My magical, mystical multi-layered floor [big rant!]
Discussion
[warning: this contains much ranting, foul language and opportunities aplenty to mock my tile-based misfortune. You have been warned]
Today I started ripping up the old floor tiles in my kitchen.
On levering up the first one I thought "How odd, they all seem to be stuck together" as the adjacent tiles all lifted slightly as well. Unlike most tiled floors where each tile will usually come up on its own (often in pieces).
Once I'd ripped/smashed the tile off using a lump hammer, a 24" crowbar and a satisfying amount of violence, I discovered that the reason for them all sticking together was that some utter f***king knobhead had been lazy and slack-arsed enough to tile OVER THE OLD F**KING LINO.
Jesus.
So on I cracked, got a few tiles out the way then started ripping up the exposed patch of lino. Which, once free from tiles, came up suspiciously easily, to reveal... cork tiles.
That's 3 layers, then. And another lazy, useless, feckless, workshy f***ing C*NT who couldn't be bloody arsed to take up the old floor before laying a new one.
These b
ding things were properly stuck down. No ripping up nice big chunks, oh no; it was out with the bolster and lump hammer to take the cork off inch by sodding inch. I've done about 5 square foot in the space of an hour.
To top it off, in a few places I've also found odd patches of those real olde-worlde floor tiles under the cork. Y'know, the really thin ones arranged in a chessboard-like pattern. Which are probably made of something nice and healthy and safe. Like asbestos. And come up almost as easily as those poxy cork things, which means I'll probably wear my bolster and mash hammer down to f**k-all before the damn flooring is all gone!
So I'd just like to say a massive thanks to all the imbeciles, f**kwits and brain-dead rectal lice masquerading as tradesmen and/or DIYers who've bodged and buggered their way through my kitchen over the years. Seriously, what kind of inept bell-end applies ceramic tiles over frigging lino? C*nting morons!
Today I started ripping up the old floor tiles in my kitchen.
On levering up the first one I thought "How odd, they all seem to be stuck together" as the adjacent tiles all lifted slightly as well. Unlike most tiled floors where each tile will usually come up on its own (often in pieces).
Once I'd ripped/smashed the tile off using a lump hammer, a 24" crowbar and a satisfying amount of violence, I discovered that the reason for them all sticking together was that some utter f***king knobhead had been lazy and slack-arsed enough to tile OVER THE OLD F**KING LINO.
Jesus.
So on I cracked, got a few tiles out the way then started ripping up the exposed patch of lino. Which, once free from tiles, came up suspiciously easily, to reveal... cork tiles.
That's 3 layers, then. And another lazy, useless, feckless, workshy f***ing C*NT who couldn't be bloody arsed to take up the old floor before laying a new one.
These b
ding things were properly stuck down. No ripping up nice big chunks, oh no; it was out with the bolster and lump hammer to take the cork off inch by sodding inch. I've done about 5 square foot in the space of an hour.To top it off, in a few places I've also found odd patches of those real olde-worlde floor tiles under the cork. Y'know, the really thin ones arranged in a chessboard-like pattern. Which are probably made of something nice and healthy and safe. Like asbestos. And come up almost as easily as those poxy cork things, which means I'll probably wear my bolster and mash hammer down to f**k-all before the damn flooring is all gone!
So I'd just like to say a massive thanks to all the imbeciles, f**kwits and brain-dead rectal lice masquerading as tradesmen and/or DIYers who've bodged and buggered their way through my kitchen over the years. Seriously, what kind of inept bell-end applies ceramic tiles over frigging lino? C*nting morons!
Edited by Jonny_ on Tuesday 14th December 23:44
Old linoleum can contain asbestos you know....
Before I knew that I removed some very old lino that was all flaky and dusty, I snapped it up into small bits and into bin bags, swept up the remainder, I was covered head to foot in brown dust, was like being in a sandstorm. I then moved to the next room where there was some more modern stuff that was still flexible. As I rolled it up, on the back was printed "Asbestos Free".....
Before I knew that I removed some very old lino that was all flaky and dusty, I snapped it up into small bits and into bin bags, swept up the remainder, I was covered head to foot in brown dust, was like being in a sandstorm. I then moved to the next room where there was some more modern stuff that was still flexible. As I rolled it up, on the back was printed "Asbestos Free".....
May I humbly suggest you get yourself down to your local hire shop and rent an sds drill and a couple of chisels.
I did most of my place by hand, hired a drill for the last bit and so wish I'd bought one in the first place, would've saved me hours!
Getting there now though.
Tile porn:
I did most of my place by hand, hired a drill for the last bit and so wish I'd bought one in the first place, would've saved me hours!
Getting there now though.
Tile porn:
Edited by DJFish on Wednesday 15th December 08:32
It sounds like you're now down to Marley tiles, often used in the 50's and 60's. A bit like squares of lino, glued down. They can be a sod to get up as they break easily. I had to take some up in the bathroom of a house I bought as they were smelly (you can guess why) and the easiest way I found was a heat gun and a scraper. Nasty fumes though, ventilate well and consider a proper mask. If they're sound, I'd just leave them.
My kitchen foor was similar.
Starting from the bottom.
Original floorboards
then
4mm ply boarding nailed approx every inch along all edges and across the boards, probably a hundred nails+ for each board.
then
lino
then
more lino
then
square lino tiles on top.
All the lino came up quite easily, but feck me the boards and the thousands of nails took me 2 days to get out so I could get back to the original boards and get them ready for laying a laminate floor.
Starting from the bottom.
Original floorboards
then
4mm ply boarding nailed approx every inch along all edges and across the boards, probably a hundred nails+ for each board.
then
lino
then
more lino
then
square lino tiles on top.
All the lino came up quite easily, but feck me the boards and the thousands of nails took me 2 days to get out so I could get back to the original boards and get them ready for laying a laminate floor.
Jonny_ said:
GTO-3R said:
10/10 for the rant 
Cheers! 
Elysium said:
You should probably have left the old floor down and tiled over the top
Thought about it but the old ones were cracked to buggery, no doubt from being fitted to such a stable substrate! 
You'll need a stepladder to get to your worktops at this rate.
Have probably posted this before - in our first flat the swirly 1970s carpet in the ground floor front reception room was exactly the same as in the adjacent rear room (now the bedroom) ......because it continued straight under the stud wall where bridal doors had been in Victorian times!
Have probably posted this before - in our first flat the swirly 1970s carpet in the ground floor front reception room was exactly the same as in the adjacent rear room (now the bedroom) ......because it continued straight under the stud wall where bridal doors had been in Victorian times!
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