- 1). Prepare yourself to remove the ceramic tile from the floor. Wear safety glasses and thick gloves, as well as a thick garment with long sleeves, such as a sweatshirt.
- 2). Place a stiff putty knife on the grout in between ceramic tiles near the edge of the floor, such as where a new room and floor surface begins.
- 3). Use a small hammer to pound the grout. This should chip away the grout to make removing the first few ceramic tiles easier.
- 4). Remove all of the grout you can from around one ceramic tile near the edge of the floor.
- 5). Push the putty knife beneath the ceramic tile and hammer it. The tile should pop up. Continue removing grout and popping off tiles in approximately an 8- to 12-inch line to reveal the cement board underneath.
- 6). Hammer the exposed cement board firmly to break it up. Eventually, it should crumble. Clean the pieces with a wet/dry vac.
- 7). Use a flat garden spade to create leverage underneath the cement board. Once you get it under about 6 inches or so, push down on the spade to lift the board. Continue inching forward until all the cement boards, along with the ceramic tiles, have been removed.
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