Removing Glued Tiles from Your Floor

LESLIE: Bob in New York has a tile question. How can we help you with the project?

BOB: Say, I’ve got about a 150-square-foot of ceramic tile; 10 x 10 that is inset down onto linoleum.

TOM: OK.

LESLIE: OK.

BOB: It’s been glued down previously onto plywood and I’m having a very difficult time trying to get it up with a hammer and a chisel.

TOM: (overlapping voices) I bet you are. (chuckles) I bet you are.

BOB: I can’t put another floor over top of it because I’ve got what looks like 16 feet of cast-iron baseboard because this was put back in the 70s.

TOM: Right.

BOB: And I’m trying to find out the best technique to get this tile up.

TOM: Mm-hmm. Well, I think what you’re going to have to do is you’re going to have to get a …

LESLIE: Jackhammer.

TOM: Yeah, well, a jackhammer. No, what I was thinking was probably a masonry blade on a circular saw and start cutting the grout lines and picking the …

BOB: Cutting the grout lines. Right.

TOM: Yeah, and picking the stuff up that way. This is sort of – you need some demolition tools here. And you set your depth on the saw and be very careful by protecting your arms and your eyes and all of that with the appropriate …

LESLIE: Everything.

TOM: Because you’re going to be throwing stuff every which way.

BOB: Right. Safety goggles are in order.

TOM: Safety goggles; even a face mask.

BOB: Right.

TOM: OK? And you may want to also head out to the local rental yard because they may have a much heavier tool that could do this quicker.

BOB: I see. OK. Home Depot does rent a lot of this type …

TOM: They do, they do. It’s a good source.

BOB: So I’ll check them out.

TOM: Alright, good.

BOB: (overlapping voices) I need something heavy-duty.

TOM: Yeah, you do. This is not something you can do with a chisel; this is a big project.