I live in chesapeake va. Do you have contractors to remove old tile and mud bed for replacement with wood floor? I am doing work myself on floor install.

I'm sure you can find someone to do the removal but at a pretty hefty price maybe because they aren't doing the new floor.
I don't think removal would be very difficult, messy but fairly easy. Bust the tile up, then I would think you could scrape off the mortar (mud) with possibly a sidewalk ice scraper or even a hammer drill. (I could be wrong, I've never done it). That's my two cents worth. Good luck

Hi all:

To remove mud floors 2 inches or thinner I usually use a sledge hammer , pry bar , pick axe (especially if wire lathe in mud bed... need tin snips here as well! ), safety goggles and leather gloves. Obviously glass shelves, cabinets, pictures and anything that hangs on walls of adjoining rooms needs to be taken down during demolition... you should also plan on covering doors and opening windows and covering anything that is in the basement under the room you will be working in to reduce chances of dust debris from getting into washing machine/dryer or anything else you may think is valuable. Once you get a small hole started the rest usually breaks out pretty easy... just don't go smashing through the subfloor by overdoing it!

If that sounds too labor intensive (or floor is thicker than 2") you can step it up by renting a chipping hammer or demolition hammer, but I have found that I still have had to work the wire lathe and mud with the pick axe and/or pry bars and tin snips... so have these tools available if you do this yourself... ;)

Usually if you or a contractor remove a mud floor you need to plan on reinstalling the mud floor thickness with plywood AND the new wood floor so that the new finished floor ends up level with the other floor(s) at doorway(s) of the room(s) that meet the room you are working on... so keep that in mind here when beginning (if a really thick mud floor you may need to install small JOISTS every 12-16" on top of subfloor and build up with plywood and new wood floor for best result... let us know if this sounds like your job).

If the demolition is too much for you but you feel you can direct a helper you can hire a laborer from a temporary employment agency (usually somewhere around $15.00 to $20.00 per hour includes insurance and usually known to the company so pretty good deal overall! ). I use these guys all the time with very good results!

Otherwise, hire a licensed contractor from your area being sure to get 2 or 3 estimates for the work... ;) If not sure what companies to call you can always call your local building department where they can suggest a couple companies they know well. Be clear they can't usually recommend anyone, but maybe they can drop a name or two... *quietly*... Shhhh!

Let us know if you need more info... glad to help...

MARK