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How to remove floor tiles

A heavy-duty floor scraper and a floor with tiles partly removed

Overview

Removing floor tiles is a basic renovation job that anyone can do. We'll show you how to lift up the tiles and scrape the glue off the subflooring. Plus, there's a few tips on the best tools to use to make the job easier.

Tools and materials

Tools

Materials

Steps

1Remove the floor tiles

Cover any surfaces you need to protect with a drop sheet.

Then, pry the tiles off the floor by driving the bolster blade underneath them with your mallet. In this case we are starting with an exposed edge, so getting under the tiles is easy.

A person wearing protective gear using a hammer and bolster to lever up floor tiles

2Scrape off the floor tile glue

Use a heavy-duty floor scraper to take the bulk of the glue off the floor. As you get closer to any edges you want to protect, switch to a smaller paint scraper. That way you can control the length of your strokes more.

Continue until all the glue is off the floor.

To make the job easier, keep sweeping up as you go.


A heavy-duty floor scraper and a floor with tiles partly removed

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Health & Safety

Please make sure you use all equipment appropriately and safely when following the advice in these D.I.Y. videos. You need to be familiar with how to use equipment safely and follow the instructions that came with the equipment. If you are unsure, you may feel it is safest to consult an expert, such as the manufacturer or an expert Bunnings Team Member.

Grave health hazards are linked to asbestos, which may be in homes built up to 1990. Health hazards may result from exposure to lead-based paints in older materials and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer. You can also use a simple test kit from Bunnings to indicate the presence of lead-based paint.