?
My expirence with tile. If it was poorly applied. You can probably pop them off with demo bars and a hammer and they will come up easily. If they did it the right way when applied, it will most likely destroy whatever is underneath it.
If it were me i would try to pull up the tile in areas where i would think there could be serious hardwood damage underneath first. Sinks, drains, windows. If the hardwood is in bad shape there, i would probably not be as careful when pulling up the rest.

Talking about a galley kitchen, short hallway and a small dinette. Perhaps 300 sq ft or so worth of floor. Id like to rent a machine and get the job done in a night if possible, would like to get the place on the rental market by December.

I'll try a corner of the room with a hammer and chisel, see what kind of works this will entail.

Jan 30, 2001

15,392

78

91

• #4

Don't know how you are going to do that and preserve the hardwood. We just removed 350 sq feet of ceramic tile that was laid over linoleum and it was a major PITA. When we tried to just break the tile it became clear pretty quickly that it was going to take forever to do it that way. What I ended up doing was using a 48" pry bar to go under the plywood between the linoleum and subfloor and prying up the linoleum and tile breaking the tile along the grout lines and loosening it from the thinset. These were 1' square tiles so after removing 2 rows I would then cut the linoleum and and snap the thin plywood up against the remaining tile and start the next 2 rows. Another unanticipated issue was that once all the flooring was up we were left with hundreds of staples that held the plywood to the subfloor to deal with. We ended up removing most of them using a cats claw pry tool, the rest just pounded down.

Last edited: Oct 12, 2015

• #5

Pretty much what the thread title says. Bought a fixer-upper with some horrid looking floor tiles. Nearly 1 inch thick grout between the tiles that is stained and almost black. Its not worth it to clean such grout and besides, the tile is ugly so it needs to go.

I've seen machines that can be rented at home depot etc... that are floor scrapers. Basically a big electric motor that vibrates a metal blade on a wheeled cart. The blade makes contact when pushed under a tile and breaks the mortar and tile into pieces allowing it to be removed.

I suspect there is hardwood floor underneath the tile. Found it when I removed the carpets and it looks like the hardwood continues into the tiled area. I'd like to preserve this floor if possible. Of course I know it would need to be refinished (sanded and polyed). I also understand that the tile removal process may introduce some damage into the hardwood underneath.

So the question is, what is the least damaging method of tile removal I can use that will allow me to preserve the hardwood floor underneath? Any damage that can be repaired with a typical hardwood floor refinishing is acceptable. I guess I would like to avoid deep gouging or breaking floorboards, major damage like that.

there is going to be an underlayment under the tile. tile isn't installed directly to the wood. some poored, some is a form of back board. either one will be a lot of work to remove and saving the floor under it will be a near impossible task...

• #6

Yes this sounds too hard to preserve. Your better off doing the demo down to the subfloor and putting in a new product. If the hardwood is super good quality original hardwood, you can meticulously go tile to tile (break/lever out) and scrape all the adhesive/thinset out, but you will definitely need to refinish and it may be left with gouges that will never come out. This may not be worth the time unless the wood is priceless IMO. I would try 1-4 tiles by hand to see how long it takes and if heavy machinery might help (possibly not if you have mastic or glue under, what kind of damage is necessary and weigh the project out from there.

• #7

Talking about a galley kitchen, short hallway and a small dinette. Perhaps 300 sq ft or so worth of floor. Id like to rent a machine and get the job done in a night if possible, would like to get the place on the rental market by December.

I'll try a corner of the room with a hammer and chisel, see what kind of works this will entail.

I pulled up a kitchen that was probably half that size. 12 x 12 tiles. Rented an electric chisel. Still took two days by the time i got it straightened out.

Oct 15, 1999

18,665

3,510

126

• #8

It all depends on the instillation. If it was done properly, the hardwood under it is toast. If they did a poor job it might come up easily. You're never going to know till you try, go hit it with a hammer and see what happens.

Aug 10, 2002

5,854

154

106

• #9

Thread update:

Found that the tiles are stuck directly on to hardwood with some sort of adhesive or something like that. Doesnt seem to be any sort of mortar I've ever seen. Floor looks reasonably good underneath.

Tile needed 4-5 whacks with a standard hammer. I tried cleaning it up with a chisel and got some of the adhesive off.

My question is will this stuff come of with a typical floor sander? I have a guy coming in to sand the other floors and Im wondering if his machine will be able to remove this?

Pics: https://*******/photos/qvWfVHA56KJFxLXw7

WTF?? Why can I not post a link without the forums converting it to some gibberish that a web browser cant connect to?

Last edited: Oct 26, 2015

• #10

They glued tiles? People are incredible in the dumb crap they do.

FYI, you pics don't work

Aug 10, 2002

5,854

154

106

• #11

They glued tiles? People are incredible in the dumb crap they do.

FYI, you pics don't work

I cant post the link. The forum software converts it to some thing as seen in my post that removes the domain name

Aug 10, 2002

5,854

154

106

• #12

https://
goo .gl
/photos/qvWfVHA56KJFxLXw7

Just remove the spaces in this link and it should work. Why cant I post the link and have forum display as is??

Last edited: Oct 26, 2015

Oct 12, 2009

42,468

4,918

136

• #13

Find the installer and kick him in the nuts. Thinking the glue will clog the sanding pad in no time. Looks like they make a floor planer.

Mar 3, 2011

4,463

596

126

• #14

Hopefully it's regular latex tile adhesive.

Get some adhesive remover and a good floor scraper and scrape it off.

Oct 12, 2009

42,468

4,918

136

• #15

Hopefully it's regular latex tile adhesive.

Get some adhesive remover and a good floor scraper and scrape it off.

And kick the installer in the nuts.

• #16

Heh interesting, I am in exactly the same situation regarding tile over hardwood in a fixer upper. Well, at least I think I am. Rest of the house has hardwood under carpet, so I assume it's under the tile too. I don't close on the house for another 3 weeks, so can't try anything out yet. Please keep updated regarding how you get that adhesive off in case that's what I end up having to deal with.

Aug 10, 2002

5,854

154

106

• #17

And kick the installer in the nuts.

Meh, I bought a fixer-upper so it is what it is. Who knows how long that wood has been underneath these tiles anyway? Im more surprised the installer laid the tile rigft over hardwood flooring and used glue instead of mortar...

Aug 10, 2002

5,854

154

106

• #18

Heh interesting, I am in exactly the same situation regarding tile over hardwood in a fixer upper. Well, at least I think I am. Rest of the house has hardwood under carpet, so I assume it's under the tile too. I don't close on the house for another 3 weeks, so can't try anything out yet. Please keep updated regarding how you get that adhesive off in case that's what I end up having to deal with.

Will do. Mine is also that way. Original hardwood flooring in a house built in 1890 and covered up by this ghastly carpet. The other hardwood covered up by non impressive tile. I think the floor looks beautiful and will look better once refinished

Mar 3, 2011

4,463

596

126

• #19

Meh, I bought a fixer-upper so it is what it is. Who knows how long that wood has been underneath these tiles anyway? Im more surprised the installer laid the tile rigft over hardwood flooring and used glue instead of mortar...

The glue was probably a better choice than thinset. More flexible to allow for movement of the wood flooring.

Dec 3, 2013

38,751

3,067

121

• #20

The glue was probably a better choice than thinset. More flexible to allow for movement of the wood flooring.

I would imagine, but even then I'd imagine playing whack a tile, and getting the adhesive off will be a real PITA. 300 Sq Ft might be doable and end up with a bit of a distressed looking floor afterwards. Sanding it down after might be doable, I did it once years ago in a house and refinished it.

Aug 10, 2002

5,854

154

106

• #21

The glue was probably a better choice than thinset. More flexible to allow for movement of the wood flooring.

Its also a hidden blessing. 4-5 whacks with a regular framing hammer and the tile breaks off and chunks can be swept away. I figure about 2-3 hours of hammering and I'll have the hallway cleared.

Or, I can rent this tool from home depot tool rental: http://www6.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/Compact_Floor_Stripper/NS2010/index.html

Its not as beefy as a wheeled floor stripper (such as this: http://www6.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/PRO_Floor_Stripper/FCS16/index.html ). Even though, your hands shake like crazy after operating it and you feel beat up after a few hours using this thing. But I have used one before on tile stuck to a wood floor and if you use it correctly, it wont destroy or even scratch the wood floor underneath. I'm thinking it can make even quicker work of a tile floor vs manually hammering.

Just spoke to my flooring guy and he is pretty sure his drum sander can grind away the remnants of whatever this adhesive is. I'll update after my attempts.

Dec 3, 2013

38,751

3,067

121

• #22

Drum sander does sound like it would probably take the rest of it out, if it wasn't piled on thick underneath.

What I used at the time.

Good to hear just cracking the tile and it comes up pretty easy.

Keeping it all even with one is the hard part.

• #23

Good luck, I hope you can preserve the wood plank floor underneath. You are in for a very long process to try and do it!

I wonder if you could use a hair dryer and a paint scraper tool.... :hmm:

Hopefully there is no lead or asbestos in that mixture

Mar 3, 2011

4,463

596

126

• #24

A chemical adhesive remover may be worth trying. It works pretty good when it works.

There are trade offs to the less effort and dust though. Odor could be an issue. So could residue if it isn't completely removed/sanded off before applying a new finish.

Aug 10, 2002

5,854

154

106

• #25

Heh interesting, I am in exactly the same situation regarding tile over hardwood in a fixer upper. Well, at least I think I am. Rest of the house has hardwood under carpet, so I assume it's under the tile too. I don't close on the house for another 3 weeks, so can't try anything out yet. Please keep updated regarding how you get that adhesive off in case that's what I end up having to deal with.

Update:

Used standard adhesive stripper from Home depot and the stuff came off pretty easily. More pics added here: https://goo.gl/photos/qvWfVHA56KJFxLXw7

Some things I learned. When the recommendations say to work in a 3ft x 3ft area, listen to these recommendations. The reason why is because if the stripper dries, the adhesive has a tendency to resolidify and adhere again. The process is to paint on a layer of stripper and cover with plastic for half hour. Remove the plastic and get stripping. I got too cocky and thought I could accomplish more than that recommended area only to find I had to re-apply stripper when the mastic got tacky again. An extra set of hands would surely help if you want to go faster and work in a bigger area.

Also this stuff was the "weakest" stuff sold. There are other chemicals that are way stronger and not sold on the shelf; they need to be specially requested from the paint counter (Like tolulene, MEK etc...) . I was even cautioned that those chemicals would affect the wood floor, so I decided against them. Even so, using the weak stripper, one drop unknowingly got on my arm and in less than a minute a strong burning itching sensation began. I had to drop what I was doing and wash my arm with soap. Truly nasty stuff.

Wear goggles, wear a mask with filters that absorb organic solvents (painter's filters) and keep windows open. Use gloves that you can dispose of and wear long sleeves. Also, use a long handled floor scraper so when you initially start scraping, if you splash any stripper, you are not down on your hands and knees. Later after removing the bulk of the mess you can get up an close with a hand scraper.

I'd say this stuff worked pretty well. I would apply a second coat and strip again to remove it all but I think its reasonably good and my flooring guy will sand off the rest. I just wanted to get rid of the big peaks and valleys that would prevent the sanding drum from contacting the floor uniformly.

• Advertising
• Cookies Policies
• Privacy
• Term & Conditions
• About us

• This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
  By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.

caseseend1991.blogspot.com

Source: https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/best-way-to-remove-ceramic-floor-tile-preserve-hardwood-floor-underneath.2451034/

Share this post