How to Remove Sticky Floor Tiles
- 1). Pry at the edges and corners of tiles that are damaged or loose using a flat screw driver. Find a loose section and pry upward. If the tile was installed over a dirty floor, the adhesive may be spotty and separate more easily. Once a single tile is removed, you should be able to use a scraper.
- 2). Cut the tile from corner to corner forming an X using a utility knife. Apply heat with a heat gun and lift the tiles using a scraper. It is often helpful to have one person applying the heat and a second person standing and shoving the blade of the scraper under the loosening tile.
- 3). Discard tiles immediately, so that you don't trip on chunks as you try to pry the tiles up. If several layers of tiles exist, the tiles will sometimes lift as groups and it may be necessary to strip all layers of flooring from the top tile to the wood sub floor. This may require several days of floor stripping. In some cases, the bottom layer lifts sooner than layers in between.
- 4). Wear rubber gloves and use a hand scrubber and an adhesive dissolver solution to dissolve the residues of adhesive. You may need to do this after every row of tile, so that you don't stick as you try to work. The solution may also soften the adhesives on the tiles you have cut with a utility knife, making them easier to remove.
- 5). Work systematically across the room so that you have a flat and clean place to stand while scraping, and so that you feel you have accomplished something if the tile is particularly hard to remove. Wash the underlying floor with soap and water after using the remover solution.