Kitchen Floor Removal

[clarnp49]

I am trying to remove the floor on my kitchen to put ceramic tile down. I have removed a small portion to find alot of work ahead and hope for some assistance in getting the job done alittle faster.
I have attached a picture to show the layers I wish to take off. The tile is very hard to remove, it's held on with a black tar like material.

Look forward to any help.

 

[Big Red]

Yeah, been there, done that. Some of the experts might have some really good ideas for you. But when I did this I used one of those putty knives with a chisel edge on it and a hammer to get most of it up with. Then I mixed up some wallpaper remover and dipped rags in it and laid them over the building paper and let them soak while I was removing more tile. It really worked!! It was kind of slow, but it softened things up so I could scrape them off. By the way--hope you're going to put down cement board before you lay your ceramic.

 

[Daryl in Nanoose]

You may want to try a floor scraper. I bought one and use it all the time and works well.

 

[asbestos]

Not meaning to be the killjoy here.
But
There is a good chance that some of that stuff has asbestos in it
the tile can have it in it (not a major problem)
one of the other layers could also
the white stuff may be backing from old rolled vinyl flooring (linoleum,congolium etc.) this stuff had 'stose in it up till not to long ago the problem is the backing of it that stuck to the floor was about 80-95% asbestos, so as you scape and peel you make a real mess. You can have it tested for about $30

I have removed acres of this stuff and the stuff on wood could be a real bummer. We used a flooring scraper: it is a heavy steel bar with a clamp on the end that holds a 1/8" by about 3"+ scraper blade. a rental place may rent them or a floor covering store. Go with the grain of the wood. try dfiffernt angles, try a straight down chop. The idea of soaking with wallpaper remover was good (Jasco makes some good stuff) also try others things to see if anything breaks down the glue
Using a flammable solvent is a bad idea

 

[clarnp49]

Thanks for the suggestions on getting this stuff off. Should I be worried about any asbestos on it if I wear a mask? I don't think it's asbestos because the house is only about 40 years old. I found a rental shop that has a "tile remover" it has a blade on it and cuts the VCT tile up pretty good. They say this is what the tile is when I took some samples to local flooring shops.

Will let you know how it comes out, maybe post a picture afterwards.

 

[asbestos]

You should be concerned for the following reasons:
"The house is only 40 years old"
they were using asbestos until well into the 70's and later (I don't know the official last date)

As far as 'a mask' if it is any type of paper mask or anything less then a P-100 it won't work. The fibers are so small that even good quality paper dust masks are ineffective.
There are many good resources on the web that can help you do this safely
The tile is not as much of a concern as that backing for vinyl flooring. Most of the fibers stay bound up in tile,
try these

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/ASB/flooring.html

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/ASB/Flooring.pdf

 

[Paul Scheible]

Could I ask advice on removing the thin set mortar beneath the ceramic tile floor I removed? It is applied to three-quarters plywood subfloor.

Thanks

 

[glennjanie]

Welcome Paul Scheible:
An electric floor removal tool with a short blade from the rental store should do the job. Be sure to wear eye protection and use a garden sprayer with water to keep the dust down.
Glenn