How to Remove A Ceramic Floor

[@MsShellbell4]

This is the problem that most homeowners have when we hire someone to do work in our houses. Contractors cheat and for the most part they know that we will most likely not figure it out until something goes wrong years later. I have tried to educate myself about these things watching these videos, it really does help. Thank you for posting them

[@cayennajohnson]

Actually, homeowners are cheap and didn't want to pay for high quality work. You get what you pay for.

[@donnah3892]

For Diyers Taking tile up with a regular hammer the way they were is a no no. A chunk of tile came up & stuck in my arm tetnus shot and stitches later .After that I used a heavy hammer specifically for removing it long sleaves ,gloves,& safety wear. Jmo stay safe

[@ems21123]

Thank you for the video. Whenever I’m doing a demo, I usually stick a garbage bag or something similar into the vent. That way all the debris doesn’t fall in there. Just thought I’d share.

[@nickmorton]

Man, you have a video for everything! You've shown up on 9/10 reno searches I've done lately.

[@mhks68]

Algorithms for ya.

[@sezundel]

I appreciate how real he is. Simple explanations and tips. When he complained about the previous installation using drywall screws, that reminded me to be smart and get proper ones. Thank you for all the great help!

[@oresteiaanetik]

I have to say, your DIY videos are the best. You explain everything, show everything just the way unskilled person who never done it needs to hear. Making good DIY is art and 90% of channels don't do it well.

[@hailsbails1047]

You have saved us THOUSANDS of dollars with your channel! I watch makeup videos and you!!! We have renovated our whole house and always consult your channel! We are tackling our bathroom finally and I’m going to watch your 2 hour long video again just for fun!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks for that. Best of success with those projects. Cheers!

[@stempowell]

"If you're going to cut corners, at least stay on the road" stealing that lol

[@254JROCK]

Stephen Powell 1 jewel 💎 of the whole vid

[@THEgeno760]

What is the name of the red tool you are using to lift the tile?

[@jenncrossland]

We are about to attempt to remove the tile in our kitchen. The original floor was wood laminate. Well someone said I want tile and I want tile right now no matter how badly it's done. They put subflooring over the wood laminate and tiled away. We found this out when we had to replace the dishwasher....it was tiled into the kitchen island. We could not believe that people actually do crap like this to their own house. I have a feeling this demo is going to be a little work and we've decided that smash is going to be our best option. This video helps alot! Thank you!

[@klickety_klak6388]

I swear, the knowledge I'm able to gain off your videos puts our local contractors to shame at work. I even recommend my customers to watch your videos. I work at a "big box home improvement store". Great job. Keep it up!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

LOL, so your the reason I get contractors asking me how to do their jobs. Cheers!

[@ericmaher4756]

Thanks for explaining in every detail. I learn so much every time I need to watch your channel for some work around the house.

[@ShanonT12]

You can go to any horse farm. Much of the horse feed comes in those type (poly burlap) bags. They will be MORE than happy to give you all their empty grain bags.

[@krehbein]

Just did this for a 400sf job that had 12x12 tiles on concrete. Used a Milwaukee rotary hammer drill (in hammer, not rotary mode) with a chisel bit. Worked well to pry the tiles off and clean residual thinset.

[@christopherhooper7975]

Great video. What is the name, brand, and description of the red steel flooring tile pry bar?

[@markhopkins8903]

Love the Red Bar, mine is black, another tool I have discovered is a long handled Roofing Spade, the fulcrum on the back and teeth on the front works wonders. I first used it for carpet tack strips now it's my go to demo shovel. I have seen them now produced in various lengths. of course it will also do some unintended damage if you get to wild.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

great tool for sure. Cheers!

[@Kaikickass]

Did my own 22sqft kitchen subway wall tile backsplash for the first time, learnt all the techniques through your channel. Really good videos 👍🏼

[@hkgonra]

So easy on subfloor, got any videos for concrete slab with tile ? I needed a rotary hammer and diamond grinding wheel to get mine done.

[@qqhouse8379]

Great video! People are lucky to have you complete their renovations. Two thumbs up!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

I totally agree. cheers!

[@samayatyson3873]

WOW. That is how my floor is in the kitchen and I am taking all five layers up to get to the wood. Thanks you have saved me so much money.

[@kickinon]

So much good info on your channel. As a beginner who hadn't held a hammer before watching your vids. I really enjoy the in depth explanations, helps a lot. I'll be attempting a backyard reno with shed (If the roof stays on, it will be better than my current shed lol) and pulling up the ceramic tiles in bathroom thanks to your inspiration!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Always glad to help. Cheers!

[@DaBuick]

I used a square flat shovel with a sledgehammer to tap it along. Pulled up the tile and cement board easy. My wavy floor was due to poor install and I was super happy to find a flat subfloor underneath.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

That is usually the case. Cheers!

[@relatablyjr]

What kind of bar were you using to remove that tile? I need to get one of those.

[@cayennajohnson]

@@rickghostkeeper3109 that's why I came here! Thank you!!

[@grizzlycountry1030]

@@rickghostkeeper3109 thank you

[@mboyes412]

@@rickghostkeeper3109 thank youuuu!

[@raltzsupan8150]

Thank you for the great video, can you tell me how you removed the tile under the cabinets. I have concrete floors and cabinets were put in and don't want to have to remove the cabinets that were put on top of the existing tile. what tool would you use or how would you remove the existing tile without removing the cabinets. Thank you

[@Rebar617]

I'd like to see a separate video on how to deal with thinset removal after lifting tile, both on cement slabs and plywood. Preferably one that your average DIYer can accomplish. It's all fun and games planning a new tile floor, but most videos "skip" this part, which is a real show-stopper for most folks.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

If you are on plywood this video and the reality renovision laundry room cover everything you need to know. If you are on concrete slab then you will need to rent a tool for removal and possibly a tool for smoothing out the concrete. I will try to do this in the near future. Cheers!

[@br6145]

Removing thinset from cement slabs isn't too bad. Helps to wet everything down once you break the tiles off. Let it soak for a while then use a SDS hammer drill with a chisel bit.

[@BobLovesKaren]

Did my kitchen and mud room. House was built in 87. Both rooms had : subfloor | staple and glued down 1/4” luan | sheet vinyl | stapled and glued down 1/4” luan | top sheet vinyl. It was an absolute killer to get out. The luan would just shred when trying to pry up or force wedges under it. And they must have put the intern on the staple gun with a nice new case of staples. Then I had to chisel and belt sand all the glue lines. I had considered just cutting all the way down and removing the subfloor, but I had cabinets, etc that were staying. It was just a nightmare. Needless to say the new tile job, while not perfect, was very satisfying to finish and now use.

[@grizzlycountry1030]

And where did you get the red pry bar you use????

[@JOHNCT001]

I hope you continue this video by showing how to prep, and the lay down new tile. I’m not liking the tile in my bathroom, and would like to see how you do it.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

sorry John I believe Max was not able to be there during the tile portion this time. we cover every other aspect though. If you need tile videos then search our other videos. we have some great tile install there.

[@dmanzx14kawasaki3]

WOW! First time I've ever watched one of your videos and I tell you, it was great. I learned so much from your video. You really explained everything so well. I'm actually in the process of having some tile work repaired/replaced at the moment. That's how I ran across your video. Just trying to gain some knowledge before hiring someone. I hit the jackpot with you. You just got a new subscriber. Thanks a million.

[@zackurtz1]

From a couple years of experience, I prefer the Gutster demo bar, it's a little bit more money, but i have always found it worth the money, defiantly worth you checking it out

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

nice looking tool. on the Christmas list. Cheers!

[@ntnsty]

Well, more about removing tile from a bad installation (easier) than removing tile from a good installation over cement board (hard).

[@butterflyjessica1]

Exactly! We just bought a house and theres what they call it “drypack” of cement and then tiles over it.😒 Did you remove it yet? And how did you do it?

[@StarrTile]

*Asbestos was prevalent in ALL building materials prior to 1981, including what you call vinyl flooring ( linoleum ), so encapsulating it...as they did here...is the way I treat my floors, although I use backerboard rather than a layer of ply. Disrupting a floor that has asbestos will cause the particles to become airborne & will be inhaled*

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Up here we did away with asbestos in 72. Still linoleum did not have the dangerous variety in it. I still say remove extra layers!

[@solomonbachman8718]

Holy guacamole, my favorite two channels conversing......

[@pulseweld]

Why would you want to live on top of a dangerous substance? Encapsulation by amateurs is worse than removal by experts

[@claytonboyster8969]

how do you get the tile up around the kitchen cabinets, without removing the cabinets?

[@daant6876]

what do you do if the tile goes underneath the cabinetry?

[@MafiaXII]

Are you replacing the tile without removing the cabinets? Is that possible because the tiles was placed around the cabinets and not under? What do you do if you have tile under your cabinets and you want to replace your floor with new tile

[@V8cars2]

Hello. I'm from israel and realy enjoy your videos even in this case. And what do i mean abot that. We dont have wooden floor. We have cement floor. On that you install plumbing, then sand or now days very small stones(dont know how to call it in english). Then you do tile work using diffent cement compounds. I just had bery bad leak under the floor in the bathroom. All too expensive so after watching many videos i removed just 1 tile and found the leak. I dug out the sand, replaced the bad plumbing part. And had the sand dried. I did temove the grout around that tile and i belive that it prevented the tiles around it to break. I had sparks while blasting the tile with the hammer. Thanks for your videos.

[@beans2605]

The vinyl may have been glued with a mastic that contains asbestos so they left it. Depending on where you live and how old the house is.

[@smende3]

What is the red tool you are using to remove the tile

[@grayaletter]

Let's say the cement did bond to the plywood and didn't come off clean like that. Do you always have to remove the plywood put new floor down before re-tiling? Doing a condo renovation and I'm not even sure what's beneath the ceramic yet. Thanks!

[@Concernedviewer01]

Excellent video. I just removed tiles kitchen flooring. Upon removal I see it was installed over Lino, and stapled down wire mesh onto the Lino for the thin set to adhere to. It was a long day removing the tile & next day removing the Lino & 1inch staples embedded into the thin set & mesh. Maybe they did it right?? but was a hell of a job removing it.

[@mothernature4895]

Thanks Jeff, what do you do around kitchen base cabinets that are sitting on top of the ceramic? I have a big tile replacement job to do and I don’t want to remove the entire kitchen.

[@jdreynolds29]

I enjoy watching your videos they are good quality and mostly full of informative content keep up the good work. It's always nice to see somebody else that not only does things correctly but shows others through the form of KZbin videos how they can also do it correctly. I've been on way too many jobs where I see other contractors doing things incorrectly and I don't believe it is because they are trying to cut corners or costs I believe for the most part maybe they were never shown the correct procedure. My method of removal is almost the same as what you're showing here, but I have an added step in my process. That is to take my cordless Circ saw and set the depth correctly, then rip the plywood into strips so that it is faster and easier removal than tearing up and breaking and prying the whole peace. Give that a try on your next one. It does make it faster and easier even though it is an added step. Also if is your responsibility to remove the debris from the job site then ripping it first with the saw also makes it easier and more efficient to stack the degree from the floor in the back of the truck or trailer making for easier loading and unloading of all of that old material making those parts of the job even faster and more efficient. So that when added step in the removal process at the beginning of the job helps you the next step and the last step of the job which is when you are unloading your truck after you have already completed the job and left and now returning to your shop or home for cleaning out your truck or trailer.

[@bobnewman1810]

Why do you recommend a 2 inch screw spacing on the edges? APA recommends 4 inches, and ANSI A108 recommends 6 inches. Both of those specs. are more than enough, especially if using 8 or 9 gauge flooring screws. One might use a 2 inch spacing with staples.

[@SuperFrooty]

I'm still trying to figure out what that style of red wrecking/pry bar is called. Please share if you might.

[@semantinipassat8504]

SuperFrooty I have this tool from princess auto.

[@khadijaLT]

InvisUser Tsal can you post a link?

[@SuperFrooty]

InvisUser Tsal Still looking for what folks call that wrecker as I’m in the US and there’s no Princess Auto in my state.

[@budzbox]

Thanks, very useful. I was hoping you would show how to deal with the ceramic tile where it meets the cabinets.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

I use a chisel and it snaps off right there. then a sawzall to cut off the subfloor. Cheers!

[@tsp4axl]

@@HomeRenoVisionDIY Hi, my existing ceramic tiles run under the cabinets...is it possible to score/chisel off somehow before attacking the sub-floor with a sawzall? Thanks!

[@bustinya2240]

Being a tile guy i've torn up many floors with vinyl underneath. What a nightmare!! When the vinyl is stuck to the tile it is a massive undertaking to get it up. You were very lucky. :)

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

you win some and you loose some eh! Cheers!

[@syed5392]

Brother, I have to remove times in the kitchen and old tiles are installed all the way to the wall, under the cabinets. They don't want me to take the cabinets out. How do I cut tiles around the cabinet base? Thanks in advance.

[@AMARUT180]

Makes the tiles so much easier to remove when you tile to dry wood. Thanks.

[@born2bsmrt]

Took up some ceramic a couple years ago that was installed similarly. Only thinking now that I am doing the rest and about to take the rest up that the linoleum underneath may be asbestos. Thoughts?

[@treykelley9416]

Could you do a video showing best practices to remove tile from a concrete foundation? Love your show!!!!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Some day when I get the chance I will. Cheers!

[@slippinslidewayz]

If you can get under the tile/mortar like that, try a roofing shovel. Be careful not to bend the tabs but it makes tile removal fly!

[@norcoauctions]

and i khew it before I saw the Tim Hortons cup. The way Canadian's say house gives it away every time. or out. Also, he has skills.

[@dasboot360]

Is there a link to the full video ?

[@Jakegavic]

Learned something new. About laying tile. How wet does the floor need to be?

[@IdemRedd]

"Looks like a drywall screw Max, and it is,my god" LMFAO!

[@wudger901]

What about cabinets laid OVER the tile?.

[@Colaaah]

Here in Australia, we put cement sheeting down for tiling over...

[@ruppyhouse]

In theory we do. My place was built in 2000. The builder "Avonwood Homes" tiled straight onto the yellow tongue particle board floor. The builder went bust in the same year, no surprise. Here I am trying to remove the tiles and mastic.....

[@Geoff_G]

Next year when I take out the tile floor in my kitchen, I hope it goes as easy as that. Pretty sure it won't though. There's tile, thinset, lino, 3/8" subfloor, lino, then the original 5/8" t&g subfloor. I'm going to go back down to original and start fresh.

[@khadijaLT]

Great video! Where can I find that red tool you used to break up the tile?

[@ProfessorSnack]

same\

[@LS-rw4gx]

Did you ever find out what tool that was? I am looking in the comments to find out

[@happyfive763]

Oh guys you'll make everything looks so easy👍🏽👍🏽

[@DrTopLiftDPT]

Tile wasn’t installed to last. But lasted long enough for the renovation. I don’t understand the need to install it to last 100 years when it will be replaced/ renovated in 15

[@opivyattack]

I mean, he said that the grout was cracking and the tile was waving. Perhaps if it was done correctly the first time, they wouldn't need to do any work at all.

[@qkranarchist3015]

The tile they're destroying is the same as my kitchen. The owner before us, laid this tile down directly on the wood floor in the kitchen (and white in bathroom). We have cracked tiles in both rooms. Can't imagine hammering off the tiles without total damage to the floor below. Needs a subfloor but the baseboard heating has little room for all the addl inches (prob why they didn't want to deal with it and just laid the tile down). Very instructional; now a bit daunted.

[@ashleywolfe224]

Question: I pulled up a ceramic tile in my bathroom and noticed an underlayment beneath the thinset that I think is Hardie Backer board. What's the best way to pull this all up so we can start fresh and lay down new tile? Also, is there an underlayment you suggest we use in the bathroom before we get new tile? Ditra? Something else? We don't need the Cadillac of bathrooms but want the functionality and waterproofing to be top notch. Thanks!

[@monidalim6577]

Hi there! I have a Ceramic tile over the Chipboard (particleboard) with tongue and groove together subfloor and they use screw and glue together on subfloor frame. I want to remove the whole ceramic tile (around 40 sq meters) by smashing with hammer as you showed us in the video. I worry that smashing the tile with hammer will break the chipboard tongue and groove, making the floor moving, break the floor join, and making the creaky and squeaky sound on floor. Is it ok to smashing the tile with hammer on chipboard?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

just swing thr hammer hard enought o break the tile. it doe not take much effort. screw down the subfloor when finished.

[@monidalim6577]

Thanks Jeff, how to repair the squeaky sound floor? how far and how how many screws we can screw down from existing screw without breaking the chipboard subfloor?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Every 2" if necessary. Cheers!

[@OnerousEthic]

4:20 Would an Air or Electric hammer be optimal here?

[@jjf609]

I'm in an upstairs condo with neighbors downstairs. Can I use a chisel to break the ceramic tile so I make a little less noise breaking up the tile?

[@maryrenaud6732]

What if tile is installed to cement backer board, or directly to concrete slab, as it is all over south Florida?

[@Mark-sn6kh]

Going to take out about 1000 square feet of tile from put house. A 3 month long water leak a month after had our own sewer lines replaced has been hell on our slab foundation. Tile popping in multiple places. Luckily the sellers didnt install it right either. All the cement is on the tile but very little stuck to the slab. Probably another reason it's coming lose to easily too.

[@retired8123]

If you hammer straight down like that wont all the force be felt through the joist and the ceiling below...i am afraid of cracking my ceiling in the finished basement?

[@tamaraleitte6656]

You are the bomb dignity! Love your accent!

[@jmax5105]

so what do you do differently when it IS bonded to the subfloor (like mine unfortunately is)?

[@ma7rix13]

Same process. Just more muscle, time, and dust. Probably best to rent a machine.

[@kevinhancock4064]

I removed our large (ish) tiles from passage for carpet to be laid by myself my kangol worked a treat many times coming up in one this was on concrete leaving the concrete in very good condition and undisturbed do like your videos mind

[@cosboc5719]

Very useful. Thanks!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Glad to help!

[@shreyashparihar]

Hi.. I am big fav of your way of coaching. I was wondering I you have a video on how to remove tiles installed on metal mesh layer. Is there a easy way to remove them or any tool we can use to make life easy.

[@jouchan101]

Literally gave me all the info I needed. Awesome video!

[@cubillosarzola]

Great video 👍🏽 n yes thanks for explaining everything so well !

[@JerriBerriW]

LOL, I wish you posted this earlier... we are renovating our kitchen right now and ran into floor removing issues last week... it was so hard to break down and the ‘grout’ seems to be real cement, and it seems like concrete underneath the floor as well... a total nightmare! So we changed our strategy from porcelain tile to vinyl right on top of the existing thing. We used some new grout to flatten the gaps, layed on the vinyl tile, haven’t done the final grout yet... hope it works!

[@TheDarkHour684]

How'd it work out? I have tile on concrete and I am wondering if I can put vinyl planking over the top.

[@PatMaz92]

these videos have helped me so much. thanks for breaking things down for the beginners!

[@MrsInterestedOne]

I have ceramic tile that is popping up every where and the tile looks like they were mudded to a dry sub floor too. The floor is slightly warped can I sand the wood and then level it with something like wood putty? And then start installing my new floor. Or do I have to have a professional replace the sub floor were it's slightly warped?

[@dereksmith5]

What about a corded hand held impact hammer with a chisel attachment for removal? Good idea, or bad?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

depends on the tool. Cheers! Great for tile over concrete!

[@rawlsawh2804]

Renoyeah. Absolutely love watching you work. Very informative

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks for watching. Cheers!

[@argus4ever]

Wow I've never seen that bar tool before. Looks like it's a huge time saver

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

it has it's definite advantages. especially when lifting plywood.

[@KenShew325]

How do you do it when your not lucky? I just worked 2 hours for about 5 sq feet. The demo bags was a good tip.

[@jackmason7518]

GOOD MORNING again. What are your though about flooring on low or soft spots. If you add a second layer what should the total thickness be. Jack

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Hi Jack, for tile you want a total thickness no less than 1 1/4" that is 2 layers of 5/8 laminated together. When done right this is very strong. if the old layer has been dmaged by water you might want to consider 3/4' for the new layer. Cheers!

[@PoppedToast]

Wow I love you channel! Great videos!! Very helpful

[@syed5392]

For the reinstallation, wouldn't it be better to install quarter-inch cement boards?

[@skaflonee]

Thank you for your contributions, they are very good ... it is that in a floor repair ... you would recommend me to change the wood of the floor (where you removed the screws in your video)

[@LightGesture]

Would be nice of you to show a vid of removing a mortared down subfloor

[@LightGesture]

And my original vinyl in my kitchen and dining is glued down. Ugh

[@SteeringWheelOperator]

1:29 EXACTLY the same crap the previous homeowner had done to our kitchen floor before we bought the house. It looked good at the time (13 yrs ago), but the inspector even said it's crap and the tile is eventually just going to crack. "But we properly followed all the manufacturer's installation procedures....." I counted at least 15 tiles with cracks, out of little over 150. EDIT: 4:24 - That's exactly what I had to do to get the dishwasher installed because of the raised floor🤣🤣🤣

[@Kdog0990]

I do have a question pulling tile floor out to put carpet in what tool would u recommend to get the thinset removed so it’s smooth it’s on concrete slab. Putting carpet in bedrooms and getting rid of the tile

[@iFortold]

I find this on my jobs all the time! great vid!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

This is by far the most common installation in houses with wood subfloor.

[@redyumi6441]

This is the reason why people should know a little about construction

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

so true REd Yumi, so many potential pit falls.

[@torstenhuhse]

in this kitchen they were ok, I've had bathroom floors with frequent water on the floor, where the water goes through the grout lines and then gets trapped by the vinyl and rots out the plywood to a smelly mess in a few years. Only advantage is the tiles are lot easier to lift...

[@uttambista5079]

I love to see ur every videos

[@brayon76]

Jeff! That's my next project Thank you for all the teachings

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Great opportunity to screw down thew subfloor and add leveler if necessary. Cheers!

[@daijoubu4529]

I have porcelain tiles over 2 inch thick concrete on metal mesh, over tong and groove hardwood..over some old wooden floor...running the same direction so its all wavy because it aint flat lol, 50s built and tiles installed in the 80s, rough solid, dragged cast iron radiator over them and it was intact lol. A sledge hammer doesnt, do much...using a SDS plus rotary hammer with a tile chisel to remove the tiles then between the mesh and bottom of the concrete...any tricks?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

get 1 hole and then get underneath it . Once you get under that mess and on top of the hardwood it will come up easier.

[@wholesome122]

what if the tiles is glued down by the builders with general construction glue?

[@myongpark]

Thanks for the great vid. What is the brand/model of the red bar that you used? It looks heavier than the ones I see at Home Depot.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

LOL, that is the new bar from home depot. Maybe it is the camera! It has a tendancy to make things look bigger than they are....like my belly!~

[@MetalLunar]

I don't own a home but if I did, I would use these videos to help me with my home.

[@terryrobert4182]

Good demo!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks Terry! Cheers!