Help with tile in basement

6 years ago

We bought a 1950's house w/ this "finished" basement... I'm not a fan of this tile and was wondering if anyone knows how difficult this would be to remove? And is it worth it? Our basement is dry and I would love to put a nice carpet down there instead of this cold/outdated tile. We plan to demo the entire basement and re-do it but I'm not sure what to do about the tile. Any idea's/suggestions would be helpful!

Also, does anyone know what kind of tile this is?

Featured Answer

PRO

Skippack Tile & Stone

6 years ago

That looks like quarry tile, likely 6x6, about 1/2" thick. You can have it removed, keep in mind you may need to have the concrete patched up and made smooth before you lay carpet.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (18)

acm
6 years ago
Can't tell what kind of tile just by looking at a photo.

It can be gotten up with a chisel and/or jackhammer. It's nontrivial. What's that drop-down in the first picture?

You might be able to lay something over it if it's level, either a vinyl plank with some padding attached or a carpet with some underlayment. If you're demoing the whole basement and aren't short for head clearance, that might be a better way to go.
Related Discussions
framing a basement wall over vinyl floor tile
Q
Comments (1)
Sounds like a couple basements I knew, including ours. Won't bother the powder-activated nails, but the tiles continuing to stick are less certain. Probably be fine, but I'd score a line where the wall will go and test-scrape behind it to be sure. (If you test-scape without scoring, it'll end up being a project of scraping the entire floor (been there, done that) and you will find some tiles to come up much more easily than others (use a good, long floor scraper, if you go that route). BTW, those tiles don't help in cutting down the cold at all. I'm curious how you're planning to heat. We installed baseboards (hot water on a separate zone from upstairs, which is radiator heat. It was a bit of a pain, but well worth it. (Tapping off furnace heat is supposedly easier, if you have one.)
...See More
Need Help...Asbestos Flooring in Basement
Q
Comments (2)
Asbestos floor tile is not generally brittle to a large degree and asbestos is only dangerous if you inhale it into lungs. I would just get a n95 dust mask pick up the lose tiles and burying them in the yard as it is a mineral and not subject to enviornmental problems and quite often buried in landfills around here. Since its a basement I assume it is a concrete floor underneath and the adhesive is holding the tile firmly in place go ahead puts some floor patch down to cover the area tiles are missing I am not familar with the flooring you are putting down but most plank flooring I am familar with do not use adhesive or fasteners check your manufactures recomendation. Good Luck Eddie
...See More
help with surface mount ceiling tiles for basement ceiling
Q
Comments (2)
And I’m realizing that the armstrong tiles are not an option because They would go in one by one, and if we need access to an area behind ( which we will) we’d have to take out the whole row.... and can’t put led lights directly in . Now to like at ceilingmax vs ceilinglink https://modernize.com/home-ideas/17729/ceiling-max-and-ceiling-link
...See More
I need help removing salt growing on our glazed tile in basement
Q
Comments (2)
Salt is neither an acid or a base, so it does not require any neutralization. Apparently what has happened is that salty water got under the tile and moisture continues to carry the salt out. Any moisture under there will of course evaporate where it hits the air, i.e. at the grout joints, leaving salt behind. I am not sure this process can be sped up as it depends on dissolving the underlying salt and then getting water to carry it up and evaporate. Here's a stab at it: You could try removing it with a MINIMAL amount of water - scrub with a damp sponge. Then add a very small amount of clean water just to wet the joints. Wipe off excess water. Run a dehumidifier in the area to draw moisture out. When salt collects, repeat. EDIT: I just realized this may be a wall not a floor? Not uncommon to have efflorescence of salts on basement walls. Happens on some tile I mounted on concrete behind my woodstove. You will have trouble getting water to go IN to the joints if it's a vertical wall though. How good is the foundation drainage outside the basement wall in this area? Reducing the infiltrating moisture should help. And if you paint over a wall that's efflorescing, I doubt the paint is going to hold, regardless of whether it's salts from soil, concrete or water softener. It's the moisture that's the problem.
...See More
C P
Original Author
6 years ago
ACM - The drop-down in the first picture is the "unfinished" part of the basement where the washer and dryer are, the water heater, etc. I can't figure out why the basement has flooring that is two different heights. We are short for head clearance on the "finished" side where the tile is .... it's only have 6'5 which is why I was hoping we could have the tile removed and keep our drop-ceiling b/c we do have a lot of stuff running through the ceiling that I don't really want to cover up completely.
PRO
Skippack Tile & Stone
6 years ago
The painted floor is the bottom, concrete from when the house was made; when they put tile down, the thickness of the tiles and the thinset base account for the differences in height.
C P
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks! So if we remove the tile, will the floor then be same height as the floor in the unfinished part of the basement?
PRO
Beth H. :
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
that is indeed, red quarry tile. you might be able to get the entire thing refinished and looking like new. it's nice when it's all cleaned up and spiffy. It also came in black (blue quarry). maybe you could get them recolored and polished?? not sure

I would look into getting them refinished as an option. they look nice when completely redone.

as for the height diff, the tile is set on top of what looks like a higher plane. so unless you jackhammer all of the cement under it, I don't think just removing the tile will level it for you. And removing all that quarry tile is a big, messy job!
C P thanked Beth H. :
C P
Original Author
6 years ago
That's what I was afraid of... I'm sure its a very big, messy and dusty job! I really don't like it at all so I'm not sure I would pay to refinish it. Do you think it would be okay to put carpet on top of it?
C P
Original Author
6 years ago
wall-to-wall carpeting that is... with padding.
PRO
Beth H. :
6 years ago
I don't see why not,, in a basement. they need to put down tack strips but I'm sure they could attach them to that tile. check w/the carpet company and see if they'll do it. if you want extra thick padding, you have to tell them so they can recommend the correct carpet for it.
PRO
Cinar Interiors, Inc.
6 years ago
If you choose to install carpet over the quarry tile please bear in mind that you will ruin the tiles around the perimeter of the room. A very strong adhesive will be needed under the tack strip and you will need to ensure that said tiles are bonded to the subfloor very good. If the tiles are not bonded properly they will break loose when the carpet is stretched into place, causing big problems for your install.
C P thanked Cinar Interiors, Inc.
PRO
Creative Tile Eastern CT
6 years ago
Skim the grout joints flush and install carpet & pad using the double stick method. With proper carpet & pad of course. This eliminates all that labor that has been discussed. Just a tile guys opinion.
thatsmuchbetter
6 years ago
quarry tile when bonded properly come out in bit chunks and leave behind a mess that needs to be mechanically removed or screeded over. Dont take demo lightly
Matt Man
6 years ago
Some carpet guys use small tapcons to attack their tackstrip , but those tile are brittle, I would remove them.
nikness30
6 years ago
One other thing to keep in mind--how long have you lived in your house? In our former 1950's house our basement was dry for a good couple of years--until a big rain storm, when it suddenly was not dry. Ditto for our current house -- dry except for 2-3 occasions over the last 8 years... Not a big deal with a hard floor, but would have been painful with carpeting. Although perhaps you have a sump pump?
PRO
Creative Tile Eastern CT
6 years ago
No rip-up, No tack strip. Just skim the existing quarry tile and glue down commercial carpet with pad or without. No need to redo all the base board & possibly door trim as would be required if you rip out quarry tiles.
User
6 years ago
Carpet tile. PSA. Done.

Or snap lock vinyl with some thickness. Like CorrTec. That would be waterproof if you do have a water event.
Matt Man
6 years ago
Judging by the picture if you did a commercial grade carpet you may be fine but if you add pad with it your doors may not clear, quarry tile is what 3/8? And a 3/8 notch before being set, so 5/8 at most.New pad and thick carpet without the commercial feel would probably assume the gap.
gnu36
6 years ago
Another option - a quality carpet store should be able to make a custom "rug" for your space by adding binding around the edge of the carpet, and not adhering it to the tile in any way. You could even leave a space of say, six inches, of the tile showing around the edges. They should be able to make it in any shape and size you want.

Help with tile in basement

Skippack Tile & Stone

Comments (18)

acm

Related Discussions

C P
Original Author

Skippack Tile & Stone

C P
Original Author

Beth H. :

C P
Original Author

C P
Original Author

Beth H. :

Cinar Interiors, Inc.

Creative Tile Eastern CT

thatsmuchbetter

Matt Man

nikness30

Creative Tile Eastern CT

User

Matt Man

gnu36

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Help with tile in basement

Comments (18)

Related Discussions

C POriginal Author

C POriginal Author

C POriginal Author

C POriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

C P
Original Author

C P
Original Author

C P
Original Author

C P
Original Author