Job Site Preparation When Floor Tiling – Removing Caulking and Residual Concrete

Normally when preparing a bathroom for floor tiling, you will usually find instances where caulking has been applied as a waterproof sealant, especially around such areas as the bath tub. To remove this you can simply use a flat head screwdriver or blunt wood chisel and scrape away at the caulking, otherwise your floor tiles may not sit properly due to the hangout of the caulking.
If some hard scraping is necessary, don’t worry too much about applying extra force which might result in scraping the tub. Bath tubs are fairly durable and their composition is made to take some abuse, and if you do happen to scratch the surface when removing caulking, then this can easily be hidden by the floor tile level when it comes to laying tiles.
With solid concrete floors as your subfloor, small bumps and raises of concrete will have to be removed also to ensure a level floor when floor tile laying. This can easily be done with the use of a cold chisel and hammer to chip away at these excessive bumps, but always be sure to wear protective eyewear when doing so. If you fail to remove any of these concrete ‘nubbins’, then you could end up with a big headache when trying to lay your floor tiles flat and level.
Any large bumps of residual concrete can also be quickly removed by use of the angle grinder with concrete diamond cutting blade attached. By simply grinding away at the bumps, this can be a fast and effective way of bringing them down to level. Again, be sure to wear your safety equipment as always when working with power tools, but as an added precaution you should also wear a dust mask when working indoors with dry concrete cutting or grinding.
Concrete dust is very dangerous to your respiratory system, so at all times, especially when not working in a well ventilated area such as outdoors, make sure you have something to protect your breathing. If you don’t have a cheap dust mask at hand, then a scarf or cloth handkerchief will do the job to filter out the heavy concrete dust particles that can eventually destroy your lungs after a prolonged amount of time. Also, by using a construction grade vacuum while grinding the dust away, you can avoid many of the hassles of concrete dust. Another one being the cleanup that will need to happen around the house after the grinding is complete.