One of the biggest advantage of tile flooring is that you can replace them as and when required. You may want to remove the old floor tiles if cracks have developed on them or you just feel that the tiles does not go with the interior designing of the room. Floor tile removal is an excellent home improvement skill to learn because it can help you to save a lot of money which is required to hire any tile removal company.
How to Remove Floor Tile
Before you begin the task of floor tile removal, make sure you have the right kind of tile removal equipment that can help in making the task much easier for you. You would need a rotary tool, a chisel, a crowbar, putty knife, hand scraper, power scraper and a sledge-hammer. You can purchase them or you can avail them on rental basis. It is also important you protect yourself from the tile dust with proper safety gear like knee pads, gloves and goggles.
Removal of a Single Tile
When you are going to remove one particular broken tile from the floor, you have to be extra careful so that the nearby tiles do not get damaged. First of all, use a crowbar and a hammer to take out the grout from the surroundings of the tile you are working on. Then place a towel over the tile to be removed so that the shards of the fragmented tiles do not fly up and hit you. Then strike the damaged tile with a chisel and hammer to break it into small pieces. While hitting the tile, make sure you do not put too much of pressure or else other tiles may break. Now, collect the broken tiles and the adhesive with the help of a hand scraper. Check out if the floor is properly leveled. If no, then smooth off the bumps with the hand scraper. Then clean the floor with a broom first and then use a vacuum cleaner. In case gouges are formed on the floor, then use floor leveling compound to fill them up.
Removal of a Tile Bed
This requires more effort as the area to be covered is larger. You should always start removing tiles from one corner or edge of the tile bed and move towards the center. It is slightly difficult to remove the first tile and once it is done the rest of the tiles can be taken out quite easily. First, break the grout joints of the tile to be removed first with a crowbar placed at an angle with a hammer. Thus, the tile will be loosened from the grout and the underlying adhesive. Move the putty knife under the tile and push it out. Similarly, remove the rest of the tiles from the floor as you proceed towards the other end of the floor following a horizontal or vertical order. Once all the tiles of the entire floor is removed, it is time to clean up the work area. Collect all the removed tiles in a cardboard box or large plastic box. Then scrape off the residues of mortar and tiles from the floor with a hand scraper. For larger areas, use of power scraper will be more convenient. Level the floor and clean the floor thoroughly to get rid of the dust and debris from the floor. The floor is ready for installation of a new flooring.
If the tile area to be removed is small, then you can do it yourself but if you have to remove it from a room with large floor area then it is advisable to hire a tile removal company. The estimated cost could be nearly $2.50 per square foot. It is subjected to vary according to the area or location of your house. Moreover, if you are planning for asbestos tile removal, then you should hire licensed professionals as they know how to remove and dispose off these type of tiles safely.
