I’ve installed prefinished wood flooring before but the kitchen has ceramic tile glued to 1/4″ plywood, which is then (I assume) glued and nailed to the original sub floor. I need to remove the tile and 1/4″ plywood so I can put our new wood flooring on the original subfloor. What is the best way to do this. I was planning on using a hammer and chisel but is there a specialized tool i can use.
Tags: kitchen utensils, kitchen, large kitchen appliances, kitchen accessories, kitchen equipment
6 Responses to “How to prep subfloor for wood flooring.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Not sure there is a specialized tool to use, but in this case I would suggest something quick and dirty. Bang it out and move on with the project. If you wait around to find the right tool, you often times pay to much for it (purchase or rental) and it would just be quicker if you did it manually.
There are exceptions, but in this case you seem to be on the right track. I would use a pry-bar and a hammer and start in one corner and attempt to take up the 1/4″ ply with the tile on top.
cut a small piece away to establish the depth of the tiles and ply, then, use a small cutting disc set to go that deep and go along the tile joints in meter squares (or thereabouts). It should come up in largish sections then with little mess.
When the floor is clear, before you fit your new wood, there is a type of underflooring made from pressed fiber aprox 10 mm thick, that you put down first. This acts as insulation makes the wood easier to fit and is quieter once the job is complete.
Yes there is. A hammer and wide chisel. In your case , and I ve removed 100s of floors over the years and that what you need to do. Hammer and chisel off the tile, using caution. Chips FLY. Then you can use a crow bar to get under the wood and go at it.If your lucky it was screwed down and you can unscrew a lot of them. But most will pull through the 1/4″ luan and then deal with that later.
Your lucky it was installed wrong this is an easier rip out, Suggestion. Safety glasses, long sleeve shirt sand ear protection to prevent chips in the ears ( I m not kidding) Cover doorways to help prevent dust and put a fan in a window to suck dust out.
Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications GL
The most effective tool is a shingle ripper. It looks like a shovel with teeth, with a metal triangle on the back which serves as a fulcrum for prying. Costs about $30 at Home Depot. Its about a hundred times faster than a hammer and prybar, although these tools are useful for getting started enough to use the ripper. Other than that you can use a shovel, but it won’t work as well as the ripper. Pry up the plywood and tiles at the same time.
Sub floor it should be at least 21/32″ or 15/16″ plywood .To removing tiles from plywood it’s enough to take off one or two rest of them will come out easily .To replacing sub-floor after removing old plywood install the water resistance plywood (exterior plywood) 3/4″ and a 1/4″ cement board for case of any water in the kitchen floor .Then install the hard wood using glue wood to cement .
An air chisel work pretty good. You can also just smash it up with a hammer, or sledge hammer