Hello everyone,
I’m looking to replace a tile floor. The 3/4 inch thick tile sits on top of cement board. Is it possible to rip up the tile and then place a hardwood floor on top of the cement board? Or does the cement board need to be ripped up as well? Also any advice or tips would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Steve
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Replies
Problem is ...
The problem is that every time I have tried to remove tile from cement backer board teh porcess distorys the backer board or so much thinset is left uneven (highs and lows of 1/4 inch) that laying anything on top of it is impossible.
I suppose for a floor you could chisel it roughly flat and then use some floor leveler on it.
And even removing the backer board from the subfloor would be a challenge.
It msut be possible, as some here are likely to explain, but I bet it is a job.
Reply to Problem is
DoRight wrote:
The problem is that every time I have tried to remove tile from cement backer board teh porcess distorys the backer board or so much thinset is left uneven (highs and lows of 1/4 inch) that laying anything on top of it is impossible.
I suppose for a floor you could chisel it roughly flat and then use some floor leveler on it.
And even removing the backer board from the subfloor would be a challenge.
It msut be possible, as some here are likely to explain, but I bet it is a job.
Thanks for the reply. You hit on one of my bigger concerns, after getting the tile up what condition is the backer board going to be in after having to scrap off the mortar. As for the thought of maybe also taking the backer board up and starting from scratch, looking up at the underside of the floor from the basement the backer board was attached to the floor with some type of mortar (the dried drippings are present between the original floor boards) so that would be a beast of a task as well.
I think no matter what, your in for a bunch of work... The backer board was set in thin set and probably screwed down. It will not want to come up. The tile will come up from the b'board, but will leave an uneven mess of thinset behind as well. You mention the tile as being 3/4" thick....is this including the b'board? If not and you have large format tiles, it likely means they used at least a 1/2" notched trowel and lots of mud. Is the b'board 1/2" or 1/4"? Like the previous poster said....it's going to be a big job..and the larger the area, the worse it sounds.
Maybe someone else has an idea, but I think it's going to come down to old fashion grunt labor and lots of dust....
YIkes
wmheinz wrote:
I think no matter what, your in for a bunch of work... The backer board was set in thin set and probably screwed down. It will not want to come up. The tile will come up from the b'board, but will leave an uneven mess of thinset behind as well. You mention the tile as being 3/4" thick....is this including the b'board? If not and you have large format tiles, it likely means they used at least a 1/2" notched trowel and lots of mud. Is the b'board 1/2" or 1/4"? Like the previous poster said....it's going to be a big job..and the larger the area, the worse it sounds.
Maybe someone else has an idea, but I think it's going to come down to old fashion grunt labor and lots of dust....
Thanks for the insight. The tile itself is 3/4 inch thick 12"x12", heavy sob's as a few extras were left in the basement. it's called spanish tile I believe, can't stand the tile as the tiles are not conpletely level/flat on top. Anyway, the back board is 1/4" if I remember correctly. The 2 rooms which have the tile, the kitchen and a room off the kitchen measure 11x17 and 10x16. Thanks again.
Tile floor removal
Steve, from your description of the sub-floor, as seen from the basement, your house is at least 60 years old,
since you describe "boards" I'm assuming 1x6 or 1x8 rough sawn, which was typical of that era. I would suggest you strip out all the stuff down to the sub-floor, then install 1/4" - 3/8" ply underlayment (depending on the final height you want to be at, and assuming the cement board is 1/4" , then add for the thickness of the mortar bed, you might be at a 1/2" for the underlayment) plus the 3/4" finish floor, and come level to the other floor you're matching up to.
I'm not aware of getting flooring cleats longer than the standard length ( 2 1/2") for a flooring gun, and nailing through the cement
board will only help to break up the cement board as you install the flooring.
If you can get at least a 3/8" underlayment plus the existing sub-floor you should be fine for the hardwood install. I would strongly recommend you screw the underlayment to the subfloor to help stiffen the flooring system, just be sure to use the proper screws (NOT drywall screws) for the underlay and set the screws flush or slightly counter-sunk. DO install 15# felt before laying the finish floor, and DO use cleats and NOT staples to secure the finish floor.
This may sound like a lot of work, but you will have a stronger, more secure and longer lasting installation than if you try to keep the cement board, it's just not worth keeping it.
Good Luck
Geoff
p.s. once you get some of the tile up, unscrew some of the fasteners attaching the cement board to the subfloor, then use a small 5# sledge to help break up the cement board from the subfloor, you'll be surprised how well that will help to loosen the mortar from the subfloor.