How to Replace Travertine Stone Floors
Replacing any type of stone flooring can be expensive and challenging. Stone flooring is mortared to the underlayment or subfloor, and mortar is a type of cement. Removing the tiles usually means that the stone tiles have to be broken and removed in chunks. Some stone floors are also installed over a wire-reinforced base, adding to the depth of the mortar and the weight and strength of the material being removed. It is frequently necessary to remove underlayment as well before replacing the floor. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Utility knife
- Prybar
- Hammer
- Safety glasses
- Mask
- Gloves
- Long sleeve shirt
- Long pants
- Boots
- Hand maul
- Masonry chisel
- Floor scraper
- Heavy-duty belt sander
- Hammer drill (optional)
- Pneumatic chipper (optional)
- Broom and dustpan
- Shop vac
- New flooring
- Underlayment
- Adhesive
- Nail type
Instructions
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1
Remove existing baseboard or shoe molding that overlays the floor. Use a utility knife to cut the caulk between the shoe molding and the baseboard or between the baseboard and the wall. Use a prybar and hammer to gently pull the wood away. The finish nails will often pull through the wood. You can remove these from the wall later.
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2
Wearing safety clothing, goggles and gloves, use a hand maul and masonry chisel. Start at a damaged tile or along an open edge. Work the chisel into the crack and use the maul to drive the chisel under the tile. Once the first tile is removed, the access for the chisel will improve.
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3
Drive the chisel under each tile trying to remove as much of the thinset with the tile as possible. Use a smaller chisel around flanges or cabinets that can be damaged.
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4
Remove debris by using a broom and dustpan and shop vacuum cleaner. The object is to replace the floor with a different flooring; this means that the underlayment or subfloor needs to be as clean and smooth as possible for the replacement process.
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5
Scrape up as much of the thinset as possible using a floor scraper. Ram the scraper along the floor trying to get under the edges of the thinset. Remove any remaining thinset with a heavy-duty belt sander. Some floors may require using a hammer drill or pneumatic chipper to remove the thinset. These are often available as rentals.
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6
Install the new flooring following manufacturer's guidelines for underlayment, adhesive, nail type or other criteria.
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Tips & Warnings
Travertine is relatively soft, for a stone. It is likely that most or all of the tiles will break during removal. If the floor is bedded in thick mortar that has metal wire embedded in it, you may need to rent a hammer type drill or pneumatic chipper to get under the mortar. These will sometimes damage the underlayment or subfloor so be careful when using them.
