O.T. Ceramic flooring question.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I have a ceramic floor laid with Thinset over a glued and screwed 1.5" plywood base ( original plywood floor plus 3/4" plywood) . My question is: How do I remove the ceramic tiles to lay a new wood floor? Can I just break up the tiles and save the subfloor? Or would this destroy the plywood subfloor? I'd like to end up with the subfloor being in good enough shape to lay the new wood floor. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks. Alan in Md.

[Chuck Wintle]

Don't they make a tool that is used to remove linoleum? Could something like that be used to lever off the tiles? I would expect the thinset will stick to the plywood thus making it to uneven for wood flooring.

[Gene Collison]

I have a ceramic floor laid with Thinset over a glued and screwed 1.5" plywood base ( original plywood floor plus 3/4" plywood) . My question is: How do I remove the ceramic tiles to lay a new wood floor? Can I just break up the tiles and save the subfloor? Or would this destroy the plywood subfloor? I'd like to end up with the subfloor being in good enough shape to lay the new wood floor. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks. Alan in Md.

Alan,

You might want to buy a couple of tiles and glue them to a piece of ply and see how they come off. I think heating the tile with a heatgun may do some good too, while prying at the same time.

Gene

[Jay Goddard]

I have found a very helpful forum populated by tile professionals who are very willing to help amateurs with tile questions. Check out www.johnbridge.com.

All of my tile questions have been answered there by either an archive search or a post on the advice forum.

[Mark Singer]

Alan,
If it is thin set and not mastic , the tiles should come loose with a floor scraper. It is a stiff blade on a long shovel like handle. You could use a ground breaking bar. If mastic were used it will be more difficult since it is more or a plastic adhesive and is resilient...the bond dosen't just break. It may be layed over a morter bed of about 1" thickness, in wich case the first method will work...but the mortar bed and tile will typically need to be removed. You will probably need to do a test and see how it is layed and how easily they pop off.
Mark

[JayStPeter]

I think Mark's got it. Take a hammer and break up one or two tiles, then see what it takes to get the others up. They should just pop off like Mark says. Then get the floor tool he recommends and make quick work of it.

Jay

[Mike Cutler]

GENTLY! break up a few of the tiles with a 2-3lb hand sledge and a masonary chisel ( cover the tiles being broken with towel to stop shards from going everywhere) and use a floor scraper as Mark described.If you can't find an actual floor scrapper, look for an "Ice Breaker" or a "Pinch Bar" these tools are heavy and will have a beveled edge to the tool. Once you get a few of the tiles up the rest come up a lot easier by just shoving the tool at the exposed edge of the tiles. COVER ALL WALLS and anything else in the room. Wear good eye protection and get ready to do a lot of vacuming.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I have a ceramic floor laid with Thinset over a glued and screwed 1.5" plywood base ( original plywood floor plus 3/4" plywood) . My question is: How do I remove the ceramic tiles to lay a new wood floor? Can I just break up the tiles and save the subfloor? Or would this destroy the plywood subfloor? I'd like to end up with the subfloor being in good enough shape to lay the new wood floor. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks. Alan in Md.

Thanks all for the awesome help. I'll let you know how it turns out. I guess the lesson here is to pick tile that you will like for a life time. We just don't like this tile anymore but then it's about 15 years old or more. Well I'm on my way to the Depot to pick up some tools. Wish me luck and thanks again. Alan in Md.

[Lee Schierer]

I believe they are doing exactly what you need to do on their current project for a kitchen remodel job that is being done at one of thier staff's home. As I recall they used a sledge hammer to remove the tile and thinset.

[James Carmichael]

I'm preparing to take up some ceramic tile, also, but off of a concrete subfloor.

On a gamble, I bought a 3/4" SDS hammerdrill on sale at Harbor Freight that has a hammer-only mode (ended up getting it for free, but that's another story). I tested it yesterday, and in hammer-only with the chisel-bit it comes with (about 1" accross) it will pop tiles laid with thinset pretty easily if you attack it right at the mortar bed at a shallow angle.

Your problem may be getting the plywood clean enough for the new floor.

[Phil Phelps]

..Alan, are you planning on setting new tile on a plywood subfloor? This is not acceptable. You need to lay the concrete sheets, Hardiboard, over the subfloor. Too much movement in a wooden floor for the tile. If it is a pier and beam home, you need to really stablize the floor before setting tile.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

..Alan, are you planning on setting new tile on a plywood subfloor? This is not acceptable. You need to lay the concrete sheets, Hardiboard, over the subfloor. Too much movement in a wooden floor for the tile. If it is a pier and beam home, you need to really stablize the floor before setting tile.

Phil, That makes sense. I had the same floor laid in my kitchen with a plywood base and a lot of tiles are cracking. I thought it just wasn't laid correctly but it could be the base. Thanks Alan

[Phil Phelps]

Phil, That makes sense. I had the same floor laid in my kitchen with a plywood base and a lot of tiles are cracking. I thought it just wasn't laid correctly but it could be the base. Thanks Alan

Here is an overkill, but sometimes necessary solution. Remove the subfloor plywood, and the shiplap (sometimes another plywood subfloor) underneath. You're down to the floor joists. Cover with 3/4 subfloor plywood. Where the edges of the plywood float across the joists, add 2x6's between the joists to fill the void. If your tile is to butt to an adjecent floor, you will need to choose the right thickness of subfloor and Hardiboard cement sheets to be even witht the existing floor. Tile is about 3/8", and Hardiboard comes in 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2". The idea is to turn the subfloor into a ridged underlayment. Home Depot, and other home centers, offer a crash class of ceramic tile setting on Saturdays. Enroll. You'll pick up some basics. Mainly the type of thinset to use. It ain't rocket science, but the basics are essential. Hope I've helped.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Here is an overkill, but sometimes necessary solution. Remove the subfloor plywood, and the shiplap (sometimes another plywood subfloor) underneath. You're down to the floor joists. Cover with 3/4 subfloor plywood. Where the edges of the plywood float across the joists, add 2x6's between the joists to fill the void. If your tile is to butt to an adjecent floor, you will need to choose the right thickness of subfloor and Hardiboard cement sheets to be even witht the existing floor. Tile is about 3/8", and Hardiboard comes in 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2". The idea is to turn the subfloor into a ridged underlayment. Home Depot, and other home centers, offer a crash class of ceramic tile setting on Saturdays. Enroll. You'll pick up some basics. Mainly the type of thinset to use. It ain't rocket science, but the basics are essential. Hope I've helped.

Thanks Phil, I've laid a fair amount of ceramic tile but I've never met this situation before. Your suggestion of removing all wood down to the joists is what I'm thinking of too. Here's a slight problem: The adjoining ceramic floor has two layers of 3/4 ply under it and I have to get even with this floor. But if I strip to the joists and lay 3/4 ply and then 1/2 cement board, I won't be even. What do you think of just matching the other floor using two 3/4 plywood? Thanks for your help Phil. Alan in Md.