Lifted carpet reveals quarry tiles - now what?

[Daniellemp]

Hello all,
Just joined this group - because am in need of advice. We have bought a rambling Gr.II listed farmhouse in Derbyshire, parts of it go back to 17c. This picture shows the main entry in the Georgian wing. The house was covered in beige(!!) fitted carpet on all 3 floors. Yuk. We are excited to find the entry has quarry tiles underneath!

Have removed carpet, underlay and gripper strips. But we are left with the screw/nails that held the grippers in place. Too stuck to unscrew. (See close up) How do I remove these?

Many thanks for any suggestions you may have about thus, not to mention tips on cleaning the tiles. We are not interested in restoring them to look as new.
Cheers

 

[aockenden]

If you want them fully out, have you tried dripping some very thin lubricating oil around them, waiting for it to sink into the gaps and then using a pair of pliers to wiggle / twist them out? If you're happy with cutting them off flush then looks likea good job for a multitool with metal-cutting blade (something like this).

 

[Daniellemp]

Hi Aockenden,
Thank you for your suggestions. I tried the oil first but that did nothing. Then I bought a multitool. How did I ever live without one of these before??? Once I replaced the cheap blades it came with, it worked a charm shearing olthem off at tile level.
Once we have finished sanding sealing etc will share some photos.
Thanks again!

 

[aockenden]

Nice, glad that worked.

 

[Toby Newell]

Ah. Now you have screws to rust in your tiles.

Might of been better to try and remove them. Knipex TwinGrips normally do the trick. I have the full bingo card of Knipex grippy, snippy things, in a class of their own. You just twist until the plastic breaks then keep on twisting. Normal pliers are virtually useless for all but the most mundane tasks. Some of the Knipex stuff is multiple times more powerful.

Sanding? Quarry tiles. Hmm. Lithofin cement away followed by Lithofin traditional impregnator then wax. Lucky you the tiles look very pretty. No need to sand with a sander. You can use scotchbrite pads if you want or worn sanding pads to apply the brick acid.

 

[Toby Newell]

If you want them fully out, have you tried dripping some very thin lubricating oil around them, waiting for it to sink into the gaps and then using a pair of pliers to wiggle / twist them out? If you're happy with cutting them off flush then looks likea good job for a multitool with metal-cutting blade (something like this).
View attachment 12763

Never found a metal cutting blade that works for more than a few seconds! And I use the best of the best, Fein MM700 with Fein blades! Which ones did you use? Brilliant tools though.

 

[Daniellemp]

Ah. Now you have screws to rust in your tiles.

Might of been better to try and remove them. Knipex TwinGrips normally do the trick. I have the full bingo card of Knipex grippy, snippy things, in a class of their own. You just twist until the plastic breaks then keep on twisting. Normal pliers are virtually useless for all but the most mundane tasks. Some of the Knipex stuff is multiple times more powerful.

Sanding? Quarry tiles. Hmm. Lithofin cement away followed by Lithofin traditional impregnator then wax. Lucky you the tiles look very pretty. No need to sand with a sander. You can use scotchbrite pads if you want or worn sanding pads to apply the brick acid.

Thanks for your input. Yes, I have gone through several metal cutting blades just in our entry and hall. The exciting postscript here is that we've discovered more quarry tiles under the dining room carpet! So the saga continues ... and I get the chance to do this floor differently.

 

[aockenden]

Never found a metal cutting blade that works for more than a few seconds! And I use the best of the best, Fein MM700 with Fein blades! Which ones did you use? Brilliant tools though.

Yeah multitool has been a big help for us. I'm currently using Erbaur which isn't the greatest but as long as I'm not cutting stainless or high-carbon steel they seem to last for a handful of cuts.