How to Get Wood Tiles Off of Terrazzo Floors

Move furniture and other contents of the room to one side. If possible, remove the furniture from the room.

Place a flooring chisel on a wood tile seam and tap the handle with a mallet widening the seam between wood tiles.

Position the flooring chisel into the gap at a low angle and tap the handle with a mallet until you pop the wood tile. Remove the wood tile.

Hold the flooring chisel at a low angle to the adjacent tile and strike it with a mallet until the next tile pops. Continue positioning the flooring chisel at a low angle to adjacent tiles, hit the chisel with a mallet and the pop tiles until you pop all tiles off the terrazzo floor.

Gather all wood tiles and dispose of them. Sweep the floor with a broom or vacuum the dust and debris with a shop vacuum.

Spread adhesive remover over a small 4-by4-foot section of the terrazzo floor with a string mop beginning in a corner. Let the adhesive remover remain on the floor as directed by the manufacturer's instructions.

Scrape the old adhesive off the terrazzo floor with a scraper. Do not gouge the terrazzo flooring.

Apply adhesive remove to an adjacent section of the adhesive bed. Let the adhesive become soft, and then scrape it off with a scraper. Continue applying adhesive remover and scrape the terrazzo floor until no adhesive remains.

Mix 1/2 cup of laundry detergent into 1 gallon of hot water. Dip a stiff broom into the detergent and water. Scrub the floor to remove adhesive remover residue. Rinse the floor two to three times with water.