How to Use a Jack Hammer to Remove Native Stone Floor Area That Is on Top of Concrete

Remodeling a floor often starts with removing the old flooring material. This process is a challenge if the floor consists of native stone on top of a concrete slab. Removing this type of flooring requires the use of a heavy-duty jackhammer available at a tool supply company. The jackhammer provides the needed force to break through the stone, allowing you to remove the crumbled material. Although the process is straightforward, follow all safety precautions to prevent injury.

Steel-toed work boots
Work gloves
Safety glasses
Ear protection
Dust mask
Tape measure
Painter’s tape
Jack hammer with spade bit
Shovel
Trash can

Instructions

- 1
  Gather all the proper safety gear before starting the jackhammer. Protective gear must include steel-toed boots, work gloves, ear protection and safety glasses. You may also want to wear a respirator mask if there are no windows or doors to provide ventilation.
- 2
  Designate the areas of the stone floor that you want to remove by placing strips of painter’s tape on it. If you are removing all the floor, skip this step.
- 3
  Rent an electric jackhammer from a tool supply store and install a spade bit into it, following the manufacturer's instructions. Plug the cord into a nearby electric outlet.
- 4
  Place the bit of the jackhammer on one section of the stone floor and spread your feet well away from it. Pull the handle trigger to start the jackhammer and hold it in place in a perpendicular position to the floor. Continue holding it in place until a chunk of the stone breaks free and you can see the concrete.
- 5
  Angle the bit of the jackhammer backward at a 30 to 45 degree angle and use it as a crowbar to pry up more of the stone floor.
- 6
  Work your way around the floor drilling under the exposed edge of the stone and prying it up with the jackhammer until you have loosened all the stone.
- 7
  Unplug the jackhammer and shovel the loosened stone into a trash can. Drag the trash can outside to throw the material into a dumpster.
- 8
  Remove the underlying concrete in the same manner you did the stone, first drilling through it until you see dirt. Then begin using the jackhammer bit as a crow bar until all the concrete is loose. Remove the chunks of concrete using the shovel and trash can.

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