I think the answer would depend on whether the cabinets were installed on top of the tile, or was the tile installed to the edge of the cabinets. If the tile stops at the edge of the cabinet base, it should not be a problem to remove.

Sadly the cabinets appear to be installed on top of the tile.

We need some flooring pros to help here! It might be doable, it's just beyond my personal experience.

Hmmm we had this problems nod were told we couldn't remove the tiles because kitchen was built on top. -but the kitchen was as bad as the tiles, so we ripped out the lot ... And then some ... But had to live with it for almost 3 years! Have you thought about painting the tiles? I think there are some pretty good products out there now.

Hi gardenperi,
A quick note about our experience: Brigitte and I consistently design between 70-90 kitchens/year (for over 34 years) and have designed thousands of kitchens.....We also design full structural including below-grade foundation plans.....We have 2 Chicagoland locations and a Michigan location which cover the Wisconsin to Indiana borders, N.W. Indiana and S.W. Michigan.....Anyway, not a good situation.....Assume they are ceramic/porcelain tiles which means that you'll also be tearing up the sheeting (usually plywood) underneath during the demo.....Normally, this could be replaced BUT running up to the cabinetry presents an obvious problem.....Along with that, trying to demo tiles next to the cabinets will result in damage to the cabinetry itself.....Sorry to dampen your hopes, but there's nothing new in our business regarding your situation.....Hope this helps a bit.....John & Brigitte

Could you use one of the HD's Traffic Master Allure resilient plank products? It is a floating floor and can go over existing tiles.

I just did an internet search on laying wood floor on top of tile (floating), as ce007roy suggested, and it appears that it can be done as long as the floor has no cracks in it and is smooth. I suggest doing an internet search as well as get estimates from your local flooring installer. Be sure the installer is recommended and knows what he's doing.

I don't know what your tiles look like but have you thought about coloring/staining the grout closer to the color of the tile? Even if the grout lines are wider than you like it may make a look that is more acceptable to you. It might be worth a try. Putting one flooring over another sometimes causes a buildup and doors and trim need to be cut.

Almost all kitchen floors look like the cabinets are on top of the tile. Often, it is just the toe kick and end panels. It would take a person with experience in this to look at it and tell you what is possible. Often, just the island needs to be removed and replaced.

It's quite simple. You remove the tile up to the edge of the cabinets but leaving 1-2mm of tile at the edge of the cabinet. When the hardwood is laid, it'll be brought up to the tile edge left you left by grinding down to the couple millimeters. Quarter rounds are then used to cover the transition from the wood / tile so you can't see the difference.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my question and for explaining the technique you use. We put the kitchen floor project on hold for a while to tackle other rooms but ...perhaps when we are ready we can find someone in the Vancouver area who has similar expertise.

We only have a commercial division there now. Maybe by the time we are ready our Residential Division will be up and running.

I could use some help with trying to figure out how to remove the ceramic tile along the toe kick of the cabinets. We have 33 feet to remove but the toe kick saw and the diamond blade for removing the ceramic tile only lasted 3 feet until the blade went dull. All the tile was placed on the subfloor first then the cabinets. I'm not sure what to do next.

Ask a flooring expert if the hardwood flooring you select can be installed over the existing tile. If the tile is in good condition, you maybe able to lay the wood floor on top of the tile.

The remaining ceramic tile along the toe kick is all that remains. The hardwood is thick and cannot be replaced over existing tile. Need more options but thank you

Usually scoring the surface of the tile is all that is necessary to break it off in a clean line. I am guessing that if you are dulling a diamond blade, you are cutting too deep and getting the blade too hot. If you start picking up wood dust and mixing it with the tile dust, it will overheat the blade very quickly. If it is still getting too hot just scoring it deeply, you may need to cut it wet.

There is a technique that allows ceramic tiles to be "sunk" in self leveling cement which then allows new flooring to go down over top. This will add floor height which will probably be a problem with solid hardwood...but it is an option.

I'm going to guess there are problems with counter top heights together with the hardwood which prevents the installation of "under counter" products such as a dishwasher.

A well versed tile specialist (tile setter) should be able to demo this floor for you. What the cost will be is going to be the next issue.

Fred S- You are correct! We were pressing to hard! We are going to retry with a light scoring and spray water this time! Thank you

just wondering what u did and how came out

We ended up renting a toe kick saw. Then ordered four diamond blades off of Amazon. "Crain carpet blade 5/8 inch diamond blade". We lightly scored the tile while spraying water over the blade. The process was long and a tough job. We ended up using a crow bar and hammer near the cabinet floor and the tile to remove extra tile the toe blade didn't get. After it was all removed and we placed the pergo floor down, we ended up with a beautiful kitchen floor! I would never do it again.

The result! And it was my husband and I that did it all.

I hate ceramic tile, it’s so hard on my feet and legs, and I’m only 38! We have ceramic seamless into carpet, the tiles are under a large kitchen island with granite counters and sink and dishwasher. To replace both the carpet and the tile with wood or vinyl wood look I understand we will need all new underlay. Is it possible to do this with the island?

I hate my ceramic tile, too. A couple of them are now cracked. We had beautiful granite counter tops put in over our original cabinets, and I would dearly love to replace that tile flooring with hard wood. I'm not replacing those cabinets! I found the oak flooring at Lowes for only $3.69/ft after 5% credit card discount. But I'm not sure I would trust them to hire a flooring installer that could make this work. I liked the idea of cutting up to the edge of the cabinets and then replacing with the wood. The original poster said they would never do it again, but the photos look wonderful.

I had old marble flooring (600sq ft) in my kitchen, all under my large island and base cabinets. It was costly to have marble flooring honed and sealed every few years so I picked out bamboo flooring from home depot to replace my old marble tile floors. A contractor came out, demo the marble tiles, and did an amazing job cutting around island and base cabinets. It can be done.

Love it! Thanks so much. This job is still on our to-do-list!