ᐅ Removing Tiles Under a Staircase – What Is the Best Approach?

Hello everyone,

After a long back and forth and far too many compromises, we finally decided against building a new house and instead bought a finished property. However, it needs renovation, and I am just starting by removing the tiles. In the hallway, I noticed that the wooden staircase is resting directly on the tiles (personally, I would have expected the staircase to be on the screed with the tiles laid around it). How can I remove the tiles in this situation?

At the moment, I’m leaning towards cutting the tiles around the stair feet and leaving them in place. The staircase does not appear to be screwed down at the bottom, so I’m wondering if it might be possible to slightly lift the staircase, remove the tiles underneath, and then simply place the staircase directly on the screed.

I want to do as much as possible myself, but in this case, I would consult a professional if they have tools or ideas that a typical DIYer wouldn’t have and that are needed for this job.

Does anyone have any suggestions or opinions?

Best regards

Either chisel around the entire area or lift the staircase slightly using leverage. No tradesperson available?

Only if the tiles beneath the stringer are removed will the exact height of the tile be missing, which would likely negatively affect the staircase. Therefore, this should be carefully considered.

What will be installed there again? Tiles again?

Hello everyone,

Thanks so far.
Okay, placing the staircase directly on the screed doesn’t seem like a good idea. I can imagine that this height difference would cause problems.

The options seem to be either removing the tiles around the staircase or – a new idea – removing all the tiles and leveling the difference with something else.

Vinyl flooring is planned as the new surface, which has to be installed around the staircase. Its buildup height is about 0.8cm (0.3 inches), while the tiles currently have a height of about 1.2cm (0.5 inches).

Any other ideas, pros and cons? Would this rather be a job for a professional?

Best regards

How is the staircase connected to the screed?
I assume it is probably cast in place, right? That should actually be the case.