How to Remove Vinyl Floor Tile
If you’re ready to upgrade your bargain vinyl tile to more upscale flooring – but the budget doesn’t have room to hire someone to remove the vinyl tile, do the job yourself. There are no shortcuts for removing vinyl tile, but using the right tools with the right technique can help you work efficiently. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Large scraper
- Handheld scraper
- Hammer
- Utility knife
- Eye protection
- Dust mask
- Trash bags
Instructions
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Make sure you have the right tools before you start. A scraper with a long arm is a key tool in this process. Find a smaller scraper, one with a short arm that you can work with while down on the ground.
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Remove the baseboard to get all the vinyl tile off the floor. Take your small scraper and hammer it into the seam between the baseboard and drywall. Pry the baseboard loose every 12 inches, then remove an entire length at a time. This will minimize damage to the wall.
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3
Cut into the seam of one tile in an area you want to start with a utility knife. Once you have cut into the seam, use the smaller scraper and hammer it underneath the vinyl tile. Pull that tile up and do the same process the vinyl tile adjacent to it. Now you have room to start working the large scraper.
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4
Hold the scraper at a 45-degree angle and push it forward to remove the tile. Put your body into it, working the blade underneath the tiles and driving the blade forward.
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5
Scoop the debris into contractor grade trash bags, using a square faced shovel.
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6
Scrape the floor substrate clean of the old mastic used to set the vinyl tile. Do as much as you can with the large scraper. Eventually, you will have to get down on your hands and knees to get the last of the tough spots with the small scraper. Depending on how old the mastic is, this job can be long and tiring.
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Tips & Warnings
A lot of old vinyl tile was made with asbestos backing. If you know the age of your house, call your local building department and ask them if they can tell you the last year asbestos tile floors were installed in your area. If the tile has asbestos backing, removing it is not a do it yourself project.
