How to Remove Ceramic Tile from Concrete Floor

What Tools Do You Need to Remove Ceramic Tile from a Concrete Floor?

Before you begin your project, you want to make sure you get the right tools to remove ceramic tile from concrete.

The tools you use will depend on how you want to remove the tile. If you are doing this project by hand, you need a cold chisel that is a few inches long and a hand maul. This is essentially a sledgehammer that will allow you to hit the chisel to take out the tiles.

You can also find electrical tools that help you work more quickly. For example, you can rent out a jackhammer, or you can use a rotary drill that has an attachment for chiseling. If you have a big removal project, you may also consider renting an automatic tile stripper to help.

You can use a shovel to help remove the debris and old tile, and you can also use a shop vac to help clean up the dust and debris.

Safety Equipment and Precautions

Next, you want to make sure you practice safety precautions. As you are chiseling tiles, it is likely that they will break and shards of tile can fly around the room.

To prevent any of these shards from hurting you, you want to make sure you wear safety equipment to help. This include safety goggles, thick work gloves, and more. You also should wear a long sleeve shirt and long pants to protect your body.

Many tiles also include silica dust. When you break them, the fine dust that is released can be breathed in and may cause cancer and other health issues. To prevent this from happening, you need to wear a mask to avoid dust inhalation.

Finally, make sure you protect the areas surrounding your tile removal! Otherwise, tile shards can damage cabinets, drywall, and furniture.

How to Remove Ceramic Tiles from a Concrete Floor

Let’s look at what steps you need to take in order to remove the tiles.

Removing the Tile and Grout

The first step is to remove the tile and grout. As we mentioned before, you can use an electric tool or a chisel and a hand maul.

Simply fracture and dislodge the tile and grout. If you are wondering how to remove ceramic tile from concrete floor without breaking it, it may not be possible if there is too much adhesive.

However, you can try to do this by first emptying the tile joint of any grout by using the RUBIScraper-250 and then getting a flexible knife underneath your tile, try loosen it carefully.

Otherwise, you can make this process much easier by cracking the surfaces of your tiles to easily remove them. Then, you will want to remove the debris with a shovel or another type of scoop.

Taking Tile Adhesive Off the Concrete

Next, you need to learn how to remove ceramic tile adhesive from concrete floor. You can do this in several ways. First, you can try using your chisel to scrape away any remaining adhesive or debris.

You can also try using some type of solvent to dissolve your tile adhesive. This is the least physically demanding way to remove the remaining adhesive, but it’s a relatively long process. First, you need to apply the product, following all safety instructions, allow the product to act on the adhesive, and then clean the adhesive and residue before finally allowing the surface to dry. You’ll also want to make sure that the area is well ventilated. These solvents generally have strong chemicals or acids, so make sure you aren’t breathing these in!

Also, make sure you don’t damage the concrete below with your solvent. Regardless of what process you use to remove the adhesive, the surface doesn’t have to be perfect. You can smooth out the concrete in the next step.

Smooth Concrete Subfloor

Finally, it is time to restore your concrete subfloor. If you are adding new tile, you can smooth over the imperfections with a thin layer of mortar. Or, you can use self-leveling concrete that will spread through the floor and fill in any cracks or uneven parts.

Mortar is generally the easiest and most efficient way to smooth out the floor below your ceramic tiles. If you are adding new tiles or flooring, this is the way to go.

Clean Up Your Workspace

Finally, it is time to clean up your workspace. If you haven’t removed all the old tile, make sure you properly dispose of it. It is also very likely that there is a layer of dust over your entire workspace.

This happens when you are working with tile, so you want to clean it up to prevent tracking it into the rest of the space. You can do this with a wet or a dry shop vac. Then, use a damp cloth to remove any remaining dust or debris.

Use Professional Tools

While you may be able to do this project on your own, it can be difficult in some cases, especially if the adhesive is hard to remove. If you want to save yourself time and stress when you are learning how to remove ceramic tile from concrete floor, you should get professional tools. If you are looking for tiling tools for any tiling project, RUBI is here to help! We offer a wide range of tools from tile cutters, grout mixers, and safety equipment. Contact our team today to learn more about our products or sign up for free to receive the entire RUBI product catalog by email!