I am going to rip up my kitchen floor tile. It is currently laid directly onto the concrete slab. Then, I am going to install a hardwood floor – an engineered wood hardwood floor glued down installation. I am looking for advice on how to rip up the floor tile. I have heard you can rent a electric chipper — kind of like a motorized chisel? Has anyone done this? After we rip up the tile, we would like to grind down the remaining thinset, so that the new hardwoord floor will be the same height as the flooring that it is butting up against. There is no doorway to the kitchen, so we don’t want a big edge where the wood begins.
I once saw this on a Bob Vila show, where they ground down the thinset in a condo so that they could stain the concrete floor without floating it. I am trying to figure out what tool they used to grind down the floor to the concrete. I am also lookign fro any advice from anyone who has done this. Thanks so much.
Footsox
Replies
I've used a big hammer-drill with a cold chisel blade on the hammer mode. Works good if its not too big an area. With a little work, it gets it right down to the slab. We didn't have to grind, but each job is different.
We also did some with a rented pole hammer-chisel, that ran off an air compressor. The hammer-drill seemed to work a little better, maybe because our air compressor wasn't big enough.
CaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Rent a hammer drill, and use a 3" or 4" wide scaling bit in hammer-only mode. A Hilti or Bosch will do fine. Make sure you get a big one, like a 3/4" shank SDS MAX. The smaller ones don't hit very hard, and you'll be there forever.
As far as grinding goes, if it's not too large of an area (you said in front of a doorway), you can use an angle grinder with a masonry grinding disc to grind down any masonry to level.
Jeff
Not to be giving advise where non is asked, BUT... I have spent way too much time in the past year arranging to have "engineered flooring "ripped up and replaced,on concrete in kitchens,(I hate engineered wood in kitchens)due entirely to what would have been small problems on any other flooring. Please double and triple check the product guarantee/suitabilityfor moisture exposure. a drip too small to notice can accumulate and warp your floor with some of these products. the splash from a dishwasher, in one instance the dogs dish splashout.All these, of course, are Seattle condos,(not the very best plastic encased product)just run of the mill (real )wood,cork and bamboo.
Thanks for all the tips and advice. I will take all of your great advice into consideration. I will try to chisel up this floor with the hammer drill suggestions.. I'll post back here and let you all know how it goes. Thanks for all your help.
Footsox