Removing Floor Tiles With A Single Crack

If the floor tiles are laid on concrete, then the process gets a bit difficult. Patiently handling the process will ensure that the tiles are removed without any cracks. Though there is no guarantee that they can be removed, there are certain techniques to try and salvage the floor tiles. Before you start the process of tile retrieval, the surrounding furniture and any other items should be removed. The blinds and window curtains in the room should be removed. Open areas and the doorways should be covered in plastic to protect them. The removal process will create a lot of dust. So try to cover everything so that lot of time need not be spent on cleaning later on. Protect yourself by wearing glasses for safety. Gloves for hands and a mask to protect you from dust are essential. Many particles of dust and chips from the tile can enter the eyes or wind pipe. This tile dust will cause damage to your lungs. Knees and legs should also be protected by wearing knee pads. The best way to work is start from the door and work towards the inside. Along the lines of the grout, use the grinder from an angle. A rotary cutting tool can also be used to cut the grout. First, cut through the edges along the four sides on the grout. After you make the tile loose at the edges, try removing from one side by trimming a large section of the grout. The tile can be loosened from the floor by sliding a putty knife at one corner. Place the knife between the tile and the floor. A chisel can also be used for the same purpose. The hammer can be used to tap on the handle of the knife to loosen it. If the hammer is causing sudden jerks or creating a lot of pressure, use a rubber mallet to slowly break the joint between the floor and the back of the tile. Loosen the whole tile while working slowly along the edges. After the four sides are loosened, try to lift the file from the floor from one loose end. Once a tile has been loosened and lifted, the next tile becomes easy to remove as one side is free. The cutting of grout along the edges of the tiles can be done for one tile at a time or for all the tiles at the same time. The whole process needs to be done with a lot of patience. Any sudden jerks or movements can cause the tile to crack or break. If you wish to reset this, some effort to remove the thin set is required. The thin set from the back of the tile can be removed using a bench grinder. The sand should be removed carefully from the backside.