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Removing ceramic floor tiles


How to Remove Ceramic Floor Tile

By

Tonya Lee

Tonya Lee

Tonya Lee is a 20-year home decor expert whose specialty is writing about decorating on a budget. Her home decor expertise began when she staged window displays for a home decor boutique while completing her dual bachelor's degrees in Ceramics and Visual Communications. Over the years, she and her architect husband have remodeled each of the homes they have owned.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 11/15/22

Reviewed by

Kelly Bacon

Reviewed by Kelly Bacon

Kelly Bacon is a licensed general contractor with over 40 years of experience in construction, home building and remodeling, and commercial building. He is a member of The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.

Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board

The Spruce / Margot Cavin

Project Overview

When you want to replace a ceramic tile floor with another flooring material, you usually are faced with the task of removing the old ceramic tile. While it's possible to lay some types of flooring material directly over the ceramic tile, this can increase the overall thickness of the floor to such a degree that it's not practical. Sheet vinyl can usually be directly laid over ceramic tile, but if you are installing hardwood, laminate, or new ceramic tile, you'll generally have to remove the old ceramic tile before laying the new flooring.

Removing ceramic or stone floor tile is a job that is simple in technique but difficult in terms of effort. In fact, it can be backbreaking work, especially with older installations. Doing your own removal can, however, save you a significant amount of money since the job is so labor intensive.

Thin-Set Tile Installation vs. Mortar Base Installations

In older traditional ceramic tile installations, the tile was set into a base of solid mortar that was often reinforced with steel lathe. The mortar bed usually was applied over a layer of tar paper covering the subfloor. Removal of such a floor can be extremely hard work, involving hours of breaking up the mortar base and laboriously cutting away the metal lathe to free slabs of mortar and tile from the tar paper underlayment. Be prepared for a long, hard weekend of work if you're dealing with this kind of installation. The process involves a lot of hammering, prying, and cutting the metal lathe into manageable pieces. A similarly difficult job is ahead of you if the tile was installed on a concrete slab.

The job is somewhat easier if the tile was installed over an underlayment of plywood or cement board. Thin-set adhesive came into popularity in the 1970s, allowing tile to be adhered directly to a plywood or cement board underlayment. This system quickly replaced the traditional mortar-bed system. With a thin-set installation, the bond between tiles and underlayment is relatively easy to break. It is still hard work, but you can take solace in the fact that you're not facing a solid mortar base.

Removing Ceramic Floor Tile

Our example of floor tile removal uses basic hand tools on a ceramic tile floor that was laid over a plywood underlayment. The process is largely the same if you have cement board as an underlayment. When removing the ceramic titles, it's generally best to break the tiles first with a hammer or sledge hammer. Although we are using hand tools, there are also power tools available to simplify the job. A hammer drill with a chisel attachment or roto-hammer with a spade bit can make quicker work of this job, and is highly recommended if the tile is installed over a solid mortar base or over a concrete slab. Hammer drills and roto-hammers can be rented at tool lease outlets or home centers. A hammer drill can wreak havoc with a plywood or cement board underlayment, though, so be prepared for some subfloor repair work if you use this tool.

Sometimes, tiles will pop loose in whole units. Try a prybar or cold chisel at a slight angle, tapping them with a hammer at the intersection of tile and mortar. This may replace the need to break up every tile with a sledge.

Be aware that tile removal can generate a huge amount of dust. It's a good idea to tape off your work area with plastic sheeting to protect your ventilation system and ensure ​dust particles do not travel needlessly through your home or office.​​​​​

Always wear a dust mask, eye protection, hearing protection, and heavy-duty work gloves when demolishing tile. The hammering and ​chiseling action can kick up shards of tile or mortar that could cause serious damage to your eyes. Tile pieces also can be very sharp when broken, so wear long sleeves to avoid injury when doing this demolition.

Ceramic tile demolition can generate a significant amount of waste, especially for large floors. You may want to consider leasing a roll-off dumpster to handle the debris.

Carl Smith / Getty Images

Equipment / Tools

Materials

  1. Prepare the Work Area

    Before you begin, take some time to prepare your working area so you don't accidentally damage other things in the room.

    Use a flat pry bar and hammer to remove all molding, trim, door frames, and doors that will interfere with the tile removal. This prevents them from getting damaged or covered in dust during demolition.

    Cover heating ducts and open doorways with sheets of plastic to control dust. Tile demolition can generate a significant amount of fine dust that can travel throughout the house unless controlled.

  2. Find a Starting Point

    Begin at the edge of the floor in a spot with easy access, such as a doorway. Wearing your dust mask and safety goggles, use the sledgehammer to break up the tile along the grout lines.

    Be extremely careful, especially when dealing with porcelain tile. The sharp edges can cut like glass.

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

    Warning

    Be judicious in the use of a sledgehammer. Repeated heavy blows can damage floor framing. Use only the amount of force necessary to break up tiles so that the floor scraper can do its work.

  3. Separate Tiles With Floor Scraper

    Once you have some of the tile removed from hammering at it, find a space to get the floor scraper underneath the tile to pry it up. The more tiles you can pry, the less hammering that will be required, which makes the job go smoother.

    Slide a floor scraper under the attached remnants of tile and pry them off of the subfloor's surface. Put a little muscle into it and they should pop off. A flat shovel can also work for this job. Many floor scrapers are made to use either face up or face down, so try both ways to see what works best. Using it the right way can make this task much easier.

    Alternate hammering and scraping to make your way across the entire room, removing all tiles.

    Thanatham Piriyakarnjanakul/Getty Images

  4. Remove Adhesive and Grout

    You may need to use a hammer and masonry chisel to remove thin-set adhesive and grout that remains stuck to the underlayment after the tiles have been removed. This depends on the scope of the work and the requirements of the new flooring, but generally, you want to get the floor as smooth as possible after removing the layer of tile. Your new flooring will likely require a smooth underlayment and these smaller tools can help you achieve that.

  5. Remove Underlayment (if Necessary)

    Depending on the condition of the underlayment and the requirements of the new flooring, it may be simplest to remove the existing cement board or plywood underlayment at this time. If the underlayment is badly damaged, or if the new flooring requires a different type of underlayment, now is the time to remove and replace the old underlayment.

    This is usually best done by cutting the underlayment into manageable sections, using a circular saw with the blade set to the same thickness as the underlayment. Once the underlayment is cut into sections, it can be unscrewed or pried up for removal.

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

    Tip

    If you are installing new ceramic tile, existing cement board underlayment can often be reused as the base for the new tile, provided it is intact and firmly bonded to the subfloor. Or, thin sheets of new cement board can be applied over the old layer to create a fresh base for thin-set adhesive and new tile.

  6. Clean Up

    Use a scoop shovel and broom to remove debris. Sturdy contractor trash bags can be used to hold debris for disposal. Check with local authorities on disposal requirements; you may need to arrange for the transport this material to a specified construction waste disposal site.

    Complete the cleanup by using a shop vacuum to remove any remaining dust.

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

A DIY Guide to Removing Tile Floor

Whether you’ve lived in your home for a decade or want to makeover the home you just purchased, removing tile is a project you can undertake on your own if you know what you’re doing. Jump in unprepared, though, and you’ll find it can be a difficult and time-consuming job. We’ve compiled a step-by-step guide for removing tile flooring and preparing the underlay below it for the tile’s replacement.

1. Assess the project

Before you commit to removing the tile yourself, take stock of the task at hand. Is the tile in a small guest bathroom or the family room? The more tile you need to remove, the longer it will take, and the more potentially disruptive the job will be. For example, if you’re planning to remove tile in the kitchen, it could make cooking nearly impossible for several days. Not to mention, dust from the job could get inside cabinets and on cooking surfaces.

Additionally, you’ll want to consider the type of tile you plan to remove. While ceramic and porcelain tile can be removed safely, that’s not always the case with vinyl tile, which may contain asbestos. To determine whether your tile contains asbestos and learn how to remove it if it’s safe, read the section below dedicated to removing vinyl tile.

2. Gather your tools

Once you’ve decided to tackle the project yourself, you’ll need to gather the right equipment to get the job done as efficiently and safely as possible. To remove tile flooring, you will want to have the following on hand:

In addition to having the right tools, it’s important to dress for the job. This will protect you from unnecessary injuries. Besides a long-sleeved shirt and pants, you should wear the following:

3. Prepare the area

You need to complete several small tasks to prepare an area for tile removal. First, you’ll need to clear away any freestanding items that could get in the way, such as a towel holder in the bathroom or a table in the kitchen. Next, remove any fixtures you can. For example, you’ll want to remove the toilet before removing the tile. Cover any item you can’t remove, such as the vanity.

After the area is clear, take the baseboards off the wall using a screwdriver or a hammer and pry bar. Since baseboards typically go in after the tile is laid, it is easier to remove the tile if the baseboards aren’t in place. Take extra care as you remove the baseboards so you don’t damage them in the process. Otherwise, you’ll have to find and install a replacement.

Finally, seal the vents. Removing hard tile creates a lot of dust and debris, which can get sucked into your HVAC system. Before you start, seal off your vents by covering them with plastic wrap held in place by painter’s tape.

4. Find (or create) a starting point

To begin removing tile, you’ll need to locate a point where you can begin prying the pieces up. You’re looking for a place where the underlayment, the layer between the finished floor and subfloor, is exposed. This can be a spot where a semi-permanent fixture, like a toilet, was removed or a loose or broken tile that can be easily lifted.

Another option is to start in a doorway where the tile doesn’t continue into the next room. For example, if the bathroom tile butts up against the bedroom carpet, you may be able to slip a chisel or pry bar underneath the tile at that point.

If you can’t find a starting point, you may have to create it. One possibility is to use a hammer and chisel to start breaking apart the grout. Or, you can use a grout saw or rotary tool to cut along the edges of the grout, loosening it. With enough grout removed, you can pry up a tile to create your starting point.

5. Determine what’s under your tile

Once you’ve pried up a tile, take a look at what’s underneath it. The process of removing tile can vary depending on whether the underlayment is plywood, cement or a thick bed of mortar and whether you want to try to salvage the underlayment or not.

For example, if you have a plywood underlayment, one approach is to remove a single row of tile down the length of the floor and another in the middle of the floor. Then, using a reciprocating saw with a 12-inch-long blade, cut through the plywood in both directions taking care not to cut into the subfloor. You should be able to work a pry bar under the plywood and rip it and the tile out at once. (Of course, you’ll have to replace the plywood with new underlayment.)

The type of underlayment will also determine how careful you need to be removing the tiles. Cement will be able to withstand a little more than plywood. This is particularly important to know if you hope to salvage the underlayment.

6. Remove the tile

Once you have a starting point and have determined what’s underneath, you can focus on getting rid of the unwanted tile. The most common way to do this is by working a pry bar under the tile and pulling it up. Often, the tile will come up in pieces, but if you’re lucky, it may come up in one piece. You can also use a chisel and hammer or strike it with a center punch to break the tile into removable pieces.

If you’re still having trouble getting those first few tiles up, score the tile diagonally, creating an “X.” Continue to score until it is about a 1/16th of an inch deep. Then, place a chisel along the score and hit it with a hammer. As you work the chisel along the seam, even the most difficult tile should begin to break up.

When you have enough tiles up, switch to a long-handled floor scraper or air hammer with a chisel set to remove the bulk of the tile. Not only will these tools make the job go faster, but they will reduce the amount of effort you have to exert to get the tile up. Be ready to return to the pry bar or chisel as you near walls or cabinets.

Chunks of tile accumulate quickly and create potential hazards. Make a point to throw large pieces in a trash can as you go, and regularly pause to give the area a more thorough cleaning. Because tile is heavy, empty the trash can no matter how few pieces are in it whenever you break. This way, you don’t have to strain taking it to your outdoor trashcan or rented dumpster.

7. Ready the underlayment

When you’ve finished removing all of the tiles, use a broom or shop vacuum to clear away all debris from the underlayment. Then, remove as much of the old mortar as possible by using a hammer and chisel to tap it away. Clean again, taking extra. Any dust that is not cleared away will make it harder for the new flooring to adhere to the underlayment properly.

This step assumes you can reuse the underlayment. You may not be able to reuse it if it is damaged or is not the right type of underlayment for the flooring you plan to install. For example, most contractors recommend using 15-pound felt paper when installing bamboo floors. Even if you intend to install a tile again, you may want to replace the plywood underlayment that you currently have with a cement board since it absorbs moisture and expands.

However, you can reuse your existing plywood underlayment as a base for vinyl and linoleum. Before you proceed, know what type of flooring you intend to replace your tile with and the type of underlayment it requires.

8. Or install a new underlayment

If you need to replace your existing underlayment, it’s a fairly simple process. First, get rid of the old underlayment. Using a pry bar, work the underlayment up, discarding any pieces that break off as you go. Watch for nails (there will be a lot) and wear thick-soled shoes to protect against one coming through your footwear.

Next, lay the underlayment panels perpendicular to the floor joists. These usually run parallel to the direction of the rafters. Leave the panels’ smooth sides up, and space them approximately ¼ of an inch from the wall. You want to position each panel next to the previous one so they are lightly touching but not pushing tightly against each other.

Fasten one side of each panel with nails every 2 inches. Then, fasten the other side. Repeat this process for each row until the area is covered. Use seam filler to fill holes above the nail heads and any gaps. Allow the seam filler to cure and sand the filler with a belt or floor sander until smooth. The underlayment is now ready for your new flooring.

How to remove a vinyl tile floor

Removing vinyl tile is usually easier than removing hard tiles like ceramic and porcelain. However, removing vinyl tiles can be very dangerous if they contain asbestos. Perfectly safe while intact, vinyl tiles containing asbestos release this dangerous material into the air when ripped up and pulled apart. Even if you think you’ve taken every precaution to keep your home safe as you remove these vinyl tiles, asbestos can get into your HVAC system. Asbestos is such a threat that it is illegal for a homeowner to remove it on their own.

1. Determine if it’s safe

It is difficult to tell whether the tiles in your home contain asbestos or not. A good rule of thumb is that if the home was built in the 2000s or later, the vinyl tiles are not asbestos. Homebuilders stopped using vinyl tiles containing asbestos in the 1990s, and consumers could not purchase them by this point either.

If you have an older home and a stash of replacement tiles, you may be able to look at the label on the back of the tile. Some labels will state outright that they are asbestos-free. At the very least, you should be able to find the brand name and a product number and research whether that particular tile contains asbestos.

The best way to determine whether your vinyl tile is safe to remove is to hire an asbestos abatement professional to inspect your floors. This professional will send a sample of your vinyl tile to the lab for analysis. Even if your tile contains asbestos, don’t despair. In some cases, you can put a new flooring directly on top of it or seal it with a coat of epoxy floor paint. The asbestos abatement professional should be able to advise you on the best course of action.

2. Gather your supplies

Once you’re sure the vinyl tiles you want to remove don’t contain asbestos, you’ll want to gather the tools you’ll need:

3.

Pull up the tile

Using the utility knife, score the middle of each tile. (This cut allows heat to get to the tile’s center.) With a hairdryer, heat the tile, loosening the glue underneath it. Slip the scrapper under the tile’s edge while still warm and work the tile up. Discard the tile and continue to the next.

Or, instead of using a hairdryer or similar heating device, you can pour a small amount of boiling water over the tile. Let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour to soften the glue. When soft, use the scraper to pull the tile up. If water alone doesn’t work, you can add a little dish soap.

Although you want to remove as much adhesive as possible when you pull up each tile, you can clean up any remaining adhesive with soap and water or a citrus-based adhesive remover.

Durable and easy to clean, tile is one of the most popular flooring options on the market, especially for bathrooms and kitchens. But like any other flooring, tiles can go out of style or become damaged and worn. Even when tiles are in good condition, they may not fit with the style you envision for your home. We hope this guide helped you take on the task of removing tile floor on your own.

How to remove old tiles and prepare the surface for laying new ones

Facing the room with ceramic tiles is found in every home. As a rule, it is used in bathrooms and toilets, as well as a kitchen apron. There are interiors where ceramics decorate the corridor and living quarters. Therefore, if you undertook a major apartment renovation, you will definitely encounter the need to dismantle the coating and prepare the surface for laying new tiles. How to independently remove the old tile and carry out preparatory work for subsequent cladding, read the article.

Dismantling old tiles: options and sequence of actions

Before starting work, it is important to take care of safety, protect furniture and plumbing, and prepare the tools necessary for removal. Dismantling is carried out in protective glasses and construction gloves. Work in closed, tight shoes so that if the tile falls from the wall, it does not injure your toes. Remember that ceramic shards are very sharp. Standard protective equipment will prevent injury and small particles from entering the eyes and skin.

If the repair takes place in a room where there is furniture or plumbing, they must also be protected from dirt and scratches with fragments, this will facilitate subsequent cleaning. Wrap or cover all items tightly with rags, and on top with polyethylene. To prevent the spread of dust, hang a well-dampened cloth in the doorway, carefully fixing it around the perimeter. It is impossible to work with the door closed: the air must circulate in the room so that it is easier for you to breathe.

Of the tools you will need a flat chisel (chisel) and a hammer. If you want the tile to remain intact, you will additionally need a construction knife or jointing for tile joints. Don't forget heavy trash bags.

How to remove tiles from walls and floors: step by step instructions

When the preparatory work is completed, we proceed to dismantling. We will describe how to remove the tiles from the walls yourself, because this process is more laborious than removing the floor masonry, and requires precautions.

The procedure is the same for dismantling the entire surface, and for removing individual tiles if they need to be replaced.

The same technology is used to remove the cladding from the floor, including porcelain stoneware. To clean the tile from dry adhesive, soak it in warm soapy water for several hours.

If the integrity of the tile is not important, the grout can be left on and immediately proceed to the removal of the cladding. Shards can be used for mosaic decoration. In this way, they update furniture, bring zest to the interiors of a bathhouse, sauna or country house.

Removing ceramic tiles with a perforator

If the room in which the repair is being carried out is small, hand tools are enough. But they are impractical to use in spacious bathrooms, dining rooms and halls. To remove tiles from a large area, use a perforator with a flat nozzle. This speeds up the process of removing the lining by 2-3 times, but there are several nuances that must be taken into account:

If, when dismantling with a hammer and a chisel, there is little dust, then when working with a perforator, the room becomes very dusty. Be sure to buy a respirator to protect your airways from dirt.

How to prepare the floor and walls for tiling

You removed the remaining adhesive along with the tile. Now your task is to prepare the base for fresh cladding. We will write down what manipulations need to be carried out with the floor, and which ones with the wall.

Floor preparation before laying tiles

After cleaning up construction debris, you can begin to repair the foundation. Step by step we will describe the sequence of actions for preparing the concrete floor.

We talked about the concrete base, because tiles are laid on wooden flooring in exceptional cases and there is no guarantee that it will fix securely. It is better to remove the coating and work with concrete.

How to prepare walls for laying tiles

When repairing vertical bases, the same principle applies as when preparing horizontal bases: you need to level the surface and increase its adhesion. For this:

It is quite possible to remove the old tile and prepare the surface for laying the new one with your own hands. With the right tools and minimal repair skills, you can do it just fine. This will help save on the work of the master, and you can also restore the coating at any time in case of chips or cracks.

How to carefully remove tiles from walls and floors? Tools, work steps, recommendations

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How to remove tiles from walls, floors Ceramic tiles Dismantling ceramic tiles

However, there is no puncher on this list, because when working with it, the chance of breaking tiles increases. And if you manage to separate it from the wall, then it will definitely break on the floor when it falls.

Tip

Even if something doesn’t work out for you, there’s nothing wrong with that. Remember that not all tiles will remain intact, and yet 5-10% of the tiles will be damaged.

Tile removal tools

Agree, everyone can break the tiles and collect crumbs on the floor. It is also easy to damage the very structure of the tile, in which case it will no longer look like it should. So, we set ourselves the task of leaving as much material as possible safe and sound.

1. Tile analysis

The quality of our work will depend on four main factors:

When dismantling, two main problems can arise - tightly laid tiles and old tiles. In both cases, even if the dismantling work is carried out correctly, the probability of failure is high.

Popular collections of ceramic tiles:

Kerama Marazzi Russia

Tile Accord white edge 8.5x28.5

Article 9010

Format cm 28x8

1 471 ₽

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Kerama Marazzi Russia

Blanche tile white edge 9.9x20

Article 19040 N

Format cm 20x9

1 234 ₽

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Kerama Marazzi Russia

White Buranelli 20x23. 1

Article 24001

Format cm 23x20

1 163 ₽

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Kerama Marazzi Russia

White Gran Pale porcelain stoneware 50.2x50.2

Article SG457100R

Format cm 50x50

1 505 ₽

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Kerama Marazzi Russia

White Grand Palais 25x40

Article 6343

Format cm 40x25

980 ₽

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Kerama Marazzi Russia

White Buranelli porcelain stoneware 20x23.1

Article SG23000N

Format cm 23x20

1 383 ₽

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Kerama Marazzi Russia

Baccarat beige 20x30

Article 8290

Format cm 30x20

764 ₽

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Kerama Marazzi Russia

Tile Accord beige light edge 8. 5x28.5

Article 9011

Format cm 28x8

1 471 ₽

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Kerama Marazzi Russia

Gragnano White 7.4x15

Art. 16000

Format cm 15x7

1 719 ₽

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Kerama Marazzi Russia

Tile Avellino white 15x15

Article 17006

Format cm 15x15

1 462 ₽

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All collections of ceramic tiles

2. Tile removal steps

Tip

In order to loosen the tile, you can drill a small hole in it. Most likely, it will not work to save the first tile, but on the other hand, you will completely protect yourself from breaking the entire structure at once.

Tip

As soon as you notice that the tile does not respond to hammer blows on the chisel and does not move away from the adhesive or cement base, then it is worth trying to detach the tile with a tool on the other side. You should not apply strong blows to the chisel, because there is a chance that you will not only complete your task, but also damage the wall.

3. What should be done to keep the original look of the tiles?

Damage to the tile is a simple matter, and we will present you with a sequence of actions for carefully removing the tile:

4. How can I remove tiles from the floor without breaking them?

Of course, it is much easier to remove tiles from the floor, because you do not need to hold it - it will not fall. However, dismantling floor tiles is not an easy task, in which a perforator should not be used, because it will split each piece of tile into several pieces.

Technique for carefully removing tiles from the floor:

Tip

Grout is cleaned on floor tiles several times worse than on wall tiles, so carrying out a tricky action with water will already be mandatory here.

In order to clean the grout, you need to use a scraper and carefully hold it until the cement base is visible. Then you need to take a chisel and start tapping on the perimeter of each tile. As soon as the sound becomes muffled, find the point where the property is most pronounced.

Tip

Turn off all appliances and listen carefully to the tiles. Be sure to correctly determine from which part of the tile the sound comes from - from the left or from the right in relation to the instrument.

When the tile from the place you found starts to move away, you should lightly hit the chisel here with a hammer and carefully remove the tile - it will come off easily. It remains only to clean the mortar on which the tile lay, and the floor will again be ready for a new coating.

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