Starting to Remove the Slate Floor | Home Renovation & Addition Part 25

[@schwabit989]

Hard work indeed! Respect!

[@donchristie420]

The added value of these type vids are the comments from actual tradesmen and people that have learned “the hard way” thanks to you all

[@lucasjackson5130]

My knees and back hurt just watching this. Dozens of new hires never showed for the second day of a project like this. Tech college co op types. Usually 1 in 12 stayed for the project. Bought my coffee from quite a few of them after they ghosted. That floor use the sledgehammer, just batter every few inches then flake off the easy stuff. Then attack with sds tile spades.

[@SteveP-vm1uc]

I am sure you are done with this floor by now, but wanted to tell you how I did a similar floor years ago. I tried the same as you with the same tools. Made me crazy!! I finally gave myself a night to think about it and drilled many holes through the subfloor from the basement and used a floor jack. a 2 x 4 and a cut off bolt in the end of the 2 x 4 that get pressed up through the holes in the floor. It popped the tile and crete board up in large sections. The big thing is breaking up the bond. So I went from many buckets of very small pieces to hand carrying large tiles with crete-board stuck to it. It also made for stacking the dump trailer much better..

[@surebrah]

Genius

[@BillyLapTop]

Matt gives a new meaning to "elbow grease."

[@167curly]

What a tedious chore you had to remove that old flooring, Matthew. I admire your stick-to-it-iveness!

[@Edu_Kate]

Watching you struggle, I am so glad I chose vinyl for my 15-year-old kitchen remodel (the adjacent elevated breezeway/dining room floor does have porcelain tile over an electric heat mat - which I never turn on). I bet Donavon watched this video with a big smile on his face. 🤓

[@judithfairchild8620]

That's a lot of patience you showed sticking to the job of getting that floor up. I found my muscles tensing and relaxing as if I was trying to help. You'll find your heated floors are a blessing for the whole family.

[@rexeltraining4380]

Did this last summer with ceramic over terrazzo and vinyl on a slab... on the third day I put down the jackhammer and bought a long handled scraper. Finished about 200 sq ft in a few hours after that.

[@Cradley684]

That was hard work Matt, have a nice day !!!.

[@jameshodgins1937]

Good progress. You have to give the tile installer props, they did a good job.

[@robertpendzick9250]

Did tile on plywood removal last year and made about as much progress as you have, 9 tiles per hour. I found a very wide heavy duty putty knife pounded under the tiles seemed to give the biggest pieces but very few were larger then 1/3 of a 12x12 tile. Had the 'joy' of then having to move it all 3 stories down through finished hardwood and carpeted floors.

[@gdp3rd]

Not quite the same thing, but when we had our kitchen redone about 20 years ago we found that one of the several layers was asbestos tile. The remediation team ended up taking everything out including the plywood subfloor, as a "sandwich" -- the kitchen was down to the floor joists. As other folks have commented, much faster.

[@stephencroft761]

After reading a couple of comments I see this is how it’s done. All I can think is how the installers were saying “hope I don’t have to pull this up.” What a pain.

[@anthonygasparini1734]

Matt that floor is a killer!

[@YPllayer]

It was nice of you to save some tile removal for Donavan.

[@mattpeterson7074]

Before I saw the last minute of the video, I was going to say that I was pretty sure Donovan was sitting at home watching this video, drinking a beer, and just laughing at not having to do that work. Good to see you got him back for the final half. Curious to see if he's got any tricks to make it easier.

[@Arnaud58]

That is was perfect example of "a hell of a job". @22:28 So true...

[@TheToolmanTim]

I've done more than my fair share of demo when we gutted our house down to the studs, but never ran into anything as stubborn as your slate floor. Brutal. Good luck finishing up that job buddy!

[@mcremona]

Thanks!

[@typeaboutit]

Plumber guy seems like the nicest dude :)

[@Psychlist1972]

Your wife coming down to tell you you were being loud was amusing. The joys of having young children :)

[@sallyeblen7032]

My , my I felt for you on this one!!!!

[@billk8780]

Yup. Remodeling is just sooooooo much fun!

[@justincornelius743]

So I did something similar at my dads place roofing tear off bar worked great.

[@kennapop3]

Today, tomorrow and the next day or two. Praying for you.

[@RatelLaw]

Thank you for sharing. Always interesting and always informative.

[@JT-hw6mq]

I just realized I like watching people (Matt) toiling in frustration at a futile job- I think I want to be a manager.

[@mcremona]

😂😂

[@karaDee2363]

Wow, what a brutal job that is! That floor was very well installed for sure. But I think you did pretty good with the tools that you had. Looking forward to the next video

[@0912v]

Too late now, but a slag scraper is the tool for that tile removal job. I used one for cleaning the floor below the 8-torch cutting machine I ran for a few years. Basically it's 3/8" by 6"x6" steel plate welded to a 5' 1 1/2" iron pipe. The plate can be sharpened on a bench grinder. The whole tool should weigh 30-40 pounds, but that weight does the work as you slide it on the floor - standing up. You'd have to make it yourself, as we did at my workplace. It'd also be great for scraping ice.

[@dalepowell6815]

I was sure the hammer went through a window as it flew out of you grip... WoW!

[@jeanhawken4482]

Back breaking work. Do take care of your back you always work so hard.

[@janetdupree6353]

Matt, on another KZbinr I follow, Stud Pack, Paul used a 60” long pneumatic chipper to remove stubborn floor tiles. He swears by this tool. You can learn about the pneumatic chipper and watch him use it in his video: Remodeling a Hall Bathroom Part 1. Stud Pack,does renovations and remodels a he teaches and demonstrates as he works. Pa ul does the work, and his son is his videographer/editor. His channel is ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@LinauLee]

I love StudPack, too! So cool to see another fan of Matt mention SP! Paul & Jordan make you feel like you can do anything. Thanks, Lee

[@timtaulu9914]

Sometimes when I watch someone working as hard as you did on KZbin it make me feel guilty. I always enjoyed working with people.

[@OldsmobileCutlass1969Va]

I used to do this type of work with my brother. He would say it should take about 2-3 hours to remove this floor. When he comes back to find me halfway done 5 hours later... Tells me I'm too slow. I should just have him watch this video next time! Great job so far. As for people telling me I need to go to the gym... I just tell them I have a splitting axe and lots of wood out back.

[@dmfor9001]

I recall making a bunch of bigger shims and hammering them under various layers of my kitchen floor. I tried everything. No easy way but it is satisfying when you get a big chunk.

[@michaelmcgovern5571]

I only use hardibacker because it's lighter stronger but most important it's toxic to mold. Cement board can grow mold

[@normfriedman4534]

Hey Matt…as I watch you I can feel your pain having done demo in a much older home. I also retro fitted radiant heat and it was one of the best projects to upgrade my standard of living. Best of luck. Your home is looking better and better with each video?

[@thebandit7404]

Ugh. My back is aching for you. Flooring is the worst. Really enjoying this series though so thanks for filming all this man!

[@yinn2yang]

thats a lot of hard work

[@2005toyota1]

Young man’s sport!

[@mikeseawel6180]

You need what the "Essential Craftsman" calls a burke bar. A giant pri-bar, 45" - 60" long & weighs about 15 - 20 lbs.

[@FredMcIntyre]

Thanks for sharing the excruciating floor removal! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

[@smokencoin3425]

That tile removal reminds me of my peeling hardboiled egg skills

[@davebarbo5162]

I’m exhausted watching you do this. My shoulders hurt and back hurt.

[@spaight711]

You’re a more patient man than me. Id’ve rented a giant gas powered saw and cut through the whole subfloor after that first tile.

[@gordonclark7632]

I think that Donovan was a winner being somewhere else whilst that floor was being torn up.

[@mgmoody42]

It's only at @2:14 and I'm already looking for the dynamite. Good thing I've never had any! I hope this goes better soon, for your sake.

[@richardgooding498]

I feel your pain Matt. I've been on some remodeling jobs and thought. Wow, did they build this good because tearing it apart was a bear. Lol. 👍👍😁✌️

[@thelostarchivesserialvault5353]

That way will take hours. Just get a flat blade shovel and do a jam and lift. the technique is similar to the one the remove composite shingles.

[@michaelc.3812]

I had to remove tile, travertine marble actually, but it was the worst! I finally decided that, because the OSB/plywood floor is destroyed, I’d make holes Avery few feet so I could remove all of it at once. Ugly, but faster, and the subfloor gets glued in and is new.

[@douglassiemens4245]

Man, that was so tough, even my arms are aching!

[@Blue.4D2]

Hey Matt! Too bad you couldn't get the skid loader in ther to pry that stuff up. ⭐🙂👍

[@richardgooding498]

Also I found roofing spades work really well for removing flooring.👍

[@doodwillysr6851]

Ditto. Works great for this kinda job. You can also use potato diggers. They are 6-8 inches wide and the flat thines get under the material and peels it up.

[@richardgooding498]

@@doodwillysr6851 I took a couple roofing spades and put metal handles on them and then I could hit it with a hammer. Making tools Every job seems like your best option to me. Because half this Chinese junk we pay hundreds of dollars for you could build with integrity for a quarter of the price. Great day

[@davsmth41]

We use a roof tile remover pri bar rack thing on floors, works well.

[@andymiller1803]

I feel your pain. I once had to rip out terracotta floor tiles set directly on concrete. It was essentially impossible to clean off all the thinset. Had to do a thicker than normal thinset with the new tile after.

[@kenc2257]

You can get thinset off of a concrete substrate with a pneumatic chipper. A bit messy and very dusty.

[@andymiller1803]

@@kenc2257 Yeah. I had a hammer and chisel. Not fun.

[@christobar]

I am so glad... that the tiles in my bathrooms i just gutted were poorly adhered to the floor... :-D :-D I probably would've gotten a cement blade in a circ saw and cut all that into strips, then pried up on it. Maybe would've made a difference, maybe not...

[@edwardsimmons3721]

I have been there done that. It’s a ton of work. Cost a lot to have someone else remove it also.

[@jimmowers7675]

Looking great Matt. That’s a lot of hard work, but will be worth it when you’re done. Thanks for sharing.

[@normolson1]

You are ahard worker Matt thank you

[@dougmacrae9535]

we have no snow down in Faribault right now.

[@mcremona]

Ours is just about gone

[@michaelbrausch8874]

You needed a long handled shingle scraper for the floor!

[@anoka114]

Don't envy you taking up that slate floor.

[@alanblasczyk1779]

That stuff was put on by some battleship builders for sure..holy cripes aye !

[@markfrye9178]

I see now why Donavan took vacation, Matt. :)

[@RXRSawdustStation]

Wow! My back is going to hurt forever just watching that! Amazing job, #MassiveMatt! #MathewCremona!!! Nice detail of the Pex work! I was unaware of its method of installation. Hey #DonavansHomes :wave:! Thank you for your work and content, Matt!

[@fricstix7072]

I found and ice scraper did an okay job

[@jerrygrammer4714]

If it’s hard to get up the installer did his job correctly 👍

[@cmiller6352]

"Hey! Phrasing!"

[@Psychlist1972]

It's great that all these folks let you record them. That's not often the case.

[@russelldawson9560]

I had a similar experience some years ago when renovating a bathroom. Removal of the wall tiles should have been a breeze but I hadn't reckoned on them being fixed with silicon! Only elbow grease and sheer determination not to invest in machinery resulted in 20 sq yards taking about two weeks, square inch by square inch.

[@patrickwilson623]

Oh I feel your pain with the tile/slate removal. I had to do a similar project getting rid of an entire floor of tiles so we could put down hardwood. Pain in my knees, back, hands and mind! So much vibration. So much dust. Ugh! Power tools and leverage are your friends. Also, the folks who attached the subfloor to the actual floor must've had stock in a screw company because they fastened those suckers down good! Can't recall how many phillips bits I wore out removing them! Good luck! The house will be beautiful in the end!

[@stephenobrien2408]

Definitely need the right tools for the job, if you want the job to move along smoothly....This being a perfect example. A+ for the effort though! You did much better than most would have.

[@gayle4804]

I 100% agree with you on the slate well at my house I have been removing 2 layers of lanoium and one layer of tile

[@stevezyzzygowski52]

Try using a grinder with a stone cutting blade. Set the depth of cut (to go through the slate and cement board so as not to impact the joists) and make smaller pieces that can be more easily removed.

[@rogerdudra178]

I spent 8 years in a house my dad had with radiant floor heating built in 1962. I think they used 1/4 inch copper tubes. I was told the whole thing was IN the concrete slab. Modern is most improved.

[@brianbryla14]

If you want wider bit you got make your own bit ... or did check with hilti store

[@jamesjensen5000]

Actually you were lucky that the installer didn’t grout the cement board to the sub floor first before attaching the stone... I usually put down thinset first and lay the cement board into the cement ... then screwing the cement board to subfloor... then thinset back butter tile and thinset on floor with grooved trowel... it stays real good

[@GM6.7]

It's wood the thinset doesn't stick that well troweled on especially with the hammer drill vibrating it loose. It's a waste of material now if it were ditra or other rolled underlayment then yes you'd have to as the thinner layer bonds to the fibers better.

[@josefzevenenveertig3853]

Nice and relaxed work Matt,Lol

[@pcrombie501]

you could use a tile cutting blade on a skill saw and cut out larger chunks

[@steenfraosterbro3268]

All the time I was thinking of the "Burke Bar" as seen on essential Craftsman. Would have been perfect, also for your back.

[@LinauLee]

Oh, now you’re talking about a master builder, Essential Craftsman is a legend!

[@rerolley]

At least one part of your house was boom proof!

[@ericcorse]

I'm glad you didn't neuter yourself when that bar went flying, your modified method seemed to help the process. I am predicting sore muscles from this.

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Nice job Matt! Thanks for sharing the video with us!💖👍😎JP

[@VerdantImage]

Break the top of the tile then remove the cement board. Steps make it easier

[@bubeo1]

I feel for you dude. I have been there myself. I considered a grenade, also considered ripping up the plywood, also considered a match and lighter fluid but the wife shrugged that one off. So I came up with a solution that worked great, I called in an army of kids and let them have at it. They were cheap and it took them days but they had fun pizza and made some hard earned cash.

[@mcremona]

Very smart solution

[@larry323]

Matt your a beast!!

[@bradmeacham6982]

I'm sure its too late now, but a "Burke Bar" might have helped.

[@benmishoe5999]

Would it have worked to put a diamond blade on a circular saw and trying to cut the subfloor into 1x1 squares and knocking them up from underneath?

[@Cynyr]

The one they they did a good job installing. I'm sure Donavan is/was upset to have missed that floor removal.

[@WayWoodworking]

5:03 the disappearing hammer trick! Done that many times and also had the flat bar hit me in the face when a nail let's go... 🥴

[@scotpettengill7801]

Hi Matt, on the pex that is attached to the bottom of the floor, what happens when you nail down the sub floor above? Does the sub floor upstairs get glued down or thin set instead of nailing every 4 inches on seams and every six inches across the 4x8 sheathing ? I have seen a nightmare at a friends renovation where the contractor sent so many nails through the aluminum plates below but I never found out how they remedied that disaster. Anyhow, great job and videos, appreciate all you do. Take care. Scot from New Hampshire

[@drsdre]

At what temperature are you running the radiant heat system? Would these under floor heat spreaders also work with a low temperature heat pump system (40 C or 104 F)?

[@SilverBack.]

Matt have you thought about a skillsaw with a stone blade set to cut to the depth of the stone and board, then cut it into sections ??

[@mcremona]

I’m not sure that would have made much difference. The cement board doesn’t have much tensile strength so it just crumbles

[@brianelliot2719]

Next time you’re in a hardware store, check out an ice chisel or sidewalk scraper as they might be known, the blade is wider, heavier, and the handle is 5’ long. I lengthened mine with a dowel to about 6’ long (I’m 6’3”). Whatever the length, you can standup and do the work - saves the back. The heavier the better as you can some weight behind each thrust. There only about $12-15. I use it for ice but I have used it successfully for ice. Not applicable in California or anywhere warm…doubt you’d find them.

[@trishblakely3476]

I think Ripley said it best: “Nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.” This is true sweat equity, job well done Matt.

[@vogs72]

Can’t beat a spade for that job.

[@stevencjones5236]

So, under slate was Durock, or something similar, GLUED down to MDF subfloor, then thinset to bond slate to Durock? Other than seeing orange PEX was installed in aluminum heat distribution plates, I found it difficult to watch. KUDOS to your tenacity for painstakingly removing that slate flooring. What a GRIND! I hope the next removal method is faster...

[@CrimeVid]

The worst one I did was a big floor which turned out to be three lavers of really heavily stuck cork, on to concrete,it took two of us three days. Thing is it would not break like a tile, you had to tear it, and it didn’t want to !

[@thtadthtshldntbe]

Its probably way too late for this particular project but if you have to ever do this sort of project again, you just completely remove everything including the shbflooring. There are different methods to do this. Years ago one of my uncles cut up from the bottom along both sides of the joists. He the just lifted it out and pried off the pieces left on the joists and replaced the subflooring. There are other similar methods i ave seen them do

[@matttolmanaz]

Why not use a saw with a diamond blade and set depth just deep enough to get through to the subfloor and cut into sections and then remove each section?

[@stuartpulvermacher6861]

I'm getting sore just watching you wow that slate was put down to stay I guess it'll be worth it in the end