Easy way to remove vinyl floor tiles

Hi everyone,
Have started yet another job without thinking first.:eek:

Have got vinyl tiles in my kitchen that I want to pull up and replace with some more vinyl tiles. The only thing is theres about 3 layers of tiles on the floor already.

One lot is thick black vinyl which I presume has been here since the house was built, then theres some slightly thinner white vinyl tiles on top of those and then theres the cheap n cheerfull very thin ones I bought some years ago when I needed a quick fix option. Bits of the layers have gradually come away and Im left with a multi coloured floor and it looks a mess.

Ive bought some resonably good quality vinyl tiles from B&Q and have started to chip away at the old ones with a hammer and big chisel thingy (cant think of the proper name for it).

They are coming up slowly and it bits but its back breaking and leaving a gluey tarmac like substance on the concrete floor underneath the botton layer of tiles.

Is there an easier way to get these up and will I have to do anything to the floor before putting new ones down. What can I get the black tar stuff up with as it will take for ever scrapping.

Any ideas much appreciated.:o
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Comments

  • wallbash
    wallbash Posts: 17,775 Forumite
    big chisel thingy
    Bolster
    quote
    Any ideas much appreciated
    Move!

    You are going to have a tough job on your hands
    I resorted to a sharpened spade , not safe but I was desperate .
  • missstropy
    missstropy Posts: 7,763 Forumite
    Im a girl I dont do technical jargon!!!!! lol

    My BF gona kill me when he gets home then because Ive got nearly but not quite a quarter done and it looks worse that before and he told me to leave it alone......

    No easy way then. I was hoping there would be something I could pour over the floor and it would disintigrate everything!!!! And I could mop it up..

    Ive got bruises on my knees where bits of big chunks have flown off and whacked my Knees its not good Im in so much trouble.

    All I can say is OOOOppps and thanks.
  • andrew-b
    andrew-b Posts: 2,413
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    Our kitchen has two layers of tiles..layer of thermoplastic and layer of vinyl. We took the easy way out...removed the loose one's and then tiled over the top with ceramic floor tiles (using BAL SPF adhesive). I spent a long time researching tiling on top - some tilers said dont do it, others said it's ok. We got away with it fine though and no problems.

    In our bathroom again there were thermoplastic tiles but this time i carefully removed and disposed of safely (as i was aware of the possible asbestos in them). I'm now left with the black bitumen though it's fairly thin with concrete beneath showing through. If you need to remove it then apparently the best way is to use a blowtorch or heat gun to heat it up. I tried the cheap alternative of hairdrier (shh don't tell my OH!) but when it took me about 1/2 hour to clear a square inch i gave up!

    If you decide to ceramic tile it then BAL SPF adhesive would be suitable to tile directly on the black bitumenous layer. Alternatively you could put down a layer of levelling compound on top (latex type i think would work).

    If your floors are like ours though without a damp proof membrane in them you may find that the black bitumenous layer is actually acting as a damp proofing and so be wary of removing it as it may cause damp problems. For us it's not so bad as there's chalk beneath us (about 2 feet beneath the surface from having dug down to remove a tree!).

    Alternatively stick another layer on top and leave it for some other poor sod to deal with ...though it sounds like it's no longer an option!

    Andy
  • ormus
    ormus Posts: 42,714 Forumite
    a sharp spade will help. or use a hot air gun. (take care).

    no idea if a girlies hair dryer will be powerful enough though!
    Get some gorm.
  • missstropy
    missstropy Posts: 7,763 Forumite
    Im beginning to think I should of put some cheap ones down from the pound shop to level it to the other level and put me good ones on top of that. But its too late now ive started. Have to get on with it. I didnt know about asbestos..... I will get a heat gun on the glue the kids will love rolling it into a big sticky ball....when its not so hot.

    I cant be asrd worring about the damp thingy. Worry about that later. I just want a new floor for chrimbo or Im not cooking the turkey in that kitchen....
  • missstropy
    missstropy Posts: 7,763 Forumite
    Where do you get a sharp spade from how do you sharpen a spade???
  • andrew-b
    andrew-b Posts: 2,413
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    ormus wrote: »
    no idea if a girlies hair dryer will be powerful enough though!
    Was a powerful hair dryer i used on full heat with nozzle held on same spot until it started to melt....but your electric bill to do the whole floor would be astronomical! The heat gun would be much more effective but once you've melted it you've still got to try scrape the sticky mess up.
    When i had the wallpaper steamer out i tested it on the floor too but as suspected it requires more heat than steam to get it off.

    Decided we are going to carpet the floor anyway so turned out to be wasted effort!

    Andy
  • wallbash
    wallbash Posts: 17,775 Forumite
    The idea of the spade, think large scraper. Sharpen edge with a file, because it will soon blunt with the concrete. Advantages are you might be able to do some of the work standing ( or at least off your knees).

    Ps start thinking how you are going to make it up with the B/F.
  • paddy's_mum
    paddy's_mum Posts: 3,977
    I've been Money Tipped!
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    In short, there isn't an easy way but if you can stomach the slog, it is worth it in the end.

    We've just lifted dark brown thermoplastic tiles which covered every floor in a two bedroom bungalow. They were easiest to tackle using a garden hoe, following up with a thin bolster to chip off resistant bits.

    We too tried hairdryer, heat gun etc and found that all we did was thin and spread the remaining bitumen. Took advice from a very practical friend who suggested that we swept ordinary old household dust across the entire floor to 'blind' the stickiness, then sweep and mop to clean off as much as possible.

    It worked and we subsequently had ceramic tiles laid using the normal recommended adhesive and all seems to have gone well.
  • andrew-b
    andrew-b Posts: 2,413
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    Forumite
    That's an interesting point about the dust as although not done on purpose our bathroom floor has been subjected to alot of dust and foot traffic and swept countless times since the tiles were pulled up in the summer. It's not sticky now at all so perhaps laying tiles on it would be fine if that's what we wanted to have.

    Andy
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